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Easy Nut Free Basil Pesto

ByNicole Langdon Hours Updated on
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Making nut free basil pesto is super easy and comes together in just 10 minutes for a thick and creamy, bold flavored spread that’s perfect for snacking, as part of a charcuterie board, or for use in recipes from pizza and pasta to sandwiches and proteins.

A white ceramic bowl of fresh basil pesto without nuts, with a wooden serving spoon.

We’re obsessed with pesto. And there’s nothing better in the summer than biting into creamy, super fresh pesto slathered on a sandwich or a slice of fluffy Italian bread. We grow basil in our garden every year just so we have all the ingredients on hand that we need to easily make our no nut pesto whenever we feel like it.

And by swapping out the pine nuts for bread crumbs, we’ve made our pesto more accessible (pine nuts are expensive! And can be hard to find), made it thicker and creamier, and gave it a cleaner, more basil forward flavor that we can’t get enough of.

What To Expect

  • Great for: A fresh and flavorful snack or appetizer, or the perfect homemade ingredient to add to all your favorite recipes.
  • Ready in: 10 minutes
  • Serves: Between 1 and a half to 2 cups
  • Flavor profile: Fresh, clean, and rich basil with a slight earthiness from the olive oil and parmesan.
  • How to make it: Add the basil, olive oil, parmesan, garlic, salt, and a little water to a food processor, pulse until it starts to combine. Then add a little water at a time and pulse until thick, creamy, and combined. Serve fresh!

We hope you love this recipe!

If you give it a try, please let us know what you think by leaving a rating and review. We read and reply to every single comment!

Why This Recipe Works

Using breadcrumbs instead of pine nuts gives our pesto two clear advantages. One, the neutral flavor of the breadcrumbs allows for a cleaner and more potent basil flavor. It lets the star of the show truly shine. And two, the drier, crumblier texture of the breadcrumbs absorbs some of the olive oil and water to make for a creamier thicker pesto. Nuts add oil instead of absorbing it leading to a thinner, oilier pesto, which is not our goal.

So not only do the bread crumbs make our basil pesto nut free, it also improves both the texture and taste of it!

Key Ingredients

Ingredients for making pesto without nuts: fresh basil, plain breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, sea salt, and ice water.
  • Fresh basil – Basil can be an expensive ingredient which is why we love growing our own basil at home! Basil is easy to take care of and can be used in so many different recipes.
  • Plain breadcrumbs – Breadcrumbs mimic the texture of pine nuts but add a unique flavor to pesto, while being a more easily accessible ingredient. They’re much cheaper than pine nuts, and you can even make them yourself.
  • Extra virgin olive oil – Olive oil comes in so many different flavors and qualities. Find one you like and use that. If you’re looking for a suggestion we use California Olive Ranch olive oils and really like them.
  • Grated parmesan cheese – Shred your own from a blog for an extra creamy texture!
  • Minced garlic – You can never have enough garlic flavor! Use freshly minced if you want a bolder garlicky taste.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How To Make Nut Free Basil Pesto

A food processor filled with fresh basil, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, olive oil, minced garlic, and salt.

Step 1: Add basil leaves, breadcrumbs, olive oil, grated parmesan, minced garlic, salt, and about 2 tablespoons of the ice water to the food processor.

A food processor with partially mixed basil pesto in it.

Step 2: Cover and pulse a few times to break up the basil, then add a little more of the ice water and process on low speed for a few seconds.

A food processor with freshly made creamy basil pesto in it.

Step 3: Scrape the sides of the food processor, then add a little more ice water and process for just a few more seconds. Continue this process of scraping, adding ice water a little at a time, and processing until the pesto is smooth and creamy and you’ve used all the water.

Expert Tips

  • Use fresh, high quality ingredients – While the ingredients for making your own nut free basil pesto are fairly straightforward, we can’t stress enough that using fresh, high quality ingredients matters! The most basic recipes can benefit from fresh, high-quality ingredients the most because you taste every single ingredient. For this recipe, we recommend using only the freshest basil and springing for a higher end olive oil. You’ll taste the difference!
  • Ice cold water – Slowly adding ice cold water to the pesto as it processes will help preserve the bright green color of the basil. (We learned this trick from MasterClass after watching a course taught by renowned Italian chef Massimo Bottura). While not totally necessary, we think the bright color makes this homemade pesto look super appetizing!
  • A little water at a time – Adding the water a little at a time will help you keep an eye on the texture of your pesto, so you can easily add more or less water depending on how creamy you want it to be. Just be sure not to over-process your pesto – as soon as it’s the texture you like, stop the food processor! This will ensure you don’t pulverize the basil too much, which can affect the flavor.
  • Storing – In case you don’t eat all this delicious pesto right away, we recommend storing it in a glass jar with a screw-on lid. Store pesto in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost frozen pesto, simply put it in the fridge about 24 hours before you want to use it.
A small spoonful of freshly made nut free basil pesto being scooped out of a white ceramic bowl.

Serving Suggestions

Basil pesto is delicious as a spread or dip for fresh bread, crackers, crostini, and mozzarella and tomato, or as a perfect addition to charcuterie boards. You can even use pesto as a sauce for pasta or pizza, a spread on sandwiches, and so much more. 

Here are a few of our favorite recipes to make with homemade pesto:

Nut Free Pesto FAQs

The short answer: replace them with breadcrumbs. The long answer: fresh, high quality ingredients, a powerful food processor (or blender), and less than 10 minutes of your time.

Yes, especially if you make pesto without pine nuts! 

Pine nuts can be quite expensive, which is why our nut free pesto recipe is perfect for enjoying pesto on a budget! You can easily make it yourself for cheaper than most store-bought pesto.

Jarred pesto can range anywhere from $5 to $15, depending on the quality and size of the jar. To make our nut-free basil pesto recipe, you’ll use about $3 worth of fresh basil, $2 worth of extra virgin olive oil, and less than a dollar’s worth of breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, and minced garlic (each). And you likely already have salt and cold water at home, so they’re basically free. 

Plus, one batch of our recipe makes almost 2 cups of pesto – way more than what you can buy in a standard jar! So for about $6 worth of ingredients, you can easily make your own creamy nut-free pesto at home.

Absolutely. Freshly made basil pesto tastes so much lighter, healthier, and more flavorful than store-bought jarred pesto. Since basil oxidizes (turns brown) quickly, jarred pesto typically has a lot of olive oil to keep the basil green. This makes it taste heavier, more greasy, and not quite as fresh.

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Tell us what you think!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

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A white ceramic bowl of fresh basil pesto without nuts, with a wooden serving spoon.

Easy Nut Free Basil Pesto Recipe

Nicole & Alex Langdon
Making nut free basil pesto is super easy and comes together in just 10 minutes for a thick and creamy, bold flavored spread that’s perfect for snacking, as part of a charcuterie board, or for use in recipes from pizza and pasta to sandwiches and proteins.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Dip, Ingredient, Sauce, Snack, Spread
Cuisine Italian
Servings 28 tablespoons
Calories 46 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2.4 ounces fresh basil leaves about 1 cup tightly packed
  • ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup ice water

Instructions
 

  • Add basil leaves, breadcrumbs, olive oil, grated parmesan, minced garlic, salt, and about 2 tablespoons of the ice water to the food processor. Cover and pulse a few times to break up the basil, then add about 2 tablespoons more of the ice water and process on low speed for a few seconds.
  • Scrape the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula, then add a little more ice water and process on medium speed for just a few more seconds. Continue this process of scraping, adding ice water a little at a time and processing on medium speed until the pesto is smooth and creamy.
  • Enjoy immediately with fresh bread or crackers, use as a sauce or spread on pasta and sandwiches, or transfer to a glass jar for storing in the fridge or freezer.
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Notes

Olive oil: There are many flavors and varieties of olive oil. As it’s one of the most prominent ingredients in pesto, the flavor of the oil you choose will largely influence the flavor of the pesto. We love how this California Olive Ranch global blend tastes in our basil pesto, but we suggest trying your favorite high quality olive oil and experimenting with different kinds to determine what you enjoy best!
Ice water: Fill a bowl with ice cubes and cold filtered water, then use a measuring cup or measuring spoon to measure and add ice water to the pesto. Adding the water a little at a time will help you keep an eye on the texture of your pesto, so you can easily add more or less water depending on how creamy you want it to be.
Storing nut free pesto: You can store homemade pesto in a glass jar with a screw-on lid. You’ll want to fill the jar almost to the top, so there isn’t much air inside which can oxidize the basil and make it turn brown. Store pesto in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost frozen pesto, simply put it in the fridge about 24 hours before you want to use it.
Serving suggestions: Basil pesto tastes so delicious as a spread or dip for fresh bread, crackers, crostini, and veggies! We also love incorporating pesto into charcuterie boards with fresh tomato and mozzarella. You can even use pesto as a sauce for pasta or pizza, a spread on sandwiches, or a stuffing for chicken.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 46kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 51mgPotassium: 13mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 136IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 0.2mg
Like this recipe?Please leave a review below! We read and respond to every single comment.

If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

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90% of Nicole’s thoughts are about food. She’s had a passion for cooking (and eating) for as long as she can remember! Growing up, she started cooking with her mom at a young age, learned family recipes from her Italian grandmother, took every opportunity to make cookies (so many bake sales), and always loved going out to restaurants to try new foods.

Nicole currently works part-time as a marketing professional for OmieLife while also working nonstop on The Candid Cooks. As a former mechanical engineer, Nicole has consistently found herself at the intersection of creativity and logical reasoning. She credits not only her passion for photography, design, and writing, but also her problem-solving nature and desire to learn, as the foundation on which The Candid Cooks was built.

Nicole’s hobbies include anything that gets her moving - mainly hiking, skiing, ice skating, and dancing - as well as reading fantasy novels and scrapbooking. Her favorite food is a big plate of nachos, as long as they’re cheesy enough!

5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Since we have such beautiful basil in our garden, I decided to make pesto. It turned out well. It’s a nice, easy recipe to follow. I’ll definitely make it oagain.

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    We opted to make this pesto without nuts because it’s easier and cheaper than making it with pine nuts. And what we got is a creamier lighter pesto that we absolutely love! We like to make big batches of this and freeze it so we always have pesto on hand. I love using it for sandwiches, focaccia, pizza, and even just a snack with fresh bread and some mozzarella!

    Reply