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Classic basil pesto

Classic basil pesto, photographed for Pinch of Mint

By Tom · Updated

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  • Easy

Here is my easy to follow classic homemade basil pesto recipe card. You can create so many dishes with this one recipe. Pesto is perfect to stir through pasta, spread in a sandwich, serve with meat and fish, use as a salad dressing, on a pizza or spread on some warm toast.

How to make it

The 3 photographs published with this recipe, in the order they appeared.

  1. Classic basil pesto, photographed for Pinch of Mint
    Photo 1
  2. Classic basil pesto, photographed for Pinch of Mint
    Photo 2
  3. Classic basil pesto, photographed for Pinch of Mint
    Photo 3

The recipe

Classic basil pesto

Here is my easy to follow classic homemade basil pesto recipe card.

  • Easy

Times and difficulty are our estimates from the method, not stopwatch figures.

Quantities
Measurements

Ingredients

Tick things off as you go — they stay ticked if you close the page.

A dotted underline means the amount has been rounded to something you can measure.

Method

  1. Step 1

    Place garlic and sea salt into a food processor and pulse, then add the pine nuts (30 g) and pulse again until roughly chopped.

  2. Step 2

    Add the basil (60 g) and pulse again until well mixed.

  3. Step 3

    Place the mixture into a bowl and stir in parmesan (30 g), lemon juice and olive (130 ml) oil, mixing to a paste. Season to taste.

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Questions people ask

How much does this make?

The original recipe did not state a yield, so nothing has been invented for it. The scale control on the recipe card multiplies the quantities instead, which is the honest version of the same thing.

Can I see the ingredients in ounces and pints?

Yes. The metric and imperial switch on the recipe card converts every quantity, rounded to amounts you can actually weigh or measure rather than to four decimal places. Your choice is remembered for every recipe on the site.

Is it vegetarian?

Yes, as written. If you are cooking for a strict vegetarian, the one to check is the cheese: several hard cheeses are made with animal rennet.