This Pesto Sauce recipe with Walnuts is made without pine nuts, so, it's easy and more affordable! Y'all, this easy basil walnut pesto gets its vibrant green color that lasts and lasts from one simple trick and I'm sharing it with you!
Traditional Italian pesto recipes (Pesto di Basilico) is made with pine nuts, basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and olive oil.
My homemade pesto sauce recipe skips the pine nuts and uses walnuts. You can make it with a more Southern twist and use toasted pecans! Walnuts and pecans are more readily available and cost less where I live, but you can use pine nuts if you prefer those.
There are so many ways to enjoy pesto! If you love pasta in green sauce, you've got to make this today! See even more serving suggestions below.
And did I mention it only takes 10 minutes, freezes well and is a pesto vegetarian recipe? You're welcome.
There's nothing better than having an easy creamy pesto sauce recipe readily available during the summer months when you have an abundance of basil available in your garden or at farmers markets!
Most grocery stores sell fresh basil in pots or "clam shell containers" in the produce section, so you can also make basil pesto year round!
Blanching basil for pesto
Here it is. My fail-proof trick for the best way to preserve fresh basil for making bright green pesto.
Blanch it. I promise, it is super easy and you'll be glad you didn't skip this step!
Blanching basil only takes a few seconds and is a game changer. You'll thank me when your pesto is still bright green when you use it again and again.
Details on how to blanch the basil is in the printable recipe at the end of the post.
Shortcuts
- I like to grind chunks of fresh Parmesan cheese in the food processor before adding the walnuts but pre-grated cheese can be used as a shortcut.
This pesto recipe using walnuts and is quick and easy to make. Let's get started!
Ingredients
What you will need to make this walnut pesto recipe.
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
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- Fresh basil- The fresher the basil, the fresher tasting your pesto will be. Read my post on how to keep herbs fresh.
- Garlic paste- This is a shortcut for me because I keep it on hand in the fridge. Fresh cloves of pressed garlic also works.
The walnuts blend well with the basil mixture to give you that creamy consistency and nutty flavor every easy pesto recipe is known for.
How to make this pesto recipe without pine nuts
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Prepare a small bowl of ice water. Bring a saucepan of water to boil.
- Quickly toss basil in the boiling water then in ice water. Do not skip this part! See the recipe below on how to properly blanch the basil.
- Add all the ingredients EXCEPT olive oil to a food processor or blender.
- Blend the ingredients until an almost-smooth paste is formed.
- With processor on, slowly add the oil through the food chute, scraping down sides as needed.
- Store the pesto in the refrigerator in a container with a tight lid.
Homemade pesto makes wonderful food gifts for friends and neighbors. If you grow the basil yourself, it's also an inexpensive gift!
Pro Tips
Lightly toast the walnuts and let them cool for extra flavor.
Remove stems from basil sprigs and only use the leaves.
Be sure to wash and dry freshly picked basil sprigs before making any fresh basil pesto recipe.
Substitutions & Variations
Trade "this" for "that" in this creamy pesto recipe.
- Use 1 large clove of garlic instead of the ½ teaspoon of garlic paste.
- Pine nuts can be substituted for walnuts. As a Southerner, I always have pecans on hand and often substitute them in this recipe.
- Basil itself has many different varieties such as chocolate basil, cinnamon basil, Thai basil, and more! Experiment with varieties you may grow or find at your local nursery or farmers market.
- Parsley and spinach can be added or even substituted for basil for a flavor variation.
How to use this pesto recipe with walnuts
- Swap out pizza sauce or marinara on pizzas and use this fresh basil pesto recipe instead.
- I love to slather it on toasted crostini and top with sliced cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper for a super quick appetizer.
- Use this walnut pesto recipe as a dipping sauce for your charcuterie board or crusty French bread.
- As a simple sauce for your favorite pasta dishes.
How to store
- To Store: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered or in an air tight container. I like to pour a thin layer of additional oil on top of the pesto in the jar before putting on the lid.
- To Freeze: Pesto freezes well and can come in handy all year round. You can put the pesto in ice cube trays or muffin tins. Don't overfill. Let it sit in the freezer for a couple of hours and then pop each of the cubes out and put them in a freezer zip lock bag. You can freeze pesto for up to 6 months.
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Want more ways to use basil?
Pesto Sauce with Walnuts
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup walnuts (lightly toasted)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic paste or 1 large clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (optional)
- ⅓ to ½ cup olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Prepare a small bowl of ice water. Bring a saucepan of water to boil.
- Add the basil leaves to the boiling water. Quickly remove the basil after 4 seconds with tongs or slotted spoon and plunge them into the bowl of ice water.
- This step is called blanching. Do not skip it! It’s a game changer for keeping the pesto green and not turning brown!
- Drain the blanched basil and pat dry with paper towels.
- In a food processor or blender, process the walnuts and cheese until ground. Add the blanched basil, salt and (if using) black pepper. Process until all the ingredients are blended.
- You can add the oil all at once and process until blended, scraping down sides, but I like to add it through the food chute so it doesn’t slosh the oil around. It creates a smoother mixture this way. (Start with ⅓ cup oil and add more if you want it thinner.)
- I think it also incorporates the oil better this way and I can decide if I want to add more oil if it isn’t creamy enough for me since packed basil leaves may vary. You still have to scrape down the sides about halfway into pouring the oil.
- Store the pesto in the refrigerator in a container with a tight lid.
Notes
- You can use 1 large clove of garlic instead of the ½ teaspoon of garlic paste.
- Pine nuts can be substituted for walnuts. As a Southerner, I always have pecans on hand and often substitute them in this recipe.
- Basil itself has many different varieties such as chocolate basil, cinnamon basil, Thai basil, and more! Experiment with varieties you may grow or find at your local nursery or farmers market.
- Parsley and spinach can be added or even substituted for basil for a flavor variation.
- Blanching basil only takes a few seconds and is a game changer. You'll thank me when your pesto is still bright green when you use it again and again.
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
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