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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers & Dips

    Creamy Basil Pesto Sauce

    Published: May 17, 2025 by Radwa ·

    Jump to Recipe

    I use this creamy basil pesto sauce as a salad dressing, pasta sauce, pizza topping and more. It is fresh, flavorful, vibrant, and way better than the store-bought.

    Healthy creamy Basil pesto dressing

    You'll Need

    Extra virgin olive oil: Use good quality olive oil.

    Fresh basil leaves: Prepare the basil by removing the leaves from the stem.

    Pine nuts: You can also replace them with walnuts if you like. 

    Parmesan cheese: For the best flavor, use freshly grated Parmesan.

    Garlic: I use 3 cloves of garlic.

    Salt and ground black pepper: To taste.

    Healthy creamy Basil pesto dressing
    Basil pesto dressing.
    Print Pin
    5 from 7 votes

    Creamy Basil Pesto Sauce

    This creamy basil pesto sauce is perfect as a salad dressing, pasta sauce, pizza topping and more. It is fresh, vibrant, and way better than the store-bought.
    Course Salad dressing
    Cuisine Italian
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time 5 minutes minutes
    Servings 3 cups
    Calories 493kcal
    Author Radwa

    Equipment

    • Measuring spoons
    • Measuring cups
    • Mixing bowl
    • Garlic press

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 cups fresh basil leaves
    • ⅓ cup pin nuts
    • ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Place all the fresh basil leaves, garlic, parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper in the blender or food processor and pulse several times. Scrape down the sides of the blender or food processor with a spatula, then pulse again. Keep pulsing until it’s a smooth, paste-like substance.
    • Put the pesto in a jar, cover it with its lid, then keep it in the fridge until needed.

    Notes

    You can make your pesto thick or thin by adding more or less extra virgin olive oil.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 657mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 980IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 235mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @HealthyLifeTrainer or tag #healthylifetrainer!

    How to make Basil Pesto Sauce?

    steps of making pesto

    Place all the fresh basil leaves, garlic, parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper in the blender or food processor and pulse several times. Scrape down the sides of the blender or food processor with a spatula, then pulse again. Keep pulsing until it’s a smooth, paste-like substance.

    Put the pesto in a jar, cover it with its lid, then keep it in the fridge until needed.

    Healthy creamy Basil pesto dressing

    Top Tips

    • You can make your pesto thick or thin by adding more or less extra virgin olive oil.
    • You can use hemp seeds instead of pine nuts and make the pesto nuts free.
    • This dressing will stay fresh in the fridge for three days.
    • Top the pesto with some olive oil to form an oil seal which prevents the pesto from turning dark while kept in the fridge.
    • Feel free to double or triple this recipe and freeze it to use later.

    Recipe FAQs

    How to freeze Basil Pesto Sauce?

    Pesto freezes so well. To freeze it, divide the whole amount into half cups, then put them into freezer bags and freeze for 2-3 months. Or you can line an ice cube tray with plastic wrap, then fill the pesto in the ice pockets and freeze. After that, you can take frozen cubes out of the ice tray and put them in a freezer bag and keep them in the freezer.

    What is basil substates?

    Although basil is the main and traditional ingredient in making pesto, you can have a different pesto flavor by replacing it with ANY of the following: Spinach, kale, coriander, mint, or rocket.

    adding pesto dressing to pasta.

    What to use Basil Pesto Sauce for?

    • Make pesto pizza
    • Make pesto dip
    • Add it to roasted veggies.
    • Spread it on a wrap to fill it with grilled chicken.
    • Make pesto pasta by tossing a cooked pasta into this basil pesto dressing.
    • Add it to mashed potatoes
    • Top it on your morning omelette.

    Check out these salad dishes that would taste so good with pesto dressing!

    • Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
    • Lemon garlic potato salad
    • Elote Corn Salad topped with some paprika.
      Elote Corn Salad (Mexican)
    • big bowl of rocket salad.
      Rocket Salad with Parmesan
    • smoked salmon pasta salad topped with creamy salad dressing.
      Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
    • Taco salad.
      Ground Beef Taco Salad Recipe

    About Radwa

    Hi, I am Radwa! I've always been fond of food—seriously, it's my love language. I share my tried-and-true recipes and provide easy, step-by-step recipes that anyone can follow.

    Comments

    1. Addison says

      March 21, 2021 at 8:07 pm

      5 stars
      Since I started making this recipe, I never bought pesto. It tastes totally different from the store-bought one. I love it.

      Reply
    2. Sandy says

      March 18, 2021 at 10:15 am

      5 stars
      I made this recipe yesterday, and I needed to add more basil leaves to make it a bit thick, but overall, it was so delicious.

      Reply
    3. Nova says

      March 17, 2021 at 4:37 pm

      5 stars
      I loved it on pasta! It was my first time ever making pesto at home, and it was successful. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
    4. Olivia says

      March 17, 2021 at 3:37 pm

      5 stars
      I love homemade pesto; it tastes amazing. Even if you don't make it with pine nuts, it still tastes better than the storebought.

      Reply
    5. Elena says

      March 15, 2021 at 5:44 pm

      5 stars
      I made this pesto dressing today, and it was excellent. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!

      Reply
    5 from 7 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Healthy Life Trainer

    Hello! I’m Radwa, A wife and mother. Also, I am the recipe maker and food photographer behind Healthy Life Trainer. I love making new, simple and quick recipes every day.

    More about me→

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