This Nut Free Pesto Recipe is absolutely delicious! A 5 Ingredient Basil Pesto without Nuts that is perfect on pasta – everyone will love it!

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When it comes to tomato sauce, chicken marinades, and healthy salad dressings, buying the premade ones from the store may be very convenient, but they will just never be as flavorful as the homemade version, which is why I just had to share our favorite easy pesto recipe!
Pesto is such a fresh, delicious, and versatile sauce that can be used in so many ways (our favorite ways are below if you need some inspiration).

If you love bright flavors and extremely easy recipes, you need to give this nut free pesto a try!
We love this recipe for Pesto without Nuts
There is a lot to love about this fresh pesto recipe. It’s one of our favorites because it’s:
- Easy to Make – Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend… really, that’s it!!
- Simple Ingredients – This recipe only has 5 fresh ingredients for an incredibly tasty sauce!
- Versatile Serving Options – You can serve classic pesto in so many ways. Our favorites and recommendations are below.
Ingredients
To make this recipe you’ll need:
- fresh basil leaves
- olive oil
- parmesan cheese
- garlic
- pepper

How to Make Pesto Without Nuts
- In a small blender or food processor combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth.
- Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy


Substitutions
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil for olive oil but we don’t recommend it.
Basil: I haven’t tried this recipe with any other herbs, but I think parsley would work.
Parmesan: We don’t recommend substituting parmesan cheese.

Serving Suggestions
There are countless ways to use pesto. Here are some of our favorites:
- on your favorite pasta (it would be delicious on ricotta cavatelli)
- in our Pesto Chicken Zucchini Noodles or Chicken Pesto Pasta
- as pizza sauce, instead of marinara. It would be delicious on our Keto Pizza!
- on top of baked boneless chicken breast or as marinade for salmon (or try one of thesehealthy salmon marinades)
- as a marinade for grilled veggies in foil or marinade for chicken
- as a dip for veggies
Nut Free Pesto FAQ
Yes, you can make pesto without nuts! All you need to make this pesto is basil, olive oil, cheese & spices.
You can use extra cheese and herbs instead of nuts in pesto. The cheese provides fattiness and texture that nuts do.
You can eat pesto hot or cold! It’s up to you.
Yes, you can heat up pesto. It’s delicious warm or cold.
Storage
Can you freeze pesto?: Any leftover pesto will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. We like these containers for freezing !
You could also freeze it in an ice cube tray.

Other healthy pasta recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Healthy Easy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.

Nut Free Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed
- ½ cup olive oil
- â…“ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic about 1 tablespoon
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a small blender or food processor combine all ingredients.
- Blend until smooth.
- Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy
Video

Ann says
Instead of fresh basil leaves could you use the basil in tubes? I use that in place of the leaves a lot of times. Hard to keep fresh basil on hand for 2 people.
Liz Marino says
I would not do that. The basil in the tub has other ingredients and could mess with the texture and taste of the pesto. You need to use fresh basil for this 🙂 It’s worth buying!