Download your FREE 7-Day Vegetarian High Protein

Weight Loss Meal Plan

Invalid email address
Start Today

Easy Homemade Basil Pesto (5 Min, Vegetarian)

Basil pesto in the jar | hurrythefoodup.com

Want to Save This Post?

Enter your email & we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!

Save Recipe

By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Hurry the Food Up.

Feeling guilty about throwing away all those basil leaves you’ll never use? Well don’t, make easy homemade pesto instead! It’s really easy, takes five minutes and tastes great.

It can even be stored for two weeks in the fridge. And if you’ve just made our tomato and mozzarella dish and are feeling particularly enthused towards Italy then you can place the pesto next to it and pretend it’s the Italian flag. Brilliant huh?

Health Benefits – Easy Basil Pesto

Basil is often called the king of herbs for a reason; as well as being full of flavour and fragrance it’s also stacked with surprising health benefits.

It’s high in vitamin A and manganese, and has been proven to provide protection against unwanted bacterial growth and can even act as an anti-inflammatory too (Brilliant Basil). Who’d have thought it?

Easy Basil Pesto
4.88 from 8 votes
Easy Basil Pesto. A super simple and tasty basil pesto. Great with any type of pasta or bread and made in just five minutes.
Cuisine:Vegetarian
Diet: egg-free, gluten-free
Prep Time:5 minutes
Total Time:5 minutes
Servings:3
Calories:233kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basil, fresh
  • ¼ cup vegetarian parmesan, grated (make sure to use a non-animal rennet version if you’re vegetarian. ¼ cup = ca. 25g)
  • 3 tbsp walnuts
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 5 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • Chop the basil leaves and nuts and place in a large glass.
    1 cup basil, fresh, 3 tbsp walnuts
  • Grate the garlic and cheese (if using) and add to the mixture, along with the salt and pepper.
    ¼ cup vegetarian parmesan, grated, 1 clove garlic, ¾ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
  • Add the oil and mix well with a spoon. Alternatively you can use a hand blender or food processor to mix everything together.
    5 tbsp olive oil
  • If necessary, transfer to a smaller glass for storing, and pour on a little more oil to seal the pesto.
  • Cover in cling wrap and it should keep for up to two weeks in the fridge.
    Basil pesto in the jar | Hurry The Food Up

NOTES

A great addition to any pasta meal – and takes only five minutes to make!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Easy Basil Pesto
Serving Size
 
54 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
233
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
24
g
37
%
Saturated Fat
 
4.5
g
28
%
Cholesterol
 
9
mg
3
%
Sodium
 
555
mg
24
%
Potassium
 
78
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
 
2
g
1
%
Fiber
 
0.7
g
3
%
Protein
 
6
g
12
%
Vitamin A
 
900
IU
18
%
Vitamin C
 
4.1
mg
5
%
Calcium
 
140
mg
14
%
Iron
 
0.7
mg
4
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @HurryTheFoodUp on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece!
Comments
4.88 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment below

Your comments make our day. Thank you! If you have a question, please skim the comments section – you might find an immediate answer there. If you made the recipe, please choose a star rating, too.

Recipe Rating




6 comments
  1. Most of the Whole Foods Market 365 cheeses (including shredded and grated Parm) is made with microbial rennet. However, beware of their prepared basil pesto sauces, they all contain Romano cheese which is made with animal rennet.

    1. Hi Ellesse, awesome to see they’re finally making it with microbial rennet. Yes indeed, pesto is almost always a trap, got to be careful with that one. Thanks for the heads up!

  2. Parmesian is not vegetarian, it had rennet in it. Rennet comes from the outline of a calf ‘s stomach. A good substitute is Romano cheese. 😉

    1. Hey Luke, you’re totally right. You may have noticed we write to make sure to use a non-rennet version in brackets, but thanks for the heads up anyway. I’ll make it a little clearer in the text. Cheers!

      1. Could you give please name a brand whose Parmesan cheese is vegetarian? I have searched for days with no luck.

        thanks

        1. Hi Venkat – are you in the EU? If so, parmesan has to have animal rennet, unfortunately – by law. Instead you’ll have to look for a more generic ‘hard cheese’ – for example there’s a really tasty Danish one called Them Krystal that uses non-animal rennet. If you’re outside of the EU then I think it’s a case of asking in local shops 🙂