Basil Walnut Pesto is an interesting variation of a very popular sauce recipe called Pesto that is prominently used in the Italian cuisine. Traditionally Pine Nuts are used to make pesto but I have given it a slight variation by adding walnuts which are easily available. Here is how to make Basil and Walnut Pesto.
As I love basil, I have prepared this Basil Pesto with Walnuts, but you can go ahead and experiments with flavours by adding spinach, arugula or kale along with basil to make your own Spinach Basil Walnut Pesto, Arugula Basil Walnut Pesto and Kale Basil Walnut Pesto respectively..
Pesto is an Italian sauce made using fresh basil leaves, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and layer of olive oil. This sauce can be used in many ways like making pasta, topping for chicken or fish, sandwich spread and marinade for grilling. Since pine nuts are a little difficult to source in India, I substituted them with walnuts and came up with this delicious Pesto recipe.
I am sure you will love this simple yet very delicious Basil Walnut Pesto Recipe. Here is how to make it.
This Basil Walnut Pesto is
- Easy to make
- Quick to make
- Versatile
- Can be made vegan by skipping adding parmesan cheese
- Flavourful
- Healthy
Tips to make best Basil Pesto with Walnuts
Use freshest of basil and good cheese and olive oil to make the pesto. Since it requires only a handful of ingredients, it’s very important to use the best.
Do not make pesto in a blender or a mixie. It will become paste like. The correct texture of pesto is slightly coarse. You can use your food processor to make it. In fact in olden days, people used to make it in a mortar and pestle or chop it using their knife until all the ingredients came together and then lastly added olive oil to the finely minced ingredients.
If Parmesan Cheese is not available, you can just skip it but do not add any other cheese.
You can experiment with various greens to make the pesto. Although Basil is traditionally used, arugula, kale, carrot greens etc are great choices too.
You can also play around with the nuts of your choice. Try adding almonds, pistachios, pinenuts instead of walnuts.
Tools required to make Walnut Basil Pesto
You will need a good food processor to make pesto. Never try to make it in a blender.
How to use Basil Walnut Pesto
Already tried and loved this recipe? Now wondering how to use it? Well, give a read to my Pesto loaded recipes such as:
Pesto Prawns Mushroom Pasta, One Pot Pesto Chicken, Roasted Bell Pepper Basil Pesto Pasta and in case you really love the recipes made from avocado then you must, must and must try Creamy Avocado Pesto because it would turn out wonderful as well!
You can also use it as salad dressing and a sandwich spread. I like to slather it on a toasted bread and top with an egg for a yummy breakfast.
Top your hummus with some pesto for a change in flavour.
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How to make Basil Walnut Pesto Step by Step
Add basil leaves in the food processor.
Add the remaining ingredients.
Blend until everything comes together.
Walnut Basil Pesto Video Recipe
Basil Walnut Pesto Recipe
Basil Walnut Pesto
Basil Walnut Pesto is an interesting variation of a very popular sauce recipe called Pesto that is prominently used in the Italian cuisine.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basil Leaves
- 1/4 cup Walnuts
- 3-4 Cloves Garlic
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese Grated
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Plus more if needed
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
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Add all the ingredients in the jar of a food processor and pulse to blend everything.
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Keep in mind to not make a paste of the ingredients.
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In between blending, keep scraping the sides of the blender using a spatula.
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Add some more olive oil if required while blending.
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It is best to use pesto freshly made but you can store it in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Are you making this recipe? I LOVE to see your creations so snap a photo and tag Whiskaffair on Instagram with the hashtag #Whiskaffair and please give a star rating below ★. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for more such easy recipes.
Thank you for the wonderful recipes….but if we don’t get parmesan cheese…than which chesse we can use it in that place? ????please help.
You can skip adding any cheese to your pesto just incase Parmesan is not available.
Wooooow it’s outstanding dear Neha
Thnx a lot Linda 🙂
Thank you