Make delicious homemade Almond Pesto using toasted almonds, fresh basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, and olive oil that you can use on pizza, pasta, as a dipping sauce, and more! Almonds give this pesto a unique texture that works with everything.
Making pesto at home is easier than you think, and this Almond Pesto recipe is no exception. You only need a handful of ingredients and a food processor or blender to get the most delicious and healthy sauce. Pesto is such a versatile condiment and can be used in many different dishes.
If you love pesto, check out my Carrot Greens Pesto recipe as well!
How to Make Almond Pesto
- Place the garlic cloves, parmesan cheese, almonds, basil, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Pulse/process until everything is combined and starts to look like a paste.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you continue to process. You can also add the olive oil in batches to combine. Check for taste and add more salt if needed.
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
How much pesto does this recipe make?
This is a small batch recipe and will yield about 6 oz. of pesto. You can easily double or triple this recipe to make more. With this recipe, you will be able to almost fill a half-pint canning jar.
How to Toast Almonds
If your almonds are not toasted yet, you can quickly toast them on the stove or in the oven. For the stovetop, place the nuts in a dry skillet and heat over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. For the oven method, preheat the oven to 350°F degrees and bake the nuts on a baking sheet for 7 to 8 minutes. Make sure you remove the nuts from the pan right away, they burn easily. You can also use raw almonds and the pesto will still taste great!
What to Make with Almond Pesto
Pesto is such an amazing sauce and it can be used for so many things. Here are a few ideas:
- Use as a pizza sauce like on my Veggie Garden Pesto Pizza!
- Make some Air Fryer Zucchini Pesto Bites.
- Pesto makes a great pasta sauce.
- Use as a dipping sauce for breads, crackers, or vegetables.
- Pesto is also a great sauce for meats, like in my Pesto Chicken w/ Bruschetta or Pesto Chicken and Roasted Vegetables recipes.
- Use pesto as a sandwich spread for both hot and cold sandwiches.
Can you Freeze Homemade Pesto?
Yes! Store the pesto in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Make sure to leave some room at the top of your container so the pesto can expand.
If you decided to store your pesto in the refrigerator, it will last for a week in a sealed container.
Tools to Make Homemade Pesto
A few of my favorite gadgets I use for making pesto and many other things in my kitchen. I use this mini food processor from KitchenAid and I love it! It's. a little small, but the perfect size for small batch pesto, salsas, purees, and more!
I've also recently discovered a silicone blender spatula and I use it for everything! It's long and thin and gets all of those delicious bits you couldn't reach before.
And to store your pesto, check out these sealable half-pint canning jars in a set of 6. You can use these babies for anything from storing food, drinking, and canning!
More Delicious and Easy Recipes
- Strawberry Butter Lettuce Salad
- Instant Pot Frozen Beef Stew
- Air Fryer Jalapeño Popper Taquitos
- Gluten-Free Chicken Broccoli Quinoa Bake
- Crunchy Kale Parmesan Salad
Almond Pesto
Equipment
- spatula or spoon for scraping
- sealable container for storage
Ingredients
- ¼ cup toasted almonds
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- If your almonds are not toasted yet, you can quickly toast them on the stove or in the oven. For the stovetop, place the nuts in a dry skillet and heat over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. For the oven method, preheat the oven to 350°F degrees and bake the nuts on a baking sheet for 7 to 8 minutes.
- Place the garlic cloves, parmesan cheese, almonds, basil, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. Pulse/process until everything is combined and starts to look like a paste. Scrape down the sides if needed to get everything together.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you continue to process. You can also add the olive oil in batches to combine. Check for taste and add more salt if needed.
- Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for later. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store this pesto in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to a week.
- You can freeze this pesto in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Make sure to leave some room at the top of your container so the pesto can expand.
- You can sub raw almonds for toasted almonds.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Did you Make this delicious Almond Pesto?
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Halyna says
Great recipe! I added some more garlic for extra flavor. Came out amazing.
Emily says
Great choice! I LOVE garlic, but not everyone does. You and I would get along, LOL. Enjoy!
Meryl says
Love this pesto recipe, such a great variation from expensive pine nuts!
Emily says
Exactly! Thanks, Meryl!
Swathi says
This Almond Pesto looks delicious
Julia says
This almond pesto was delicious... Will you think badly of me if I tell you that I used it to cover slices of baquette and sanwiched the whole loaf back togeher with mozarella and baked it in the oven for a few minutes.... it was truly wonderful. Thank you for this.
Emily says
You are so funny...and I think that is a brilliant idea!! This pesto and mozzarella were made for each other! I'm so glad you put it to good use!😁
Chef Dennis says
This Almond Pesto is perfect! My wife loved this.
Emily says
Happy wife, happy life, right? 😂 Thanks for trying my recipe!
Agnieszka says
I was looking for a pesto recipe that did NOT include pine nuts. Never thought to use almonds but it turned out perfect!
Emily says
Oh good, I'm so glad. Pesto really can be made in a lot of different ways. Almond is one of my favorites!
Michelle | Taste As You Go says
I love this variation on pesto! So flavorful!
Emily says
Thank you, Michelle. Gotta love petso!
Angela says
Wonderful pesto recipe! Adding almonds is a great idea!
Emily says
Thanks, Angela!
Audrey says
I never knew you could make almond pesto before!
Emily says
You can! And it's so delicious, I hope you give it a try!
Jodi Reed says
I love pesto. This almond pesto is amazing and fresh. Thanks!!
Emily says
You are welcome, Jodi! there is nothing better than fresh homemade pesto!
Leslie says
Wonderful Almond Pesto recipe!
Emily says
Thanks, Leslie!
Jeri says
This pesto was fantastic! Tasted great on pizza!
Emily says
So glad to hear it, Jeri! That's exactly what I did with my last batch!!
Kristina says
A great alternative to using pine nuts.
Emily says
It is! I have a friend with an allergy so this is my go-to when he comes over.
Mahy says
If I had to name one type that is my favorite for when it comes to making pesto, it would definitely be almond pesto. It is so delicious!
Emily says
I totally agree, thanks, Mahy!
Katherine says
I love that this is made with almonds! Where I live, pine nuts are expensive - so it's easier to get almonds. Yum!
Emily says
I think pine nuts are expensive everywhere, lol. I also love the texture almonds give to the pesto.😀
Beth says
This will be amazing to add to any dinner or side dish or what I'm going to do is just eat it straight with a spoon! Delish!
Emily says
Not gonna lie, I've done the spoon thing too, LOL 😂
Amanda Scarlati says
I'm obsessed with pesto and I love this recipe. The flavor of the toasted almonds adds so much to it!
Emily says
Pesto makes everything better 😁.
Makhaya says
This looks delicious. I am definitely going to try this pesto recipe! Thanks for sharing!