This Nut-Free Pesto recipe comes together in just a few minutes and is the perfect sauce for your favorite pasta, sandwiches and more. It's made without pine nuts so it's great for anyone with nut allergies.
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If you have a garden overflowing with fresh basil, this is the perfect recipe for you! Pesto is my favorite way to use up extra basil. I love it mixed with pasta and also on chicken like in my Air Fryer Caprese Chicken. I have a tree nut allergy and this is my go-to recipe when I am craving fresh pesto. It also makes a great topping for Air Fryer Pizza Bagels.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Quick and easy. This easy homemade pesto takes just 5-10 minutes to make. You just need to gather the ingredients and put them all in a food processor. Green olive tapenade can also be made in the food processor and would make a great appetizer to serve with this recipe.
- Versatile. Pesto goes great with so many different things, including my Pesto Orzo Salad.
- Minimal ingredients. You only need a handful of ingredients for this recipe. Most of them are pantry and fridge staples.
Ingredients
- Fresh basil leaves. There are many different types of basil but sweet basil is what we will be using in this recipe. This is what you will find in your local grocery store and what you are probably growing in your garden.
- Baby spinach. I like adding this as a way to sneak in extra leafy greens because you can't taste it. However, if you don't like the thought of spinach pesto then you can leave it out and just use more basil leaves.
- Lemon. Lemon juice adds a little tanginess to the pesto. Feel free to add a little lemon zest for even more flavor.
- Garlic. I recommend using fresh garlic over pre-minced.
- Parmesan cheese. Pecorino Romano will also work. If you want to make this vegan, use a vegan cheese substitute, some nutritional yeast or just omit the cheese altogether.
- Olive oil. I recommend high-quality extra-virgin olive oil.
See the recipe card below for quantities and remaining ingredients.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add more fresh herbs in place of the spinach or some of the basil. Parsley would be a great addition.
- You can add sun-dried tomatoes in place of or along with the basil.
- Swap out the spinach for some baby kale instead. Sometimes I even dice up a small zucchini and add it in for even more veggies.
Instructions
Step 1: Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender or food processor.
Step 2: Cover and blend until smooth.
Sarah's Favorite
Food Processor
When I need to chop, blend, pulse or shred cheese I use my go-to food processor.
Recipe FAQs
It truly depends on your individual taste however, this recipe makes enough pesto for a ¾-1 package of pasta. I would recommend about one tablespoon of pesto to every cup of cooked pasta. If you find that the sauce is too thick after adding it to the pasta, you can add some hot pasta water to thin it out.
You don't need to add anything when taking away the nuts in this pesto recipe but if you are looking to mimic the texture of classic pesto, you can add nut-free alternatives such as hemp seeds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
If you don't have a food processor, use a high-powered blender or even an immersion blender. You can also use a mortar and pestle which is the traditional way or just use a very sharp knife and finely chop the basil, spinach and garlic.
Sarah's Top Tips
- Use high-quality ingredients. I recommend using fresh basil and spinach, whole cloves of garlic, good olive oil and fresh Parmigiano Reggiano.
- If your pesto seems too thick, you can easily fix this issue by adding more oil. Start with 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you are looking for. If you notice it becomes too thin, you can always add some more basil or spinach leaves.
- Taste the pesto before serving and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
Serving
Aside from pasta, this recipe goes great with chicken, pizza, vegetables and even as a spread on top of bread. If I have frozen pesto cubes, I will throw one into my Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce to add some additional flavor. Serve pesto pasta alongside Panzanella Toscana.
One of my favorite things about this easy pesto recipe is that it is such a versatile sauce. I love using it to make pesto chicken lasagna!
🥣Storage
Nut-free pesto will stay good for about two weeks in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container or jar with a secure lid.
Pesto freezes very well. Portion it into ice cube trays and once they are frozen, store them in a zip-lock bag. The pesto will be good for a few months. This is a great option for the winter months when there isn't a surplus of basil growing in your garden at home.
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Pesto Recipe without Nuts
KITCHEN TOOLS NEEDED
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Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh basil, packed
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Sarah's Tips
- Use high-quality ingredients. I recommend using fresh basil and spinach, whole cloves of garlic, good olive oil and fresh Parmigiano Reggiano.
- If your pesto seems too thick, you can easily fix this issue by adding more oil. Start with 1 teaspoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you are looking for. If you notice it becomes too thin, you can always add some more basil or spinach leaves.
- Taste the pesto before serving and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
- Nut-free pesto will stay good for about two weeks in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container or jar with a secure lid.
- Pesto freezes very well. Portion it into ice cube trays and once they are frozen, store them in a zip-lock bag. The pesto will be good for a few months. This is a great option for the winter months when there isn't a surplus of basil growing in your garden at home.
Elizabeth Van Hyning says
How many cups does 8 servings make?
Sarah Hill says
Hi Elizabeth, the recipe yields about 1 cup.
Julianna E says
This was the most delicious pasta dinner recipe last night. Loved It.
Amy Niemann says
What amount is each serving? It says 6 servings. My fave pesto recipe!
Sarah Hill says
Hi Amy, I like to be very generous with my pesto but I think after thinking this through I may adjust the recipe to say 8 servings. I'd say you want about 1/4 cup per serving but it also depends on how you are using it. I'm so happy you love the recipe, let me know if you have anymore questions 🙂
Gloria says
Thanks for making a recipe for pesto without the nuts. I don't have an allergy, I just don't like the texture. And I planted three basil plants that decided to turn into bushes, so I needed to use it up.
Libby says
Always on the hunt for a great pesto recipe and this one was just that! Delicious!
Marsali says
this recipe was perfect for our family get together!
Wynona says
This is one of the best recipes I've ever tried! It's now a staple in our household.
jane says
So yum and very easy to make!
Sue says
My sister made this and sent some over to my house. Added a bit to steamed summer squash & asparagus and had a teaspoon of it just by itself. I could have eaten the the entire container with nothing else - it so DELICIOUS! I will make this myself, over and over again. Thank you!
Sarah Holt says
Thank you Sue!!
Nancy says
I am making this recipe again right now, this is my fourth time making it and I am tripling the recipe and putting it in the freezer
Love it!!
Sarah Holt says
I always freeze my pesto, it's the best and so easy to triple!!
Nancy says
Made this pesto last night with fresh baby spinach and basil that we are growing and served it with fresh fettuccine… yummy!!!!!
Didn’t miss the nuts at all!
Sarah Holt says
So happy you loved it!! We make this all the time 🙂