The Best Pesto without Pine Nuts- Step by Step Guide!

Last Updated on January 3, 2024 by Michele Tripple

This post contains affiliate links. If you click and buy we may make a commission, at no additional charge to you. Please see our disclosure for more details.

If you are looking for a pesto without pine nuts recipe that is simple, flavorful, and tastes delicious give this a try, as it combines fresh ingredients to give you the basil pesto taste you love without the nuts! 

Pesto Without Pine Nuts

This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.

In our home, we are huge pesto fans. On any given day, you can walk into our house and find a collection of pesto in the fridge and the freezer for pesto chicken pizza, grilled chicken pesto pasta, and sheet pan chicken, just to name a few!

I used to rely on the big ol’ Costco size containers of Costco until I discovered just how easy it is to make your own basil pesto.

I love making nut free pesto, just in case someone stops by for dinner who has a nut allergy.

When I say easy, I really mean it! In less than 5 minutes you will have homemade nut free pesto ready for your family to enjoy!

This nut free pesto recipe is so convenient because there is no toasting nuts or anything like that, it is a matter of preparing the ingredients and blending them in the food processor and enjoying.

This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.

Nut Free Pesto

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0
  • Total Time: 5 minutes

Makes 1 cup of pesto sauce which is the perfect amount for an entire box of pasta, a whole pizza or to use as a marinade.

Ingredients for Pesto Without Pine Nuts:

This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.
  • fresh basil leaves
  • garlic cloves
  • parmesan cheese
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

See the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts and full details.

How to Make Nut Free Pesto

This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.

Making Nut free pesto is as easy as 1-2-3!

  1. First, you want to remove the stems from your fresh basil.
  2. Then, you will place all your pesto ingredients in a food processor and grind until they are mixed well!
  3. Your Pesto without Pine Nuts is ready to enjoy!
This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.
This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.

Tips and Tricks for Making No Nut Pesto

pesto without pine nuts in a jar
  1. Fresh basil is the key to making homemade pesto. Do not try to use dried basil because it does not have the water or natural oils that are needed to make pesto. These two key ingredients are what helps pesto be creamy and delicious.
  2. Treat Basil with care. Everyone always wonders why basil turns brown, it is caused by oxidation. So be sure to handle it just as much as you need to. This includes adding it last to the blender so it is not over chopped.
  3. Don’t forget the salt. Salt helps break down the basil, so you don’t want to leave it out with this pesto
  4. When storing your leftover pesto in the fridge, add a layer of olive oil on the top. This helps it stay fresher (and green) longer.

Common Pesto Substitutions

We have all been there when we want to make a homemade pesto only to find that we don’t have all the ingredients, but pesto can be any combination of herbs, cheeses, and nuts (or no nuts).

What can I use instead of Pine Nuts in Pesto?

One of the reasons I love this pesto recipe is that it doesn’t use pine nuts, or any nuts for that matter. Not only does this significantly reduce the cost of your pesto, but it prevents any allergy issues.

If you love adding nuts to your pesto, but don’t have pine nuts, you can try:

  • Almonds
  • Pistachios
  • Hazelnuts
  • Sunflower Seeds

What can I use instead of Basil in Pesto?

When basil is not in season, or you find yourself without any, try these basil substitutes for pesto:

  • Spinach
  • Cilantro
  • Carrot Tops
  • Arugula
  • Mint

Using these substitutions will change the flavor of your pesto, but it could make for an interesting flavor combination that you love!

What can I use instead of Parmesan Cheese?

If you find yourself without Parmesan cheese when you do to make pesto you want to make sure that you use a hard/salty cheese. The saltiness helps break down the basil which is what you need. Try:

  • Pecorino Romano
  • Asiago
  • Or another hard, salty cheese.

What causes Pesto to turn brown?

Pesto turns brown because it is the fresh-cut basil being exposed to the air. This causes a chemical reaction called oxidation.

If you want to prevent this you can blanch your basil leaves in boiling water for a few seconds until they are bright green.

How do you save homemade no nut pesto?

This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.

If you have unused homemade pesto, it is easy to save. You can either place it in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days.

Or you can freeze it. I like to freeze it in ice cube trays.

Place the pesto in the trays with a thin layer of olive oil on the top. Once completely frozen, remove and place in a freezer bag. This will last up to 6 months.

How do you unfreeze pesto?

To unfreeze pesto you will want to place it in a dish and let it sit on the counter at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

If it is still frozen stir it a bit and then place it in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

Stir, and repeat until it is no longer frozen.

What can I use Pesto for other than Pasta?

This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.

Pesto is so versatile, well beyond pasta! We love to use homemade pesto without pine nuts for:

Share in the comments how your no nut pesto turns out! Also, share with us any pesto substitutions that you love so that we can try them!

Check out these Awesome Recipes that use Homemade Pesto!

Love what you see? Leave a comment and don’t forget to rate it below! We always love knowing how your recipe turns out! Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @micheletripple to show me your finished product!

This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.

Yield: Makes 1 cup

Pesto without Pine Nuts

Pesto without Pine Nuts

This pesto without pine nut recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious as it uses fresh ingredients to give you the pesto taste you love without the nuts.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh basil leaves, stems removed
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

    1. Remove the stems from your fresh basil.
    2. Place all your pesto ingredients in a food processor and grind until they are mixed well.

Notes

  1. Fresh basil is the key to making homemade pesto. Do not try to use dried basil because it does not have the water or natural oils that are needed to make pesto. These two key ingredients are what helps pesto be creamy and delicious.
  2. Treat Basil with care. Everyone always wonders why basil turns brown, it is caused by oxidation. So be sure to handle it just as much as you need to. This includes adding it last to the blender so it is not over chopped.
  3. Don’t forget the salt. Salt helps break down the basil, so you don’t want to leave it out with this pesto recipe without nuts.
  4. When storing your leftover pesto in the fridge, add a layer of olive oil on the top. This helps it stay fresher (and green) longer.

Looking for More Great Recipes?

5 thoughts on “The Best Pesto without Pine Nuts- Step by Step Guide!”

  1. Just stumbled on this. I’m going to make a big batch for my son who has nut allergies! He will be very happy! Thank you.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe