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Home » Recipe Index » Condiments

Easy Pesto Sauce

Published: Jul 9, 2019 · Modified: May 29, 2025 by Kris Longwell · This post may contain affiliate links

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Easy Pesto Sauce is incredibly fresh and bursting with vibrant flavors, making it an easy way to elevate your pasta, sandwiches, and more. Just a spoonful adds a delicious, herbaceous boost that transforms everyday dishes into something extraordinary.

A bowl of easy pesto sauce in a small white bowl next to scattered pine nuts, a head of garlic, and fresh basil leaves.
Jump to:
  • 🌿 The Ingredients
  • 👩🏼‍🍳 How To Make Easy Pesto Sauce
  • 🍽️ How To Serve
  • 🙋🏽‍♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
  • 😋 Other Easy Delicious Sauces
  • Easy Pesto Sauce

🌿 The Ingredients

With just a handful of simple ingredients, pesto sauce comes together to create a deeply flavorful and aromatic addition to any dish.

An arrangement of ingredients on a white wooden background including pine nuts, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

👩🏼‍🍳 How To Make Easy Pesto Sauce

A person transferring toasted pine nuts from a small white bowl into the bowl of a food-processor that is filled with fresh basil, garlic, and grated Parmesan cheese.
  1. Step 1: In the bowl of your food processor, add the basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and toasted pine nuts.
A person holding a spoonful of chopped basil, pine nuts, and garlic over a food processor.
  1. Step 2: Process until uniformly chopped.
A person pouring extra-virgin olive oil through the tube of a food processor into the bowl that is processing pesto sauce.
  1. Step 3: With the motor on LOW, slowly add the EVOO through the tube of the food processor.
A person holding a heaping spoonful of easy pesto sauce over a small glass jar that is partially filled with the rest of the sauce.
  1. Step 4: Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

🍽️ How To Serve

  • This sauce is very versatile. It’s best served at room temperature.
  • Remove the sauce from the fridge for 1 to 2 hours before serving.
  • This is wonderful when tossed with pasta for a great, simple pasta salad.
  • It makes a wonderful sauce for pizza. We use it in our BLT Pizza.
  • The sauce makes a wonderful condiment for most sandwiches. We use it on our Italian-Style Panini. Amazing!

Expert Tip

If you want to serve pesto with pasta, such as our Spaghetti with Pasta, we recommend blanching the basil first by simmering the fresh leaves for about 1 minute in boiling water, then transferring them to an ice bath. The blanching gives the pesto a milder basil flavor, which we feel works best for the dish.

🙋🏽‍♂️ Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make pesto sauce in a blender instead of a food processor?

You’ll get much better consistency with a food processor. We don’t recommend using a blender.

How do I prevent easy pesto sauce from turning brown after making it?

To keep pesto bright green, store it in an airtight container and drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on top before refrigerating.

Can I freeze easy pesto sauce made in a food processor?

Absolutely! Pesto freezes well—portion it into ice cube trays or small containers for easy use later without losing flavor.

A person using a spoon to spread easy pesto sauce over toasted French bread on a cutting board with a jar of the sauce nearby.

😋 Other Easy Delicious Sauces

  • An overhead view of a large oval Dutch oven filled with fresh marinara with a wooden spoon inserted in the middle.
    Homemade Marinara Sauce
  • A person holding up a spoonful of homemade romesco sauce from a food processor.
    Easy Romesco Sauce
  • A small white bowl filled with authentic chimichurri sauce with a spoon with some of the sauce nearby all on a white background.
    Easy Chimichurri Sauce
  • A hand using a small spoon to drizzle homemade tzatziki sauce over the end of a chicken gyro that is sitting next to a small jar of the sauce on a white platter.
    Homemade Tzatziki Sauce

Ready to make the freshest, tastiest pesto sauce in town? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon

A bowl of easy pesto sauce in a small white bowl next to scattered pine nuts, a head of garlic, and fresh basil leaves.

Easy Pesto Sauce

Easy Pesto Sauce really is easy. Perfect for pasta or sandwiches, or on a pizza! So packed with flavor and so easy!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 143kcal
Author: Kris Longwell

Video

Equipment

  • Food processor

Ingredients

  • 5 teaspoon pine nuts toasted
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from one medium lemon
  • ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • Toast the pine nuts. Keep an eye on them, they burn easily! Set aside until ready to make the pesto.
    5 teaspoon pine nuts
  • In a food processor, add the basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until thoroughly chopped. Remove the lid and scrape the sides of the mixture back down into the base of the processor, or blender.
    2 cups fresh basil, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, Kosher salt and black pepper
  • Place the lid back on, and with the motor running, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Turn off the motor.
    ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video near the top of the recipe for visual guidance.
Add the oil slowly, keeping an eye on the consistency. The pesto should be ‘runny.’ Depending on how tightly you packed the basil when measuring it, you may need less (or more) of the oil called for. 
The pesto will thicken in the fridge. Allow it to come to room temperature (on the counter for an hour or two) until ready to serve. Give it a good stir first. 
It will keep in a jar with a lid in the fridge for up to 10 to 14 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 466IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 0.5mg
Tried this recipe? Take a Picture!Mention @HowToFeedALoon or tag #HowToFeedALoon!

More Condiments

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    Carolina Mustard Sauce
  • An overhead view of a colorful bowl filled with a thick Thai sweet chili sauce and topped with chopped scallions and is on a plate filled with crispy coconut shrimp.
    Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
  • An overhead straight-down view of a small white bowl filled with fresh mango salsa with tortilla chips and limes wedges surrounding it.
    Homemade Mango Salsa
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    Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

Comments

  1. Laura Casey says

    August 20, 2023 at 6:00 pm

    5 stars
    Just finished making pesto with your recipe….Just delish! Made enough for fall and winter!
    I freeze in half cup amounts, in small freezer bags, they lay flat to freeze and take up little room in my freezer.

    Stay cool and keep cook’s!

    Reply
    • Kris Longwell says

      August 22, 2023 at 3:44 pm

      Hi Laura! You are on fire! LOVE that you made a big batch of the fresh pesto! This chilly winter, you will be soooo happy you have it! Thanks for sharing and thanks again for the GREAT review! That means everything to us! xoxo

      Reply
  2. Mary McKiernan says

    May 20, 2020 at 6:47 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you. I pin so many of your recipes! They are all so easy to follow and so delicious.
    After visiting Italy last year (before Covid) , I’m looking forward to making the potato, string bean, pesto recipe now that I will have fresh basil coming up in garden.
    I need the wonderful memories of Italy paired with a comfort dish I so remembered.
    Thank you, love you guys.
    Best,
    —Mary McK

    Reply
    • Kris Longwell says

      May 22, 2020 at 2:44 pm

      Hi Mary!!! Sorry for the delayed response! That is so wonderful to hear! Ah…memories of Italy…that is something we could all use during these difficult times. We think you’ll enjoy the potato, string bean, and pesto salad. It’s so summery and so good! Thank you so much and we send lots and lots of love back to you!! xoxoxo Kris & Wesley

      Reply
  3. Marilyn says

    July 09, 2019 at 3:16 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect Kris & Wesley! My fav! Sometimes I’ll add a little butter and mascarpone for a creamy sauce.

    Reply
    • krislongwell says

      July 09, 2019 at 4:27 pm

      Thanks, Marilyn!!! A little butter and mascarpone!! YES!! Now you are talking’!!!! Miss you guys but looks like everything is going GREAT!!!! xoxox

      Reply
5 from 3 votes

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