Basil Almond Pesto Recipe

Make your own delicious, fresh, healthy basil pesto at home. The perfect compliment to your favorite protein, pasta or vegetable recipes! My basil almond pesto recipe is so much better than the jar in the store, and a whole lot less money!

What to Make with Fresh Basil

How many of you typically have an abundance of basil this time of year? Basil is my absolute favorite herb and I love to grow it at home.

But I always find myself needing to use it up since it grows so quickly. That’s when I make a little batch of fresh basil pesto.

If you don’t happen to have a plant at home, no worries. Most produce sections of larger grocery stores sell the plant for less than $3!

I used to buy the little plastic containers with the leaves in them but I found they were more money than buying the plant.

If you don’t use the whole plant in one recipe, it will continue to grow new leaves for a few months! It’s also very easy to take care of – just a little bit of water every few days and it’s happy.

Easy Pesto Recipe Using Basil

There are so many different ways to make this bright, fresh sauce and I love trying different pesto recipes. You can start with any fresh leafy green – I usually go with basil or spinach or a combination of both!

Your basic pesto recipe typically calls for pine nuts, but I don’t often have those, so I make my pesto with almonds, walnuts, and I’ve even made it with macadamia nuts.

You can also make homemade pesto savory or sweet. One of my favorite fresh basil pesto recipes has honey in it and it’s perfect on a charcuterie board.

How To Make Pesto

There are just a few ingredients in this fresh basil pesto recipe, which also makes it one of the easiest recipes to make! If you have a food processor, you’re good to go. We’re just going to toss things in and mix them up.

I’ve found it’s best to add the basil in last. The leaves are quite delicate and they bruise easily; by adding them at the end, you keep that bright green color longer.

How Long Will Fresh Basil Pesto Last?

If you have leftover pesto, just place in a sealed container and it will last in the fridge for about 5-7 days. You may find that your pesto will brown due to air exposure, very much like an avocado.

Because we add a little bit of lemon, this may reduce the browning time. If it does brown, it may not look as pretty, but it will still taste great!

Ways To Use Pesto

My favorite way to use homemade pesto is on chicken, seafood, veggies and pasta. It’s so versatile! If you’re adding it to meat or seafood, you can do it before or after cooking.

For veggies and pasta, just use a dollop of it and mix it. When I use it with pasta, I usually reserve about 1/3 cup of pasta water and add that to thin the pesto.

You can add it to cold or hot pasta dishes, too! It’s also perfect as a dip on it’s own for veggies, crackers, pretzels, French bread…the list goes on!

Pin To Your Favorite Sauce, Pasta, Veggies, and Protein Boards

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