While you often see pine nuts or walnuts included in a classic pesto recipe, this nut-free pesto focuses on flavor. Herbaceous basil and parsley are mixed with cheese and garlic for a sauce that’s both bright and smooth.
Use it whenever you want pesto in a dish—think pizza, pasta, chicken and more—but also want something friendly for any family with a nut allergy.
Ingredients for Nut-Free Pesto
- Basil: The foundation herb of classic pesto, basil offers a green, mild anise flavor.
- Parmesan cheese: Grated Parmesan is firm and nutty, adding texture and a cheesy taste.
- Parsley: This recipe mixes up the standard herb profile and includes fresh parsley.
- Butter: Softened butter helps the pesto ingredients blend smoothly.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic has a strong, distinctive allium taste that complements the herbs.
- Olive oil: Extra-virgin olive oil is a must here. Taste your oil to ensure it’s fresh—if it doesn’t taste great, neither will your pesto.
Directions
Step 1: Make the pesto
Add everything except the olive oil to a food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped. While processing, gradually add the oil in a steady stream until the pesto is smooth.
Nut-Free Pesto Variations
- Try other herbs: Pesto is an herb-based sauce, so other tender green herbs will work too. Try cilantro, dill or chives.
- Add flavor with infused olive oils: You can replace a portion or all of the olive oil in the recipe with infused olive oil. There are a wide variety of flavors, from lemon to chili pepper.
- Go vegan: Make this pesto sauce vegan by replacing the butter with olive oil and the cheese with a vegan substitute or nutritional yeast.
How to Store Nut-Free Pesto
Place the pesto in a dish or glass jar, pour a little olive oil over the top and store it for up to a week.
Can you freeze nut-free pesto sauce?
To keep pesto for up to three months, freeze it in tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray, then pop out the frozen “cubes” and store them in a zip-top bag.
Nut-Free Pesto Tips
What if I don’t have a food processor?
While a food processor isn’t essential for this nut-free pesto recipe, it does make things fast. (A food processor with a chopping blade makes quick work of blending all the ingredients smoothly.) However, lots of Italian grandparents made pesto without one. If you have a sturdy mortar and pestle, start by grinding the garlic to a paste, then add the basil a bit at a time. When that’s smooth, grind in the cheese and stir in the oil until you have a creamy, emulsified pesto.
What’s the best olive oil for pesto?
Typically, extra-virgin olive oil is the least processed and therefore the most flavorful. Most important, it should taste fresh without any rancidity. Bottom line, if you like the taste of your olive oil, you will like the pesto.
Is there any way to tame the flavor of raw garlic?
While the sharp flavor of raw garlic is a classic part of the pesto experience, it is too much for some. A quick blanch in boiling water takes the bite out of raw cloves for a softer garlic flavor.
