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All these pesto recipes include basil, but not all of them just use basil. If you are a pesto lover like me (and a true basil fan), these recipes are for you. Some include other leafy greens like spinach, chives, and Swiss chard. Many of these recipes don’t break the bank by using a nut or seed other than pine nuts. There is a recipe for everyone here—and plenty of ways to change up this herbaceous, bright sauce.
The Best Classic Pesto
“Peppery, tangy, creamy, and fresh-tasting — this pesto has it all. It’s a great way to use up the bounty of your summer herb garden, and each batch will last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! Use it to dress up pasta, potatoes, eggs, sauces, marinades, or soups. Spread it on bread and top with grilled chicken and tomatoes for a delightful open-faced sandwich. Or, stir a spoonful into mayonnaise for a homemade pesto aioli.” -Nicole McLaughlin
Basil Cream Sauce
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“I came up with this creamy basil sauce recipe when I couldn’t find one online. I put it on everything! It can be reheated in the microwave without separating. I love the light green color — it displays beautifully over tri-color or regular pasta, salmon, and grilled chicken.” -Ayanna Cassanova
Basil Pecan Pesto
“I prefer the taste of pecans over the pine nuts usually called for in pesto recipes. I developed this recipe over a summer of trial and error and prefer it to all other pesto recipes!” -grettagirl
15-Year-Old Pesto Sauce
“I first tried pesto in a restaurant about 15 years ago and asked the chef what was in it. I love keeping my own jar of this on hand as it yields enough for a pound of pasta and is wonderful drizzled over tomatoes, boiled potatoes, or Italian bread.” -Love2Cook
Pesto
Allrecipes Video
“Basic pesto made with basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. This recipe differs from the classic preparation by the addition of parsley. You can add a little extra Parmesan to the mixture if you like.” -ANDERVAL
Pesto alla Siciliana
“This is the recipe for the authentic pesto from Sicily. It combines a traditional pesto with Sicilian delights: ricotta cheese and tomatoes. It has a light and refreshing flavor. Enjoy it with tubular pasta so the pesto finds its way inside the tubes for a burst of Sicilian flavor with every bite! Seeding the tomatoes first allows the mixture to be thicker so it sticks better to the pasta.” -Buckwheat Queen
Homemade Best-O Pesto Ever
“In all seriousness, this homemade pesto recipe has changed my level of ‘chefworthiness’ in the eyes of friends and family. My husband swears I could make millions off of just this recipe! Of course I am still just a wannabe cook…but this simple pesto recipe could fool the best of them! The simplicity and the quality of the ingredients is what makes it so fantastic.” -GlutenFreeBudgetGuru
Jalapeno Pesto
“Excellent recipe! My dishes usually aren’t spicy enough for me but this one is perfect! I used one whole large jalapeno from my garden. I think I’m going to put it on a flatbread with tomato and shaved parm.” -joy
Basil Pesto
“Basil pesto is extremely versatile. It enhances the flavor of dishes like steak, chicken, fish, vegetables, and pasta. After combining the ingredients and forming into a tube shape, simply slice whatever size portion you need and freeze the rest. Easy-breezy to prepare and bursting with flavor!” -Bwoogie1
Basil Walnut Pesto
“To make this flavor-packed basil walnut pesto, pulse together a few ingredients in your food processor. Toss with pasta, serve as a vegetable dipper, or spread onto bread for an herbaceous grilled cheese sammie.” -Jasa
Homemade Pesto
“A fresh-tasting pesto that can easily be used alone on pasta, crostini, pizza; or add some to your favorite spaghetti sauce for a delicious special flavor! Use pine nuts, walnuts, or a combination of both.” -Peggy
Lighter Basil Pesto
“Basil pesto is one of my favorite foods, especially in the summer. Unfortunately pesto is very high in fat and calories, so I have been working to create a lower fat and low calorie pesto version. This pesto is creamy and delicious without the guilt! This recipe is also great with any type of stock or nuts that you have at home.” -Jtallent
Creamy Pesto Sauce
“Lovingly known as just ‘green spaghetti’ in our family, this pesto is unique because of the addition of cream cheese, which gives it a great creamy texture (plus no pine nuts!).” -*DW*
Chive Pesto
A “creamy herb sauce perfect for all seasons! Main dish or side dish your guests (and yourself) will love…In my opinion I like this better than traditional pesto. It’s perfect for short pasta shapes.” -Alexandra Antonia
Red Pesto Sauce
“Red pesto is very easy and fast to make at home for a quick pasta sauce. You can spice it up with Spanish pepper (just a little), if desired. You can substitute lime juice for the lemon juice.” -wims recipes
Easy Pesto
“I never seem to have pine nuts but I always have almonds so this was a great solution to my bumper crop of basil. Tasted great as written. Just don’t over toast your almonds.” -Lynn
Cacao Nib Pesto
“Adding cacao nibs to traditional basil pesto gives your menu a smoky dimension. Use this pesto on pasta or spread it on toasted crusty bread topped with grated Italian cheese for a unique and healthy appetizer. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.” -Buckwheat Queen
Simple Garlic and Basil Pesto
“This recipe is something that you can make quickly and easily using a blender. Everything you need is easy to find in your local supermarket. This paste is great for putting on or in meat and pastas, or with cottage cheese in stuffed pasta shells. Once I start making this, the orders from friends and family keep coming in. For best taste, pesto should be heated up in the meal it’s being prepared with.” -FUZZYGREENMONKEY
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
“OMG! So YUM! I could eat this everyday on anything from bread to pasta to crackers, or just by the spoonful.” -Sandy Meyer
Summer Herb Pesto
“A fresh tasty pesto you can make with herbs right from the garden. Delicious tossed with pasta, spread on a sandwich, or as a dip for veggies. Pesto will keep stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to one week. It can also be frozen and stored for up to a month.” -thislittlepiggy
Sunflower Seed and Basil Pesto
“This pesto with sunflower seeds can be blended up super smooth or left a little chunky. Pine nuts are pricy but sunflower seeds aren’t, and they do a mighty fine job making a delicious green pesto. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for five to six days.” -The Happy Veg
Yummy Vegan Pesto
“This is a classic vegan pesto recipe that I love! So quick to make by blending olive oil, pine nuts, basil, garlic, and nutritional yeast to get that cheesy flavor. Very tasty on pasta, bread, sandwiches, and omelets.” -CANDIEDVIOLET
Easy Creamy Pesto
“Delicious! I’m a huge fan of pesto but wanted to try making a creamy pesto and this recipe delivers! Easy to follow…After we had our pasta, I’ve found this sauce is good on veggies, in soups, practically anything and I’ll even eat it straight from the pan! You need to make this!” –
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
“This sun-dried tomato pesto is easy to make in a food processor or blender. It tastes fabulous on pasta, pizza, and sandwiches.” -Cindy Schmidt
Easy Basil Pesto with Almonds
“This recipe for basil pesto with almonds is easy, fast, and very tasty — it’s like summer on a plate! You’ll save some money using almonds in place of pricey pine nuts. Serve over warm pasta with a side salad and a nice loaf of bread, or spread it on toast. If you have any left over, put it in a small jar, drizzle some olive oil over top, and keep it in the refrigerator.” -SAS4U
Walnut Pesto
“This walnut pesto sauce is a tasty alternative to pesto made with pine nuts. You can use raw or toasted walnuts. Some people like to add Parmesan cheese to this as well!” -teachhope03
Basic Basil Pesto
“Rich & chunky pesto with a robust nutty flavor. Great with toasted bread, pizza, or your favorite pasta. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.” -Tipsy Inspirations
Pesto Delicato di Camogli
“I discovered this recipe when on vacation in Camogli, Liguria in Italy. Traditional pesto without garlic is made in a pestle and mortar. This raw sauce is tossed with fresh green beans cooked with fresh trofie pasta. If you can’t find the twisty trofie pasta, use any fresh pasta-even linguine.” -Buckwheat Queen
Fresh Basil Pesto
“A great recipe for fresh basil pesto with just the right amount of everything. Even my husband loves it!” -Klantz
Swiss Chard and Pecan Pesto
“This tasty Swiss chard pesto is delicious tossed with warm pasta and chicken or spread on garlic bread.” -MeghanO
Pepita Pesto
“A mild, nutty-tasting (though nut-free) vegan pesto made with pepitas, parsley, and basil. Tastes great on pasta or bread.” -Becky
Three Pepper Pesto
“This recipe uses red bell peppers, black pepper, dried chile pepper and lots of Parmesan cheese, but less basil than most pesto recipes. The predominant flavor is sweet red pepper. It’s excellent toasted with bread under the broiler or tossed with pasta. The pesto keeps up to 3 days in the refrigerator.” -mushythedestroyer
Awesome Vegan Pesto
Nutritional yeast offers a dairy-free alternative to cheese in this easy vegan basil pesto recipe featuring pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes.
Pesto Sauce
“This was excellent! We did a mixture of walnuts and pine nuts as that’s what we had in the pantry, and my husband ended up adding a dash of cayenne pepper. Delicious! And my 15 month old, who usually barely eats, wouldn’t stop eating it. A big hit all around!” -iloveart11
Spinach Basil Pesto
DOTDASH MEREDITH FOOD STUDIOS
“This spinach pesto sauce is perfect for freezing in an ice cube tray. I just pop out a couple of cubes from the freezer and add them to a pasta dish for a quick and easy meal. The Parmesan cheese can be omitted and added after thawing.” -Dianne
Pesto Genovese (Authentic Italian Basil Pesto)
“An authentic Genoese pesto. It’s straight from Italy and you won’t find a better recipe! This calls for a spoonful of pecorino cheese, but you could also use all Parmesan in a pinch. To store in fridge for up to 1 month: place pesto in a jar, cover with olive oil, and top with a lid.” -MadameDanielaMoscaToba
Proper Pesto
“Try this proper mortar and pestle pesto. There are lots of recipes people claim taste better if made by hand, but there’s no easier case to prove that than pesto. The intensity of the flavors is beyond compare, and as if by some kind of magic, this gorgeous spread develops an irresistible spiciness. You can taste each ingredient, and yet when smashed together, new and wonderful flavors are released.” -Chef John
Cashew Basil Pesto
Chef Mo
“For this cashew basil pesto, the traditional pine nuts are replaced by cashews, which provide a similar mild flavor and creamy texture. The splash of lemon juice adds brightness. For the best result, use a good quality olive oil.” -Chef Mo