Homemade Walnut Basil Pesto

Homemade walnut basil pesto is an amazing fresh and vibrant Italian pesto sauce that can be added to pasta, meat, or used as a dip.  This walnut and basil pesto recipe is an Italian pesto but without pine nuts. This pesto with walnuts has all the traditional Italian ingredients like basil, olive oil and parmesan and it is so delicious. This easy homemade pesto is the perfect summer sauce or addition to any pasta.

Jump to Recipe

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

About this walnut basil pesto

Traditionally basil pesto is made with basil, parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil and pine nuts. This pesto with walnuts is my favorite way to make pesto. I think using walnuts to make pesto tastes so much better than using pine nuts.

You can also use almonds or pecans if you do not have walnuts available or opt for the traditional pine nuts.

Another reason why I love making pesto without pine nuts is I am not a fan of the flavor of pine nuts. They are also very pricey and not always easy to find.

Ingredients needed

• Fresh basil. These are the star ingredients in this homemade pesto.
• Parmesan. You want to make sure you are using Italian Parmesan for this recipe that you grate yourself.
• Olive oil. You can use extra virgin or regular olive oil.
• Vegetable oil. This may seem odd but it helps offset the olive oil which has a stronger flavor. More on this below.
• Walnuts toasted. It is important to toast the walnuts to bring out their natural flavor.
• Lemon. Lemon juice when added to pesto brings out the brightness of the ingredients.
• Kosher salt.

You may be wondering why we are using some vegetable oil in this homemade pesto. Many Italians will use a little vegetable oil since it has a very mild taste and helps thin the pesto.

We do use olive oil for the flavor and a little vegetable oil for a thinner consistency. It is the best of both Worlds.

How to make this easy walnut basil pesto

• Add all of your ingredients to a food processor.
• Mix until they begin to come together and form a pesto.
• Taste for seasoning and add any salt or pepper as needed.

Very simple. All of the work to make this easy pesto is done in the food processor.

You are merely pulsing the ingredients in the food processor until you get the right smooth consistency.

Customizing this walnut basil pesto recipe

One of the great things about making this walnut basil pesto is that you can customize it to your own taste. Just like I did here, I prefer walnuts to pine nuts so I made a pesto without the pine nuts.

You can also go heavier or lighter on the garlic, olive oil or other ingredients in the pesto that you make.

The only thing you want to make sure you do when you adjust the ingredients is make sure you achieve the right consistency at the end. Somewhat thick and not runny is the ideal pesto consistency.

Once you try out this easy walnut and basil pesto, you can start experimenting with other types of pesto. From sun-dried tomato pesto to arugula and spinach pesto. There is no wrong way to make this amazing Italian staple.

It is all about using fresh and delicious ingredients and what you have on hand. Italian cooking is all about not wasting anything.

How to use this easy homemade pesto

Pesto is used by the Italians in many different types of dishes. The traditional way of adding it to pasta like in my pesto pasta is what most of us know of and it tastes amazing.

Pasta is not the only way to use pesto. Some other ways to use this walnut and basil pesto that I love are listed below.

• Served over chicken or fish
• As a dip for vegetables
• My favorite way to eat pesto is to serve it in a big bowl with some good Italian crusty bread to dip in.
• You can also use it as a topping for your soups like Italian Minestrone to add a punch of flavor.

How to store homemade pesto

You may be wondering how long will this pesto last or what is the best way to store it. Here are my favorite tips:

• If you do have leftover pesto, the best thing to do is place it in a jar and drizzle a little olive oil over the top (to keep it from drying out).

• Drizzling olive oil over the top of your homemade pesto keeps the pesto fresher longer and prevents the fresh herbs from turning brown.

• To store your homemade pesto, after drizzling olive oil over the top, just place it in the refrigerator covered for up to one week.

How to make pesto without a food processor

Making this easy basil pesto without a food processor is simple. Italians have been making pesto for generations and I can assure you they did not always have a food processor.

I often don't feel like breaking out the food processor for this recipe and will instead use either a mortar and pestle or a bowl with a pestle or something thick to crush the ingredients with.

Here is how to make pesto without a food processor:

1. Add the nuts and garlic to a large mortar (or bowl) and crush them down with a pestle (you can also use the base of a large rolling pin or cooking spoon.)
2. Once the nuts and garlic are broken down, add the basil, parmesan and salt and continue crushing the ingredients with the pestle.
3. Stir the pestle around well in the bowl with the ingredients crushing the ingredients against the bottom and sides of the bowl.
4. Now add the olive oil and lemon juice and continue mixing.
5. Do this until the pesto reaches the perfect creamy consistency.
6. Add water to thin as needed.

This is such an easy way to make pesto and so much more rustic. I often prefer a mortar and pestle for making pesto to the food processor method.

Pairing Ideas

Some of our favorite recipes to serve with this walnut pesto:

More Like This

If you love this walnut pesto recipe you may also like these: