• Home
  • Cocktails
  • Culture
    • Dance
    • Opera
    • Theatre
    • Outdoor
    • London Life
      • Foodie London
      • Visiting London – Five Must Do Sights
      • Visiting London – London Travel Tips
    • Balcony Gardening
  • Featured
    • Books
    • Home Delivery
    • Recipe Kits
    • Giveaways
  • Recipes
    • Meat
    • Soups
    • Lunch
    • Starters
    • Mains
    • Sides
    • Desserts
    • Cakes and Sweets
    • 5:2 Diet Recipes
    • Fish and Shellfish
    • Meat
    • Poultry
    • Vegetarian
  • Restaurants
    • Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia
    • Bermondsey, Borough and London Bridge
    • Chelsea
    • Camden
    • City of London
    • Clerkenwell
    • Covent Garden
    • Docklands
    • East London
    • Kings Cross
    • Knightsbridge
    • Kings Cross
    • Kensington
    • Marylebone
    • Mayfair
    • Oxford Circus
    • Oxford Circus
    • Paddington
    • St James
    • Soho
    • South Bank
    • South London
    • The Strand and Embankment
    • North London
    • Victoria and Pimlico
    • West London
    • Out of London
    • Miscellaneous
  • Travel UK
  • Travel Europe
    • Belgium
    • Croatia
    • Czech Republic
    • First Visit
      • Bulgaria
      • Netherlands
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Slovenia
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Italy
      • Sicily
    • Ireland
    • Portugal
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Travel Other
    • Caribbean Travel
      • Antigua
      • Barbados
      • Grenada
      • St Lucia
    • Ecuador
    • Egypt
    • India
    • Qatar
    • Mexico
    • Oman
    • Rodrigues and Mauritius
    • Sri Lanka
    • USA

London Unattached - Luxury Mid-Life London Lifestyle

Luxury London Lifestyle for mid-life Metropolitans - food, travel, restaurant reviews - London Unattached

You are here: Home / Recipes / Nut Free Pesto – Home Made Pesto in Minutes

Nut Free Pesto – Home Made Pesto in Minutes

August 6, 2018 by Fiona Maclean 82 Comments

Tweet
Pin
Share
Flip
Yum
Share

An Easy Recipe for Nut Free Pesto or Pistou.

Skip straight to my Nut Free Pesto Recipe recipe.

Nut free pesto - classic basil pesto

Shopping list – to make this Nut Free Pesto you will need:

  • Fresh Basil
  • Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese (or the veggie equivalent if necessary)
  • Good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Lemon Juice
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Garlic

Why am I making pesto? Well, it’s the time of year when my garden seems to rebel against all the careful planning I put in during Spring. I have a full maternity ward of greenish tomatoes which appear to be heading for delivery at the same time.  I have a marrow plant which, like some seedy London nightclub on a Friday night, has male flowers queuing up but not a single woman.  And, I have basil overwhelming my herb pot, shading the sun-loving rosemary – so what better than fresh basil pesto. Pesto is a great way to use up a surplus of basil (or for that matter any other appropriate soft herb), especially as it can be frozen and used through the winter and this recipe for a nut-free pesto means that I have no need for the one ingredient I don’t generally have in my store cupboard (pine nuts).  Apparently, nut-free pesto is standard across Italy except in Liguria and, in France, it is known as Pistou and also generally made without nuts.

Nut-Free-Pesto-Recipe

All you need for nut-free pesto is fresh basil, parmesan or pecorino cheese, good quality extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Oh, and if like me you don’t often use a food processor or you prefer to make your pesto by hand, the traditional Italian way, then you need a largish pestle and mortar too.  The point of using the pestle and mortar is that you are much more in control of how your pesto is prepared.  At least in my heart, crushing the basil leaves gently will release a subtler, delicate flavour.  And, the texture of a hand prepared pesto is quite different.

Fresh Basil growing for Pesto

Lighter than the traditional Ligurian pesto I learnt to make at the World Pesto Championships a couple of years ago, nut-free pesto makes the perfect complement for summer pasta dishes, as a topping for a home-made burger, for tomato bakes or, as I did last night, as a sauce to bake fish in the oven.  If you do want to make a traditional basil pesto the method is almost exactly the same, you simply add the pine nuts with the garlic at the start of the process.

nut free pesto with salmon

Nut-free pesto is ultra easy to make and of course, you do have the option of using a pestle and mortar or whizzing this up in your food processor.  I’d recommend trying the pestle and mortar option at least once because your pesto will have more depth of flavour and a better texture.  But, if I was making a huge quantity, I’d probably give in and use a food processor too, though I’d probably still use a stick or wand blender with a plastic tumbler rather than a ‘put the lot in and press a button’ type.  I’ve experienced the pesto from one of those and it’s more of a slurry than I like (or perhaps it was over processed?)

Here’s what to do.

4.96 from 61 votes
Nut free basil pesto homemade
Print
Nut-Free Pesto
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

A simple nut-free pesto recipe using basil, garlic, olive oil and salt to make a pistou sauce

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: easy, nut-free, nut-free pesto, pesto, vegan, vegetarian
Servings: 160 g
Calories: 90 kcal
Author: Fiona Maclean
Ingredients
  • 70 g (about 3 cups) fresh basil leaves
  • 40 g grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
  • 40 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch salt
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • squeeze lemon juice optional
Instructions
  1. Tear the basil into smallish shreds
  2. Put the peeled garlic cloves in a pestle and mortar with the salt and crush until you have a paste.
  3. Add the basil leaves in batches, crushing with the pestle until all the leaves are well blended with the garlic and salt and you have a paste.
  4. Add the grated cheese and mix
  5. Now pour over a little olive oil and blend well, using the base of the pestle.
  6. Continue adding olive oil until you have a thick 'sauce' of the desired consistency
  7. Taste and add more salt if necessary and a little lemon juice if desired.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

To make this in a food processor add all the ingredients except the lemon juice and olive oil and blend well until you have a rough paste. Now, drizzle in the olive oil until you have a sauce of the correct consistency. Add lemon juice and salt to taste

Once you’ve made a batch of pesto it will keep in the fridge for a week or so.  But, you can easily freeze it in an ice-cube tray, ready to use throughout the winter.  All you need to do, once the pesto is frozen, is pop the cubes out and into a zip-lock bag and you have a convenient supply of individual portions of nut-free pesto.

Nut-free pesto is bursting with the flavours of summer, somehow not adding pine nuts creates a really fresh pesto – and it’s a great way to use up that glut of basil.

Thinking of trying my easy no nut pesto recipe yourself?  Why not pin this post for later

Easy nut free basil pesto - homemade nut free pesto

 

Filed Under: Recipes, side dish, Vegetarian Tagged With: Italian Cookery, pesto

About Fiona Maclean

London based freelance writer and marketing consultant. I edit London-Unattached.com and write for a number of other publications. With a music degree and a background in marketing across many sectors, my passions include all types of music, food, restaurants, wine and travel

Comments

  1. Sheena Batey says

    November 9, 2020 at 9:47 pm

    This is such a good recipe for me as I react to pinenuts

    Reply
  2. ashleigh allan says

    December 8, 2019 at 7:39 pm

    This sounds lovely

    Reply
  3. Kerrie-ann Fitzpatrick says

    February 4, 2019 at 9:38 am

    I love pesto, come summer a lovely pesto pasta salad is on the menu for every BBQ. Pine nuts end up costing quite a bit and I’d never thought to make it without! I will be trying this one.

    Reply
  4. Carolyn E says

    January 23, 2019 at 3:33 pm

    I love adding pesto to so many things. This one looks delish!

    Reply
  5. Margaret Gallagher says

    January 20, 2019 at 8:18 pm

    So simple yet devine – I’ll ENJOY making this beaut

    Reply
  6. Gwen Maynard says

    December 7, 2018 at 3:56 am

    Great recipe for those with nut allergies

    Reply
  7. Simon Narracott says

    August 31, 2018 at 5:34 pm

    I loved this recipe. So easy to make and as someone who likes nuts it was surprising how good this tasted. It seemed to have more clarity of flavours than I would have expected.

    Reply
  8. Rachel Craig says

    August 29, 2018 at 11:32 pm

    Great alternative, as not everyone likes nuts.

    Reply
  9. Fiona jk42 says

    August 29, 2018 at 11:19 pm

    we also have a glut of basil so will have to try this recipe. I especially like that you can freeze this to use over the winter.

    Reply
  10. Tee Simpson says

    August 29, 2018 at 10:34 pm

    Love pesto. Looks delicious

    Reply
  11. Tee Simpson says

    August 29, 2018 at 10:33 pm

    Lovely recipe idea. Thanks

    Reply
  12. MANDY DOHERTY says

    August 29, 2018 at 9:10 pm

    Looks delicious

    Reply
  13. Amy Jo McLellan says

    August 29, 2018 at 7:53 pm

    I’ve never made pesto myself before (I confess!) but I’d really like to try this 🙂

    Reply
  14. Sarah Knightley says

    August 29, 2018 at 3:24 pm

    Great recipe!

    Reply
  15. Lucy Chester says

    August 29, 2018 at 9:45 am

    This looks so yummy and my type of meal

    Reply
  16. Ruth Harwood says

    August 29, 2018 at 8:50 am

    great recipe xx

    Reply
  17. Louise Rugeroni says

    August 29, 2018 at 7:32 am

    Forgot to rate!

    Reply
  18. Louise Rugeroni says

    August 29, 2018 at 7:30 am

    I have a nut allergy, so love that this nut free!

    Reply
  19. Sarah Roberts says

    August 29, 2018 at 2:18 am

    Sounds lovely! l love Pesto. Will definitely try this one out!

    Reply
  20. James Travis says

    August 29, 2018 at 12:29 am

    Really good recipe

    Reply
  21. lynn neal says

    August 28, 2018 at 10:37 pm

    This looks a great recipe for me to try!

    Reply
  22. Rebecca Whatmore says

    August 28, 2018 at 8:49 pm

    Looks delicious!

    Reply
  23. Vicky Cole says

    August 28, 2018 at 11:56 am

    Really good idea

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      January 8, 2019 at 5:09 pm

      Thanks Vicky

      Reply
  24. Peter Watson says

    August 28, 2018 at 10:55 am

    Thanks for making it all so si,ple for me.

    Reply
  25. Pat Stubbs says

    August 28, 2018 at 8:40 am

    Nice twist on original pesto

    Reply
  26. Lesley Bambridge says

    August 28, 2018 at 8:11 am

    I love the way you have made everything clear (and enticing) in this recipe post. Thank you. It sounds delicious

    Reply
  27. Mary Baldwin says

    August 27, 2018 at 11:13 pm

    Having a severe nut allergy I’d never tried it until recently when a lovely chef at work bought some that was nut-free. What a revelation – it was soooo tasty and this will be great so I can make some up for home.

    Reply
  28. Ritchie says

    August 27, 2018 at 10:13 pm

    How about a vegan option?

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      April 7, 2019 at 11:43 am

      you could substitute the cheese for a vegan cheese – but I am not vegan so I don’t have any need to do that.

      Reply
  29. louise lumsden says

    August 27, 2018 at 8:16 pm

    that looks great & I’m not a fan of pine nuts so this is ideal for me

    Reply
  30. sheri Darby says

    August 27, 2018 at 4:37 pm

    This looks really delicious. I must try it

    Reply
  31. Iris says

    August 27, 2018 at 11:07 am

    Looks delicious I love pesto and will try this one

    Reply
  32. tina Glover says

    August 23, 2018 at 7:26 am

    Love pesto and this a fab recipe x

    Reply
  33. Kim Neville says

    August 21, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    Fantastic recipe

    Reply
  34. Cherry Lloyd says

    August 20, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    Always great to have a recipe like this one on hand – thank you.

    Reply
  35. Carole Nott says

    August 19, 2018 at 5:25 pm

    Looks like a great recipe

    Reply
  36. Maxine G says

    August 18, 2018 at 7:11 am

    Pinned to pinterest to try later! Looks great

    Reply
  37. Alison Johnson says

    August 17, 2018 at 10:03 pm

    So simple, yet looks so tasty!

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      January 8, 2019 at 5:19 pm

      It is really easy and really good

      Reply
  38. Alexis says

    August 16, 2018 at 12:49 pm

    Oh what a great recipe for pesto for those with nut allergies. I don’t always have nuts available for fresh pesto so this is a great option.

    Reply
  39. Linda says

    August 14, 2018 at 5:38 am

    I wish I have a green thumb like you! I love fresh herbs and this nut-free pesto is a keeper. It goes well with almost everything!

    Reply
  40. Linda says

    August 13, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    I’m so glad you posted this. I used to used the food processor to make pesto, but once i tried using a mortar and pestle, i haven’t pulled out the processor since. The resulting texture is far superior to the food processed version. Yours looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 17, 2018 at 11:34 am

      It really does make a difference doesn’t it!

      Reply
  41. Rachael Sexey says

    August 13, 2018 at 2:37 pm

    This is delicious ☺

    Reply
  42. john prendergast says

    August 12, 2018 at 12:14 am

    looks delicious

    Reply
  43. Olivia says

    August 11, 2018 at 9:37 pm

    This looks so yummy, I am a huge fan of pesto and it’s easier to make than most people think, it makes a great accompaniment of pasta I think 🙂

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      September 3, 2018 at 4:31 pm

      Don’t you agree it’s so much nicer freshly made too!

      Reply
  44. Helen says

    August 11, 2018 at 8:59 pm

    How lovely you have so many ingredients growing n your garden! Even the seedy marrows haha. I love pesto but have never tried making my own, I’ll have to now I know how easy it is.

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      September 3, 2018 at 4:30 pm

      Believe it or not I had a late ‘pregnancy’ and I’ve now got quite a big marrow sitting there. I wonder if it will work well with pesto!!!

      Reply
  45. Jade Bremner says

    August 11, 2018 at 7:35 pm

    I only tried pesto a few months ago and I wasn’t keen on it but it could of been the dish itself. I also had no idea that pesto had nuts in haha

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      September 3, 2018 at 4:30 pm

      Fresh pesto tastes nothing like the stuff you get in jars. And of course, when you make it yourself, you do it to your own taste. I like quite a high ratio of cheese to basil for example. You just experiment till it’s right for you

      Reply
  46. Elinor Fisher says

    August 10, 2018 at 11:32 pm

    Great for using up the masses of basil I seem to have at the moment too- and will give more flavour to bland but healty fish dishes.

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 11, 2018 at 9:57 pm

      that’s so true – I loved it as a topping for baked salmon

      Reply
  47. Elinor Fisher says

    August 10, 2018 at 11:30 pm

    This is such a good idea as I’m not supposed to eat pine nuts (something about them being bad for underactive thyroid) so am looking forward to trying this nut-free version

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 11, 2018 at 9:58 pm

      oh I didn’t know that – and I do have an underactive thyroid too

      Reply
  48. Lorna Ledger says

    August 10, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    Oooh crikey, love pesto, this looks great

    Reply
  49. Laura says

    August 10, 2018 at 1:37 pm

    I really need to try making my own pesto as I always have stacks of basil! This looks really nommy and I like the idea of it being nut free.

    Reply
  50. LaaLaa says

    August 10, 2018 at 10:12 am

    Love making my own stuff from scratch, so much more satisfying, was reading the comments and what a good idea with the upside down water bottles

    Reply
  51. Kara Guppy says

    August 10, 2018 at 9:43 am

    I have never tried to make my own pesto and it looks fairly easy

    Reply
  52. Sharon says

    August 9, 2018 at 8:40 pm

    This looks amazing! I was just thinking about making some pesto pasta soon. My hubby, who doesn’t like eating nuts, would find this as a perfect substitute.

    Reply
  53. Rebecca | AAUBlog says

    August 9, 2018 at 3:35 pm

    oh yum! I love pesto, but haven’t thought to make it myself. I love that the ingredients are so simple and natural – lovely!

    Reply
  54. Joanna says

    August 9, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    I do love pesto but I never tried it without the pine nuts. I do like them quite a lot. When I was in Liguria I have tried the walnut pesto as well, which was so delicious, I’ve never tasted anything like it.

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 17, 2018 at 1:00 pm

      I’ve got the walnuts ready to try a walnut pesto. I did make a cobnut one – you can find the recipe on the blog

      Reply
  55. Debbie Finnerty says

    August 9, 2018 at 1:40 pm

    This sounds lovely but I think I would miss the pine nuts they make a pesto for me!

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 11, 2018 at 9:56 pm

      Try it and see – I was quite surprised…

      Reply
  56. Stephanie Merry says

    August 9, 2018 at 10:57 am

    I have to admit, I’ve never actually made pesto before – let alone nut-free pesto, but it looks so easy and delicious, I’ll have to give it a try x

    Reply
  57. Ellie mcdonald says

    August 8, 2018 at 12:25 pm

    Sounds great over fresh tomatoes

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 11, 2018 at 9:56 pm

      It is indeed! I am growing my own tomatoes too – delicious

      Reply
  58. kris mc says

    August 7, 2018 at 9:48 am

    Great for my kids nut free lunchboxes

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 28, 2018 at 10:25 pm

      It’s such an easy recipe

      Reply
  59. angie says

    August 6, 2018 at 10:18 pm

    That does look delish. How long do you have to bash it in the mortar?

    Reply
  60. Kavita Favelle says

    August 6, 2018 at 7:18 am

    Your basil looks like it’s doing crazily well, especially impressive given the dry weather! I love pistou! I love pinenuts but not convinced they are really needed, the freshness of the herbs with the cheese is usually enough!

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 6, 2018 at 10:26 pm

      I use upsidedown plastic bottles with spikes filled with water to keep everything going. It’s a very smart way to make sure you don’t waste water. You can buy the spikes on amazon, or just punch a hole in the cap of the bottle

      Reply
  61. The Girl Next Door says

    August 6, 2018 at 3:04 am

    Ooooh, that looks delish! I can almost smell the basil off my computer screen. 🙂
    I’d never have thought of making pesto without any nuts. Kudos to you for trying it out, and so beautifully at that.

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 6, 2018 at 10:24 pm

      It’s really easy – and a great way to use up that basil plant you bought which is going to seed in the corner

      Reply
  62. Emma @ Adventures of a London Kiwi says

    August 5, 2018 at 10:00 pm

    You had me crying with laughter at ‘I have a marrow plant which, like some seedy London nightclub on a Friday night, has male flowers queuing up but not a single woman’

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 5, 2018 at 10:01 pm

      And it’s true!!!! you need the boys – but the babies come from the girls!!!!!

      Reply
  63. Michelle says

    August 5, 2018 at 9:52 pm

    What a great idea! Especially for people with nut allergies!

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 5, 2018 at 10:01 pm

      I was surprised by how good it was – but I tasted an excellent nut free pesto on an Italian stall at the local farmers’ market – along with some wonderful olive oil. Talking to the guys who run the stall was how I discovered that the use of pine nuts is an exclusively Ligurian one.

      Reply
  64. elizabeth says

    August 5, 2018 at 12:52 pm

    A lovely recipe

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      August 5, 2018 at 1:35 pm

      Thanks. So easy for summer

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Follow Us

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

About London-Unattached

  • About Fiona Maclean
    • Writing for Other Publications
  • Enquiries/PR
  • Links to Other Sites
  • London Unattached Contributors
  • London Unattached Privacy Policy
  • Media Pack
  • Newsletter
  • Travel Bloggers Influencer Network

Recently Published

  • Vegan Savvy is the perfect book for Veganuary
  • Mojito Mocktail – a Classic Cocktail with a Halo
  • #Win Small Batch Sauces from Orriss and Son #Giveaway and Review
Looking for more recipes? Check out my new site, The Frugal Flexitarian, for easy, cost effective recipes to enjoy at home.
Find My 5:2 Diet Recipes quickly and easily

London Unattached Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter here. We promise not to spam - and you can unsubscribe at any time

Search London Unattached


Find Us

blogl
VuelioTop10Badge2020

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in