Homemade Pesto Recipe (with a Secret Frugal Ingredient)

Use the summer’s basil harvest to make this homemade pesto recipe and freeze it in small jars for serving and using in other recipes. It’s super easy, tastes amazing, and uses a special substitute which makes it cheap enough to eat pesto all winter long!

Here’s a few more Quick Healthy Recipes for you to try.

jars of homemade pesto without lids above

This is the amazing homemade pesto recipe I’ve made for many years with our garden basil, which I make in batches to store in the freezer (we eat it fresh, too, but most of it gets preserved).

It’s like having a great convenience food stashed away to use anytime!

We use this pesto on artisan bread instead of butter (by the way, if you haven’t tried this you really should- but be warned, it can be addicting…), as the sauce on homemade pizza, and in Creamy Pesto Pasta, among other things. 

This pesto qualifies as one of my Pantry Basics, right along with ketchup, mayo, salad dressings, etc. – anything we use regularly that we (use to!) think we could only buy from a store.

The pesto is very easy to make, taking a just few minutes to whir together in a food processor. And of course making it at home with your garden basil is less expensive in it’s own right. But that’s not what I mean when I say it includes a frugal ingredient.

The “Secret” Nontraditional Ingredient

This recipe has an secret, nontraditional ingredient that drastically decreases the cost of the most expensive ingredient in most basil pestos: pine nuts.

The secret? Sunflower seeds.

Not walnuts (too strong a flavor) or some other seed or nut I’ve seen mentioned in other recipes, just mild-mannered sunflower seeds. It’s their very neutrality which makes them the perfect substitute, in my book.

But aren’t pine nuts essential? I may be a traditional pesto heretic, but I just can’t justify the expense. And we’re talking three times the cost of sunflower seeds. And I did use pine nuts when I made pesto for the first time years ago – I almost hyperventilated, but I did it to be “authentic.”

And you know what? I couldn’t even taste the pine nuts inside all the garlic, basil and Parmesan. And if we’re going to spend almost $10/lb. for something, we better be able to taste it, right?

glass jars of homemade pesto

Putting Sunflower Seeds to a Taste Test

However, I didn’t really tell anyone (out of embarrassment? shame? guilt? I’ll let you decide…) until the time we had Brian’s cousin and his family to dinner. Now this cousin is an incredible gourmet cook and has made us many memorable meals.

I served pesto with the bread instead of butter (what was I thinking?) and he said, “There’s something different with this pesto- what is it?”

Uh-oh. Gulp. “I…um…used sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts. Can I get anyone more water?”

And get this – he says, “I don’t usually like pesto, but this is really good!”

To say I breathed a sigh of relief is an understatement. So I no longer hold my head down when I say what the secret ingredient is in my pesto. In fact, I think it’s a pretty smart and frugal way to make pesto AND we even like it better!

If you’re more of a connoisseur than I am, by all means, go with the pine nuts. For the rest of us, let’s make a frugal pesto recipe.

Let’s Make Homemade Pesto

Making pesto is so easy!

drying washed basil leaves

Step 1: Remove the leaves from the stems and wash them. Dry the leaves – see my tip below for drying and storing in a towel!

homemade pesto ingredients

Step 2: Gather ingredients. In addition to the basil, you’ll need garlic, parmesan, olive oil, salt – and the sunflower seeds!

TIP: Easily dry basil leaves – and store them for longer, if you need:

  1. Lay the washed leaves in a layer on a dry tea towel.
  2. Roll the towel and leaves up to rest and dry while continuing with the recipe.
  3. OR if you need to break up the pesto tasks into harvesting/prepping and then making the pesto later, you can place this rolled, damp towel in a large baggie, seal it, and place it in the refrigerator. The basil will last for up to a week (though it’s best after about four days)- there may be a few leaves that turn brown, but it keeps them remarkably well.
Adding the first pesto ingredients to a food processor

Step 3: Process the garlic, Parmesan cheese, salt and sunflower seeds in a food processor until finely chopped.

adding basil leaves to bowl of food processor

Step 4: Add the basil leaves and process as far as you can (the machine will only partially chop them). Then with the motor running, slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil.

And voila! Homemade pesto.

How to Freeze Homemade Pesto to Use All Winter

small jars of frozen pesto

Pesto freezes great and is SO nice to be able to enjoy that taste of summer all winter long!

To freeze for later, you simply pour serving-size portions of pesto in containers for the freezer, making sure to leave a 1-2 inch headspace for expansion. I like to add a small layer of olive oil to the top before attaching the lid (see tips below).

What container can I freeze pesto in?

Small glass jars are the most convenient.

You can see in the photo above that I reuse small glass jars from things like marinated artichokes for freezing pesto and I’ve not had a problem with breakage in the many years I’ve been reusing the jars. I like that they’re easy to defrost and then serve directly on the table.

You can also use half pint or 4-ounce mason jars.

a small jar of pesto with spoon

Tips for Better Frozen Pesto

Here are two things to do when freezing pesto to enhance the end product (that I learned from The Oregonian’s food section years ago):

  1. Add a couple teaspoons of lemon juice to each batch of pesto you’ll be freezing- this helps it last longer and stay a brighter green longer after opening (really – when I don’t use it, it turns brown almost right after opening!).
  2. Cover the pesto in the jars with a thin layer of olive oil which acts like a barrier to keep it fresher. So I actually use a little less oil when processing so I can add this layer that will be stirred in when defrosting and using.

More Pantry Basics Recipes to Try

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear in the comments how it turns out! You can also send me a picture on Instagram!

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jars of homemade pesto on wood board
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4.72 from 50 votes

Frugal Homemade Pesto (with Secret Ingredient)

Make this easy homemade pesto recipe that tastes amazing and uses a secret alternative to expensive pine nuts that we like even better!
Prep Time30 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Yield: 1 1/4 cups
Author: Jami Boys

Equipment

  • Food Processor

Ingredients

  • 6 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds*
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 2 ½ cups packed basil leaves washed and dried
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice for freezing to keep pesto a brighter green after opening
  • 3/4 to 1 cup olive oil plus more if freezing

Instructions

  • Pulse garlic in a food processor until minced. Add seeds, cheese, and salt. Pulse a few times to chop, and then add the basil and continue to process until most is chopped (it’s okay if not all is chopped – it will mince as the oil is added). Add lemon juice now, if using.
  • With the machine running, add the oil in a fine stream. Process until pesto is smooth. Adjust salt to taste, if needed (less will be needed if using salted sunflower seeds).
  • To store in the freezer: pour about a 1/2 cup of pesto into freezer-safe containers, add a shallow layer of olive oil to cover the tops (leaving at least a 1-inch headspace for expansion), attach lids, label with date and freeze.

Notes

*I use roasted sunflower seeds for the extra flavor, but raw seeds will work too.
Storage: The frozen pesto keeps for about a year – if it lasts that long.

Nutrition

Serving: 1teaspoon | Calories: 31kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.4g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 54mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.03g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!
homemade pesto pin image

This recipe has been updated – it was originally published in 2009, updated in 2015 and 2024.

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Recipe Rating




4.72 from 50 votes (46 ratings without comment)

116 Comments

  1. Hi Jami
    I like basil but unfortunately have no luck with. I tried several times to grow it but they wither or gobbled up by snails etc. Tried them in pots and in the garden. No luck.
    Any tricks? I’d apprciate it very much.
    Tks God bless.
    Joe

    1. Other than to encourage you to keep trying, I can tell you that Basil likes water so growing in pots you need to make sure they get enough water (also in ground, but pots more easily dry out). Also full sun. I use Sluggo to minimize slug damage.

  2. BY FAR the worst bait into turning a dish into trash that I’ve ever experienced…I made pesto pasta with sundried tomatoes about once a week. It’s fantastic…like, wake up in the middle of the night and prefer it to ice cream fantastic. SO TONIGHT, I’m adding a few things I need to use before they go bad: broccoli & mushrooms (NBD)…but I wonder if there’s anything I’m missing and I ended up here with the “secret ingredient” being sunflower seeds. I thought, “I have those and never have a use for putting them in my mouth!” Man alive! I have never seen one thing so tiny, it could turn a wonderful flavor palette into CARDBOARD! I added more basil, more pesto, more sundried tomatoes, more and more and each time you couldn’t escape the cardboard! Absolutely could not serve this to my guests, much less family. Which makes me think about the most common facility of sunflower seeds: baseball dugouts. Jocks are rarely the sharpest tools in the shed, but I used to know a sports reporter who told me that baseball athletes had the lowest IQ of the three major sports.

  3. Had to come and comment again (last time was back in Sept 2015!) about how good this is! Have yet to try a nut other than walnuts because I buy them at Costco so always have on hand. Am going to make myself try the sunflower seeds this year and may also try your aunt’s comment about using cashews since I also usually have those on hand.
    Question: do you have any sense of how long this keeps after taking out of the freezer? I made a white bean pesto soup yesterday using only part of a jar so am wondering how long I can wait before using up the rest? Am going to try your tortellini with pesto recipe but was hoping to wait a few days more (trying to space out the carbs!). Thanks Jami!5 stars

    1. So glad this is a staple for you, Norma!
      I’ve had partial pesto in the fridge for up to two weeks and it’s been fine!

  4. I’m one of those odd people with “Pine Mouth” (really, look it up!) I have been using blanched, very lightly roasted raw almonds. Have never tried sunflower seeds but I’ll try it next time I make pesto. I always appreciate it when someone else has tested something first (chicken, I know). I use less olive oil, and add lemon juice instead. Not only does it help with keeping it green and fresh looking, it has great flavor and reduces that heavy oily mouth feel you get with store bought.

    Just came across your site when looking for a canned roasted tomato sauce. Of course, I just couldn’t resist looking around for more (recipes, garden tips, DIY, etc)!

    1. I hope you like the sunflower seeds when you try them – I find the flavor melds better than other nuts/seeds I tried.
      Yes, lemon juice helps – I always adds some, too. 🙂
      I’m glad you found more on the site useful to you!!

  5. This recipe is dangerously good! I tried it last year and froze most in small jars. The pesto was just as good and colorful when I thawed it this spring as when I made it. I served it at a small dinner party a couple ofmonths ago and it was a big hit. The guests liiked it so much they put it on everything but the dessert.

    I made it again this afternoon and had to control myself from gobbling it all down right away. I need to have some for dull winter days. I made one small adaptation to the recipe, and use sunflower butter as I had no seeds. It turned out super, so that may be an alternative for folks. It is one that I will make every summer when I have the large supply of organic basil. A real keeper. Thanks for the recipe.5 stars

    1. Oh, thank you so much for your review, Marj -that is so good to know!
      I’m not surprised at your guests, though, as that happens when I serve it, too. 🙂

  6. Well, I’ll be damn*d! I’ve used sunflower seeds for years, and had a number of very positive complements on the quality of my pesto, so I’ve stuck to using them, as my go to “nut!” Kudo’s to you, I like that. Try cilantro pesto also, the pungent cilantro flavor is toned down a bit…surprisingly good for Mexican dishes! Sometimes I replace Thai basil in a pinch, also very good. JMK5 stars

      1. I, like you realized the cost of the pine nuts seemed a bit out of whack, and the little buggers turned rancid too quickly…have you tried the cilantro pesto yet? JMK5 stars

  7. I have never made pesto before and I have a big beautiful basil plant that I honestly didn’t know what to do with…so now I’m excited to try this! I have to make it dairy free so I did a little digging and found that nutritional yeast flakes can replace the parmesan cheese. Can’t wait to harvest my basil and make this!

  8. Have never made pesto and am excited to try your recipe. Everyone tells me not to add the cheese if you are going to freeze the pesto and add it before we use it. Can you tell me if you always add the cheese and then freeze it?

    Thank you so much for your help.

    1. I always add the cheese before freezing – otherwise it wouldn’t be easy to use! My whole extended family also freezes pesto like this, so it’s not just me. 🙂
      It’s just the same after freezing as it is before!

  9. Do you use freshly grated parmesan cheese? Or the “snow cheese” that comes in the green round cylinder (Kraft brand?) I can’t wait to try this with sunflower seeds.

    1. You want fresh parmesan for this, though it can be pre-grated. Definitely not the Kraft type cheese which is more of a dried cheese product. I hope you like it with the sunflower seeds like we do!

  10. Could this be made with frozen basil leaves? We had an early freeze and I was frantically stuffing basil leaves into freezer bags late last night. What amount of frozen basil would I use? I usually weigh as I cook so would 4 ounces of frozen be equivalent to 4 cups? (I am wanting to make a double batch)
    Thank you so much for your lovely website!! I discovered it when I googled “basil recipe without pine nuts” and have had a delightful time exploring!!

    1. So happy to have you exploring, Michelle! Though I actually have no idea if you can make this with frozen basil – I’ve never even thought about it. 🙂 Though I do get your issue. I think you’ll have to experiment with amounts to see what works. Sorry I couldn’t be more help!