This homemade pesto without pine nuts recipe is so easy and delicious that you’ll wonder why you ever used to buy store-bought pesto. It uses simple ingredients like basil and walnuts, instead of pine nuts, to make this a more accessible and affordable way to enjoy pesto.
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Why You’ll Love This Pesto Without Pine Nuts Recipe
When I joined a local CSA (community supported agriculture) several years ago, I was given an abundance of fresh basil…like seriously, way more than I knew what to do with. In my quest to use up all of these fresh herbs, I decided to try making my own fresh pesto for the first time.
So naturally I looked up some recipes and they all had pine nuts in them, which wasn’t something that I had on hand. I ultimately decided to substitute walnuts in place of pine nuts since I had those on hand…and I was not disappointed in this new pesto without pine nuts recipe.
Since you’re using walnuts, you still get that nutty flavor of traditional basil pesto…but without the extra cost that the pine nuts would add to your grocery bill.
This easy walnut pesto recipe is also packed with great nutrients like healthy fats, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin K, magnesium, and iron. These nutrients have anti-inflammatory properties that can help lower inflammation and improve insulin resistance.
Pesto is such a versatile sauce and it’s a great way to add a lot of nutrition to a variety of different dishes like pasta, vegetables, salmon, chicken, pizza, toast, or even use it as a salad dressing…honestly, the possibilities are endless!
Plus, this homemade pesto recipe freezes great! Making large batches in the summer and freezing it in ice cube trays is my favorite way to enjoy fresh pesto year round…trust me, it’s so much better than a store-bought version.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This basil pesto without pine nuts uses fresh and simple ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Basil – the star of this pesto dish! I used fresh basil leaves to give it that pronounced basil flavor. You can use dried basil, but I’d highly recommend using fresh basil to give you that deliciously fresh flavor.
- Walnuts – this is the substitute that really makes this pesto without pine nuts recipe come together. I like to use walnuts because I usually have them on hand, however, you can easily substitute different nuts like cashews, macadamia nuts, or pecans. You could also use pepitas or sunflower seeds if you need a nut-free pesto recipe.
- Garlic cloves – I used 3 fresh garlic cloves in this recipe for the best flavor but you could substitute minced garlic or garlic powder in a pinch…you could also decrease the amount of garlic or omit it entirely if you’re not a garlic lover!
- Lemon juice – the acidity of the fresh lemon juice helps to balance out the olive oil in this pesto recipe.
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese – Parmigiano Reggiano is usually aged longer than parmesan cheese and will give your pesto recipe a more pronounced nutty and cheesy flavor. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store though, you can easily substitute pecorino romano or parmesan cheese.
- Extra virgin olive oil – this neutral oil adds flavor and healthy fats to the pesto.
- Salt – I used ¼ teaspoon of salt, but you may want to increase the amount up to a ½ teaspoon of salt depending on your taste preferences. I’d start with the ¼ teaspoon then try it before adding more salt.
- Black pepper
How Do You Make Pesto Without Pine Nuts?
I love pesto because it’s literally such an easy recipe to make! Here’s the step-by-step instructions:
First, put all of your ingredients, except for the olive oil, in the bowl of a food processor. You could also use a quality high speed blender like a Ninja or Vitamix.
Blend those ingredients on high for a few seconds until they’re well-combined but still have some texture to them.
Next, turn the speed to low and slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube into the food processor. If you’re using a blender, you can simply remove the cover and slowly drizzle the olive oil in a single layer on top of the pesto mixture before blending again. Blend until the pesto is combined and relatively smooth. The finished pesto will have a little bit of texture to it, but it shouldn’t have big chunks of ingredients left in it.
Note: You may need to use a rubber spatula or a spoon to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically while blending to ensure all ingredients mix thoroughly together.
Enjoy this pesto immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
In my opinion, the best part is you can also freeze leftover pesto easily to use later on. I usually like to make big batches of this easy pesto recipe in the summertime when I have a lot of fresh basil on hand.
All I do is scoop the pesto into ice cube trays and place them in the freezer. These silicone ice cube trays make it super easy! After about 30-60 min, pop the pesto out of the individual ice cube molds. Place them in freezer bags and store in the freezer. This makes it super easy to pull out a few “ice cubes” of delicious pesto whenever you need them!
Substitutions & Variations
- No basil leaves? Use dried basil or substitute spinach leaves instead for a different flavor.
- Nut allergies? Use pumpkin seeds, pepitas, or sunflower seeds instead of the walnuts.
- Substitute Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for pecorino romano or parmesan cheese.
- Dairy-Free? Make this a vegan pesto sauce by substituting nutritional yeast instead of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- Substitute garlic powder or minced garlic for fresh garlic cloves.
- No olive oil? Use another neutral oil like canola oil or avocado oil.
Other Delicious Recipes You’ll Love
Homemade Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups
Make-Ahead High Protein Baked Oats
If you make and love this Easy Pesto Without Pine Nuts Recipe, please leave a rating and review below. This is the best way to support me! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram so I can repost you!
Pesto Without Pine Nuts (Easy 5-Minute Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 2 cup fresh basil leaves de-stemmed & packed
- ⅓ cup walnuts chopped
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese grated; or sub parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ tsp salt or more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except for olive oil to the bowl of a food processor or high speed blender. Blend on high for a few seconds until they're well-combined but still have some texture to them.
- Turn the speed down to low and slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube into the food processor. If you're using a blender, you can simply remove the cover and slowly drizzle the olive oil on top of the pesto mixture.
- Blend on low speed until the pesto is combined and relatively smooth. The finished pesto will have a little bit of texture to it but it shouldn't have big chunks of ingredients left in it.
- Taste the pesto mixture and add more salt if desired. Enjoy immediately or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
The post Pesto Without Pine Nuts (Easy 5-Minute Recipe!) appeared first on The PCOS Nutritionist Alyssa.