Cashew Basil Pesto Recipe

Cashew pesto served in a white bowl with a wooden spoon in it. Sliced baguette, basil leaves and halved lemon placed next to the bowl.

Make your own homemade pesto in just 10 minutes! This Cashew Pesto is bright, savory, and full of flavor. Only 6 ingredients are needed!

Course Condiment

Cuisine Italian

Keyword basil, cashews, homemade pesto, pesto

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 0

Total Time 10

Servings cup

Calories 99kcal

Author Sherri Hall

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

1 oz (30g) fresh basil leaves (use sweet basil, not Thai basil)
½ cup (75g) cashews, raw
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed
½ cup (45g) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1-2 tablespoon lemon juice (optional, but recommended)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and black pepepr, to taste

Instructions

Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the cashew and toast them with no oil for 1-2 minutes until both sides are golden. Let them cool completely before making the pesto.
Add the cooled cashew and basil leaves to a food processor and pulse for 10-20 seconds to roughly chop. Add the parmesan, minced garlic, and lemon juice and pulse for a few more seconds until the mixture is crumbly.
Slowly, start pouring the olive oil while blending the pesto on low speed. Make sure to not rush this process or the pesto will separate.
Once you've added all of the olive oil, blend on high speed for 30 more seconds. Finally, taste the pesto and add salt and black pepper to taste.

Notes

Toast the cashews. This elevates the nutty flavor of the cashews and adds richness to the pesto. It's an optional step, but it takes just 5 minutes and makes a big difference.
Pour the olive oil slowly. If you add it all at once the olive oil won't emulsify with the rest of the ingredients, which means that the pesto will separate.
Add salt at the end. We all know that pesto can be quite salty. The best part about making it at home is that you can control the saltiness. I recommend you to taste the pesto and add the salt at the end to avoid oversalting it in the beginning.
Don't over-blend. Blend just until everything is well combined. Over-blending can make your cashew pesto separate.
Adjust the texture as needed. You can add more or less olive oil depending on how thick you want your pesto. I usually add a bit more to thin it out.

Parmesan is often not considered vegetarian, so be sure to use a vegetarian-friendly Parmesan if desired.

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Information shown should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition