Mom's Dinner

  • Home
  • All Recipes
  • Instant Pot
    • All Instant Pot Recipes
    • Instant Pot Soup
    • Instant Pot Beef
    • Instant Pot Chicken
    • Instant Pot Pork
    • Instant Pot Turkey
    • Instant Pot Pasta
    • Instant Pot Vegetarian
  • Dinner
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Turkey
    • Fish & Seafood
    • Mexican
    • Pasta
    • Vegetarian
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Dinner
  • About
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Dinner
  • About
  • Subscribe
×
You are here: Home / Recipes / Dips and Sauces

Basil Pesto with Walnuts

By Susie Weinrich · Date May 18, 2021· 7 Comments · May contain affiliate links.

Basil Pesto in a bowl
↓ Jump to Recipe
Pin the Recipe

Homemade Basil Pesto comes together in minutes in your food processor or blender and only requires a handful of simple ingredients: basil, walnuts, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt. No cooking required for this classic Italian sauce.

a bowl of fresh pesto with a spoon

Plus I have included tips on freezing your pesto- you will have enough to last the entire winter!

Pesto is great over grilled chicken and seafood- like shrimp skewers, drizzled over crispy potatoes and of course, perfect with an Italian salad! This fresh Pesto also can be a great garnish for Roasted Fennel.

If you have an over abundance of fresh basil, this Homemade Basil Vinaigrette is also a great recipe.

RELATED: If you want a smaller batch of pesto for one dinner, pop over to this recipe for Pesto Pasta. or Pesto Cream Sauce. Or if you make this recipe, give it a try in this delicious Pesto Lasagna Skillet Recipe.

Jump to:
  • Listen To This Recipe
  • Why You Will Love This Pesto Recipe With Walnuts
  • What is Pesto?
  • Walnut Pesto Recipe Ingredients
  • How To Measure Basil
  • How to Make Walnut Pesto
  • How to Store Basil Walnut Pesto
  • Using Walnut Basil Pesto
  • Other Great Basil Recipes
  • Did you make this recipe?
  • Pesto With Walnuts
  • Leave a comment and rate this recipe!

Listen To This Recipe

You can listen to the full recipe on the podcast “Let’s Make Dinner“. I share all the tips and tricks plus recipes to use your fresh pesto!

Why You Will Love This Pesto Recipe With Walnuts

  • It is easy to make and ready in minutes.
  • Only uses simple ingredients, most of which you probably have!
  • Freezes perfectly for later use.
  • It is a bright and healthy sauce.
  • Great way to use up an excess of fresh homegrown basil.

What is Pesto?

If you have never had Basil Pesto, it is a traditional Italian sauce, made from fresh basil leaves. It is a blended herb sauce that is great on chicken, seafood, or pasta.

It has a strong flavor of basil mixed with a tartness of lemon and nuttiness from the olive oil and nuts.

Fresh Basil Plant

Tips on growing a healthy, long lasting basil plant:

  1. As the basil plant grows pinch off a few of the new, tiny, itty-bitty leaves growing in the center of the larger leaves. This allows the plant to grow wider and bushier.
  2. Do not let your basil plant go to seed. As the plant grows taller and older it will form flowers at the top. Pluck those flower buds off, down to the nearest basil leaves. This will allow the plant to grow longer and not dry out.
  3. If your plant does flower at the top this is the time you can harvest most of the plant. Cut each stem towards the bottom; count up two or three leaf patterns and cut just above the second or third set of leaves. This will leave just enough plant to regenerate.

By tending and cutting your plant you will allow it to regrow 1, 2 , or even 3 times thru the summer! Giving you a ton of pesto for your freezer!

Walnut Pesto Recipe Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make fresh Basil Pesto.

Basil– lots of basil! You will need 5 cups of basil.

Garlic- lots of garlic too! The recipe calls for 7 cloves, which I know sounds like a lot but it adds amazing flavor. If you are nervous about what 7 cloves of garlic will taste like, dial it back to 4-5 cloves.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – make sure you use extra virgin olive oil, it is the one with FLAVOR. Regular olive oil doesn’t have the bite that EVOO does. The EVOO is also the blending liquid for all the ingredients and makes your pesto saucy.

ingredients for making fresh basil pesto

Lemon- The lemon has three jobs in the pesto; it keeps t he basil nice and green, it adds liquid to help blend the ingredients down, and it adds amazing flavor. I always say recipes need a “high note” (or an acid) and the lemon does the trick in this recipe!

Walnuts – Add a heartiness in texture to your pesto sauce. You can also sub toasted pine nuts for the walnuts, like I did in the You Tube Live Video.

Parmesan Cheese – Fresh grated parm is totally optional here. If I know that I am going to use my Pesto in a pasta recipe that already calls for a lot of parm I might skip it. But just use your tasting preference here.

How To Measure Basil

I am adding this section after I had a reader ask about measuring basil…

What is the best way to measure out 5 cups of basil? How many ounces is that? Seems a little ambiguous.

– Theresa, Reader and Pesto Maker

I couldn’t agree more, Theresa! I recently made pesto live on You Tube and when it came to measuring the basil I thought that stuffing it in a measuring cup is really a flawed system.

Also trying to weigh basil doesn’t seem practical.

So what I decided was the best, unscientific, method is using your hands lightly cupped together filled with basil = roughly about 1 cup. It worked great and my pesto turned out perfect!

How to Make Walnut Pesto

Pesto is truly a really easy sauce to make, and it is perfect during a hot summer when you don’t want to simmer or boil a sauce all day!

  1. Start by adding the nuts and garlic to a food processor or strong blender. Pulse about 20-30 times to start breaking them down.
walnuts and garlic in a food processor
  1. Add the basil, lemon juice, salt and parmesan cheese if using. Turn the processor on and begin to break down the basil.
pesto in a food processor
  1. After about 10 seconds, start to slowly add the extra virgin olive oil through the feed tube on the top. Note- if you don’t have a feed tube you can add all the olive oil in the step above and it will work just fine.

Pro Tip: You may need to stop and scrape the sides to make sure everything gets blended together.

  1. Once it looks pretty smooth, open up the blender and give it a taste to see if you prefer more lemon or want more salt.

How to Store Basil Walnut Pesto

Store your fresh basil pesto in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze your pesto so it can be used for longer!

Fresh Basil Pesto in a bowl on a cutting board

Freezing Pesto With Walnuts

You can absolutely freeze homemade pesto! This recipe makes a large batch of fresh pesto so it is great to plan on freezing at least half the recipe.

  • After making the fresh basil pesto recipe pour it into an ice cube tray- in 1 ½ tablespoon portions. Top each cube with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
  • Put the ice cube tray in the freezer.
  • After a couple hours the pesto cubes will be frozen, pop them out and store them in a freezer safe bag.
  • You can keep the cubes in the freezer for up to 6 months.
  • Pull out the delicious homemade pesto 1, 2, or 8 cubes at a time to add to your recipes.
pesto in ice cube tray

Using Walnut Basil Pesto

You can use fresh pesto in so many ways! Here are a few recipes to get you started:

  1. Pesto Pasta
  2. Pesto Lasagna Skillet
  3. Drizzle over a Caprese Salad (tomatoes and mozzarella).
  4. Serve as a sauce for grilled chicken.
  5. Drizzle over Roasted Fennel.
  6. Spoon over Crispy Oven Potatoes.
  7. Use as a dip for Roasted Shrimp.
  8. Make a salad dressing for an Italian Salad.

Other Great Basil Recipes

  • homemade fresh basil vinaigrette in a bowl
    Fresh Basil Vinaigrette- plus ways to use it!
  • a bowl of lasagna soup topped with ricotta cheese
    Lasagna Soup Served With Ricotta
  • Mediterranean Shrimp Skillet with two crostini
    Mediterranean Shrimp Skillet
  • strawberry basil margarita on a blue and yellow plate
    Fresh Strawberry Basil Margarita

Susie leaning on the kitchen counter

💛💛💛💛💛

Did you make this recipe?

I would love to hear your review, especially if you have tips and tricks to add! Pop down to the comment section and connect with me

Rate This Recipe→
Fresh Basil Pesto in a bowl on a cutting board

Pesto With Walnuts

Homemade Basil Pesto comes together in minutes in your food processor or blender and only requires a handful of simple ingredients: basil, walnuts, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and kosher salt.
Watch Susie make this delicious Pesto Recipe on a 30 minute Pin TV Episode.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
Servings: 1.5 cups
Calories: 2237kcal
Author: Susie Weinrich

Equipment

  • Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup Walnuts - – can sub pine nuts
  • 7 Garlic Cloves
  • 5 cups Fresh Basil Leaves - – see notes about measuring
  • 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 4 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • Pepper to taste
  • **Optional ⅓ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor with the blade attachment, blend the nuts and garlic for about 20-30 pulses.
    ⅓ cup Walnuts, 7 Garlic Cloves
  • Add the basil, lemon juice, salt, and parmesan cheese (if using) to the walnut mixture.
    5 cups Fresh Basil Leaves, 4 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice, 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt, Pepper to taste, **Optional ⅓ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
  • Start the processor and slowly add the extra virgin olive oil through the feed tube until the pesto comes together and is blended smooth.
    Pro Tip: You may have to scrape the bowl down while you are processing to make sure that all the bits and pieces get blended in.
    1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Fresh Basil Pesto can be stored in the fridge, in an air tight container, for about a week

Freezing Pesto

  • Spoon 1½ tablespoon portions into each compartment of an ice cube tray. Top each cube with a little extra virgin olive oil.
  • Place the tray(s) into the freezer and freeze for up to 12 hours until the cubes are frozen. Pop them out and store in a freezer safe bag, up to 6 months.
  • You can use the frozen cubes 1, 2, or 8 at a time for your pastas, soups, side dishes and dips.

Recipe Tips and Notes:

MEASURING FRESH BASIL: 
I recently made pesto live on You Tube and when it came to measuring the basil I thought that stuffing it in a measuring cup is really a flawed system. Also trying to weigh basil doesn’t seem practical.
So what I decided was the best, unscientific, method is using your hands lightly cupped together filled with basil = roughly about 1 cup. It worked great and my pesto turned out perfect!

For a smaller batch of pesto, good for one dinner, pop over to this recipe for Pesto Pasta!
Or use some of this pesto in this recipe for Pesto Cream Sauce or  Pesto Lasagna Skillet.
Drizzle over Grilled Chicken or serve on Roasted Fennel for a great side dish!
LISTEN TO THIS FULL RECIPE ON THE PODCAST “LET’S MAKE DINNER” . FIND AN AUDIO PLAYER HERE.
Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!
Jump to Comments
Serving: 1recipe | Calories: 2237kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 242g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Sodium: 2340mg | Potassium: 675mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 6343IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 296mg | Iron: 7mg

About Susie Weinrich

Susie Weinrich is the recipe developer, food photographer, and content creator behind Mom's Dinner. She has over 20 years experience in the food industry. Currently, Susie shares all her recipes and food knowledge on Mom's Dinner. You will find her recipes are easy to follow and full of tips and tricks to make sure the recipe you are making turns out perfect!

Comments

    5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

    We would love to have you comment & rate the recipe! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Theresa says

    June 10, 2024 at 2:17 pm

    5 stars
    What is the best way to measure out 5 cups of basil? How many ounces is that? Seems a little ambiguous.

    Reply
    • Susie Weinrich says

      June 11, 2024 at 9:12 am

      I couldn’t agree more! LOL! On my You Tube Live when I made pesto I just filled my hands with basil leaves, lightly cupped them together and estimated that was about 1 cup. I know it’s not exact or scientific, but it definitely worked.

      Reply
    • Susie Weinrich says

      June 11, 2024 at 9:15 am

      Also thank you for saying this… I am going to add a section to the post about measuring fresh basil.

      Reply
  2. MARY PETERSEN says

    June 09, 2024 at 1:29 pm

    5 stars
    Recipe was great not happy can no longer print the recipe from your site without siging for a Grow account and have to agree to get ads from them.

    Reply
    • Susie Weinrich says

      June 10, 2024 at 8:53 am

      Hi Mary- So glad you love the pesto! I actually made some this week and had it for dinner with pasta and grilled chicken yesterday. Delish!
      I’m sorry you are unhappy about the print pass. I want to explain it so maybe you will feel less bad about it.
      When you sign up through the print button you will sign up for my newsletter, which is wonderful by the way. So, if you already are signed up for my newsletter you shouldn’t get that prompt, let me know if you are. It also signs you up for a Grow account, which allows you to save recipes from my site and across multiple food sites, that will all be collected in one place for you.
      As for the personalized ads… it sounds like MORE ads but it is not. Google is getting rid of 3rd party cookies in the next year, this allows you to receive personal ads- ie. when you go to the pottery barn site and then come to my site and see a pottery barn ad. Without the 3rd party cookies you will STILL see ads on my site, but they will not be geared towards you. It will be diapers, motor oil, or vacations, maybe things you could care less about. So basically you are not agreeing to more ads, just ads that are geared towards you.
      Hope this makes sense and if you have any other questions do not hesitate to reach out! – Susie

      Reply
  3. Ann F. says

    August 18, 2021 at 12:48 am

    5 stars
    Exceptional blend of ingredients, teamed up in the perfect proportions, create the perfect pesto!

    Thanks for the recipe, and for anticipating my questions about freezing. I will be making batch after batch using our backyard basil and savoring the taste of summer all winter long.

    Grateful to you, and your team, for your excellent site.

    Reply
  4. John says

    August 12, 2018 at 1:15 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect summer pasta dish!

    Reply
Susie in the kitchen with an apron on getting ready to cook

Meet The Author:

Susie Weinrich is a professional food photographer and recipe developer. Her thoroughly tested recipes and step-by-step guides give readers confidence in the kitchen.

YOU will feel like a huge success at dinner time with any of the simple recipes on Mom's Dinner! Read More

Helpful Meal Planning Resources

  • a table with white place settings and green garland
    Easy Meals for House Guests
  • a round table with a large family eating dinner
    30 Easy Meals for Large Family Vacations & Gatherings
woman owned small business certificate by Sertify

Amazing New Recipes

  • bbq marinated and grilled chicken skewers on a cutting board
    BBQ Chicken Skewers
  • Steak stir fry served over a bed of white rice with chopsticks resting on the edge.
    Mom’s Weeknight Pepper Steak
  • Stack of golden brown pancakes with a pat of butter melting on top with fresh blueberries garnished over the top and a bite of pancakes cut out.
    Simple Homemade Pancake Mix
  • Pulled pork sandwich coated in barbecue sauce served on a sesame bun topped with pickled onions.
    Fall-Apart Oven Baked Pulled Pork

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • Susie Weinrich
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Policy

Contact

  • Sign Up! for emails
  • Contact Me!
  • Join Me On YouTube

Recipes

  • Recipe By Category
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Dinner Recipes

Copyright © 2025 Mom's Dinner

Rate & Review This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.