• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Carrots & Cookies
  • Home
  • About Kristi Ruth RD/RDN, CNSC, LDN
  • Recipes
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home Recipes Dinner

    Easiest Homemade Pesto Without Pine Nuts

    Published: Feb 7, 2023 by Kristi · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    You can't beat this incredibly delicious 5-minute homemade pesto without pine nuts that is made with just 4 ingredients (plus water and salt/pepper, if you are really counting, ha!). Let me show you how easy it is to make, what you can do with it, and how to store it!

    Pesto in a small glass jar with basil leaves to the right of the jar and in a small white dish behind the jar.

    This homemade pesto recipe is a spinoff of one from one of my old Cooking Light cookbooks, probably from twenty years ago. I now use walnuts instead of pine nuts because, not only are pine nuts expensive, but the rest would go to waste.

    And that's the start of how this pesto without pine nuts came to be! If you've been following me for a while, you'll have learned that I love to cook with walnuts because of their nutrition profile.

    Whether I'm making a chicken salad, banana bread, or apple crisp, I like to find a way to sneak some walnuts in. And this homemade pesto is no different 😉

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How to Make Pesto Without Pine Nuts
    • What Do You Eat Pesto With?
    • Dietitian Tip
    • How to Store Homemade Pesto
    • Expert Tips
    • Questions You May Have
    • More Easy Italian Inspired Recipes
    • Easy Pesto Without Pine Nuts

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • It's so easy!
    • 5-minute recipe. 10 minutes if you choose to grate your own parmesan.
    • Made with walnuts instead of pine nuts.
    • Less oil than store bought pesto, and it tastes better, too!

    Ingredient Notes

    Walnuts, olive oil, water, salt and pepper, and parmesan cheese in individual small white prep bowls, labeled; Fresh basil leaves in a 2-cup measuring cup and two garlic cloves, labeled.
    • Fresh basil This recipe calls for two-cups of slightly packed basil, which is about 2.5 ounces.
    • Walnuts Toasted walnuts for optimal flavor. Raw, untoasted walnuts can be used but the flavor is so much better if you use toasted walnuts.
    • Parmesan cheese Use freshly grated for optimal flavor. I tend to be in a crunch for time, so I often use grated Parmesan Reggiano that I buy in bulk from Costco, and it works well!
    • Garlic For optimal flavor, use fresh garlic cloves. You can use jarred garlic instead, if it's what you have.
    • Olive oil Use extra virgin olive oil. This recipe calls for less oil than most homemade pesto recipes.

    How to Make Pesto Without Pine Nuts

    Here is a brief overview of the steps to make this recipe. For a complete list of ingredients and even more tips, scroll down to the recipe.

    Two side-by-side-process shot photos: top view of basil leaves, parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, walnut, water, and olive oil in a Vitamix personal cup adapter to the left and, to the right, a side view of the same but with the bottom down and placed on top of a Vitamix base.
    Yes, it really is this easy!

    Did you know that homemade pesto could be so easy? And did you know that pesto still tastes amazing even without pine nuts? It's true!

    Seriously, all you need to do is put all of the ingredients in a small blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If some of the basil leaves get stuck and don't move toward the blades while blending, you may need to pause blending once to get them down. But otherwise, this is the only step.

    My Pick for California Walnuts
    I prefer walnuts without preservatives (the only ingredient should be "walnuts") and that are packaged in a resealable bag, so they are easy to store.
    SHOP NOW

    Photo Credit: amazon.com

    One 2-pound bag of Walnuts (We Got Nuts brand) with walnuts to the right and "Raw California Walnuts no shell, whole. Unsalted" to the right.

    What Do You Eat Pesto With?

    The question really should be, what don't you eat pesto with? 🙂

    Pesto can be used to flavor everything from chicken or salmon to pasta and pizza. It can be used as a spread on grilled cheese, or, as you may have had at an Italian restaurant, it can be served as a dip and served with bread.

    Personally, my favorite way to use pesto is to make Pesto with Tortellini and Chicken. My other favorite is to use pesto in place of tomato sauce on pizza. It's so good!

    Oh, and salmon! Pesto goes great with salmon. So, I guess I don't have a favorite after all 🙂

    Okay, so I'm finishing up this post in a local coffee shop and, believe it or not, their breakfast special is made with pesto, so you know I had to get it!

    It looks like they spread pesto on top of a flatbread, topped the pesto with arugula and the arugula with scrambled egg. Then they sprinkled feta cheese on top. It's delicious and something that would be easy to make at home.

    Dietitian Tip

    While fish is most notorious for providing omega-3 fatty acids, let's face it, most kids are not eating fish high in omega-3s (like salmon) two days a week. And that's how other foods, like walnuts, can help.

    Using walnuts in recipes is an easy way to get more omega-3 into your child's diet. In fact, walnuts are the only nut that offers a significant amount of the plant-based omega-3 ALA.

    Of course, if your child has a walnut allergy, do not feed him or her walnuts. Omega 3 fats can also be found in foods like chia seeds, flax seeds, and more.

    How to Store Homemade Pesto

    Refrigerate: Store pesto in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Try to refrigerate it in a container that fits just the amount of pesto that you have. The less air in the container, the less brown the top of the pesto will get.

    Freeze: Believe it or not, I usually freeze pesto in a freezer-safe resealable zip-loc bag. Be sure to squeeze as much of the air out as you can first, before sealing it.

    You can also freeze pesto in ice cube trays. Once frozen, place the cubes of pesto in a freezer safe bag or container to freeze.

    Expert Tips

    • Fresh basil, garlic, parmesan, salt, and pepper all contribute equally to the incredible flavor of this basil pesto. Any substitution that you make to these ingredients will affect the flavor.
    • A small personal sized blender or food processor will work great for this.
    • This recipe does not make enough to cover the blades of a low-profile Vitamix blender (with a wide base).
    • If you have a low-profile Vitamix blender, I recommend using the personal cup adapter (if you have one) that fits on your Vitamix.
    • If you are going to use this pesto with another salty ingredient (like tortellini), I suggest cutting back on the salt in this recipe. You can always add more later.

    Questions You May Have

    Is it worth making your own pesto?

    I certainly think it is! Homemade pesto is often lighter in texture than store-bought (not as dense). It is also much brighter in color which makes it more visually appealing. And, because the ingredients are fresh, you will definitely notice a flavor difference as well.

    What's a good sub for basil in pesto sauce?

    This is a tricky question to answer. While you can substitute basil with spinach or another similar green, leafy vegetable, it will not taste the same. I suggest using at least a small amount of fresh basil leaves and substituting the rest with spinach, if necessary.

    Can you use the basil stems in pesto?

    Yes, you can! I actually had to look this question up for myself because the stems are rather long in the packages that I bought from Trader Joe's a few weeks ago.

    Should basil be washed before making pesto?

    Yes. Rinse fresh basil leaves to get any remaining dirt or bugs off. Then, simply pat to dry. There is no need to soak or immerse the basil leaves in water.

    If I will be making pesto right away, I don't always pat the basil leaves first and it still worked. So, drying is not necessary if you've already measured the basil and will be using it right away.

    More Easy Italian Inspired Recipes

    • Six pieces of caprese bruschetta drizzled with balsamic glaze on a white platter.
      Easy Caprese Bruschetta
    • One serving of lasagna on a white plate with a napkin in front of the plate.
      Easy Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese
    • Pesto with tortellini, chicken, and broccoli in a large white serving bowl with a spoon.
      15-Minute Pesto with Tortellini & Chicken
    • Kale salad in a yellow bowl with a set of tongs in the salad as to serve.
      Cavolo Nero Salad (Tuscan Kale Salad)

    Did you make this pesto without pine nuts and love it? I hope so! Please let me know by giving it a 5-star rating or by commenting below.

    Don't forget to let me know how you decide to serve it. And if you take a pic, post it and tag me @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram or @ Carrots & Cookies on Facebook so I can see it!

    Basil walnut pesto in a glass jar with two basil leaves to the right and a small white egg cup with basil leaves in the background.

    Easy Pesto Without Pine Nuts

    Kristi
    You will absolutely love this lighter pesto without pine nuts recipe that is made with the perfect amounts of fresh basil and garlic, while using less oil. And it only takes 5 minutes!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 7 mins
    Blending 2 mins
    Total Time 9 mins
    Course Appetizer, Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 quarter-cup servings
    Calories 157 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 small blender or food processor
    • 1 measuring cups and spoons

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups fresh basil leaves slightly packed (not firmly packed)
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • ¼ cup fresh parmesan cheese Grated. Or Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded.
    • 2 tbsp walnuts Preferably toasted.
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper Preferably freshly ground.
    • ¼ cup warm water
    • 3 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin

    Instructions
     

    • Add all ingredients to the blender. See notes.
    • Blend until all ingredients are combined. This should take 30-60 seconds.

    Notes

    Put the ingredients in the blender in order, making it so the garlic cloves are close to the blades and the basil leaves are furthest from the blades before blending.
    In other words, if using a blender cup that you end up putting upside down to blend, add them in the order listed. If your small blender is an upright blender, add them in the opposite order.
    This pesto recipe blends fast. If you prefer to see small specks of basil in your pesto, blend just until all ingredients are combined, which will only take about thirty seconds. 
    For optimal flavor, use toasted walnuts. 
    This recipe calls for freshly grated parmesan. To save time, you can use grated Parmesan Reggiano instead (I buy it in bulk from Costco and store it in my freezer). 
    The least expensive basil I have found is at Trader Joe's. I've used the hydroponic basil from my local grocery store, too, and it was double the cost for the same amount of basil leaves. 
    If you are going to use this pesto with another salty ingredient (like tortellini), I suggest cutting back on the salt in this recipe. You can always add more later.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.25cupCalories: 157kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 402mgPotassium: 77mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 689IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More Dinner

    • Top half of a California Chicken Salad sandwich made with a whole grain croissant being held up by one hand.
      The BEST California Chicken Salad
    • Cold asparagus salad with strawberries in a glass bowl.
      Cold Asparagus Salad with Strawberries
    • Four pieces of air fried BBQ thicken overlapping on a white plate.
      15-Minute Air Fryer BBQ Chicken
    • Chicken salad on a pita cracker.
      Festive Chicken Pomegranate Salad for Kids

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Kristi Ruth RD wearing a green top with jeans and holding a white platter with tri-colored carrots.

    Welcome to Carrots & Cookies! I'm registered dietitian and busy working mom of three on a mission to provide you with easy recipes and tips to make every minute you spend in your kitchen count! More about me...

    Popular Recipes

    • One serving of lasagna on a white plate with a napkin in front of the plate.
      Easy Lasagna Recipe with Cottage Cheese
    • Up close picture of bean and rice casserole on a chip.
      Easy Rice and Beans Recipe
    • Asian noodle bowl served on a large white plate.
      Easy Asian Noodle Bowl with Shrimp and Scallops
    • How to Eat Granola - 20 Easy Ideas
    • Square image of five lunch boxes for teenagers: one Adidas black and grey lunch box, two Vera Bradley lunch boxes (one with a floral print and another with a black and grey print), one black Jansport backpack style lunch box, and one blue Roxy lunch bag with red floral detail.
      Best School Lunch Boxes for Teens
    • Guacamole in a glass bowl with one chip and a slice of lime.
      Incredible 4 Ingredient Guacamole Recipe

    Easy Recipes for Spring

    • Strawberry goat cheese salad topped with dressing on a white plate.
      Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
    • Banana baked oatmeal with strawberries and chocolate chips in a white baking dish.
      Easy Banana Baked Oatmeal with Strawberries
    • Strawberry salad dressing in a large white creamer cup next to a spinach salad.
      The Best Strawberry Salad Dressing
    • Strawberry Cream Cheese Dip
    • Cold asparagus salad with strawberries in a glass bowl.
      Cold Asparagus Salad with Strawberries
    • Roasted carrots and asparagus served on a white plate.
      Easy Roasted Asparagus and Carrots

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest

    Footer

    carrots and cookies featured in banner

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Copyright © 2020 Carrots & Cookies