This delicious Walnut Pesto Recipe replaces the traditional pine nuts with walnuts instead, giving it a rich and nutty flavor and smooth and creamy texture. Give it a try for a new twist on an old favorite!
Pesto is such a beautiful, versatile sauce. It’s creamy, fresh, flavorful and so simple to make! When I get a craving, it takes only minutes to put together some Easy Pesto Sauce with fresh basil and pine nuts, but I’ve also found great results with switching up the nuts.
Pistachio Pesto turned out slightly sweeter, while this walnut pesto has a nuttiness that is warm and inviting. This sauce pairs beautifully with everything from Instant Pot Pesto Chicken to Creamy Pesto Pasta–along with sandwiches, roasted veggies and grilled meats.
It’s quick to make, packed with bold, fresh ingredients, and perfect for meal prep or last-minute dinners. Whether you’re a pesto purist or a flavor adventurer, this recipe brings a deliciously creamy, earthy spin to the classic that no store-bought jar could ever compete with.
I recently used this Walnut Pesto to make a Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad. I got so many compliments on the sauce, which added a great flavor to the dish!
Why Make this Recipe
- Affordable: Walnuts are a much more affordable option than pine nuts. It’s always nice when you can save a few pennies without compromising on flavor!
- Fresh: There is nothing quite like the burst of flavor that comes from fresh basil, garlic, lemon and walnuts! The flavor far exceeds the flavor you get from the store bought, jarred pesto!
- New Twist on a Classic: Pine nuts aren’t the only nuts that make great pesto. You’ll be surprised by the subtle difference this simple swap can make! (And save the leftover walnuts for Walnut Cookies).
Key Ingredients for Walnut Pesto
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Unroasted, unsalted walnut pieces: Roasting the walnuts just before blending really enhances the flavor, but you can use them raw if you prefer. Raw walnuts have tannins in the skins, which can give a bitter flavor. Roasting your walnuts will mellow out that bitter flavor.
- Fresh basil: Fresh basil is a must for fresh pesto. The best type for this recipe will be a Genovese basil, because of the tender leaves and bright green color. Thai basil or lemon basil will work in a pinch, but the flavor will be very different from your standard pesto.
- Lemon: Use fresh lemon for the best flavor. The fresh lemon helps with preserving the color of the pesto.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic for this recipe! You don’t need to chop it before putting it into the food processor, making it a really easy addition. The garlic is perfect for balancing the richness of this delicious sauce!
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated for the best results… Try not to use the prepackaged kind if you can help it!
How to Make this Recipe
Step One: Toast the walnuts for 3-5 minutes until they begin to get some brown color and give off a nutty aroma.
Step Two: Blend all the ingredients together with ¼ cup of olive oil.
Step Three: Continue blending and adding oil incrementally until it reaches your desired consistency.
Expert Tips
- If you feel like the basil flavor is a bit too strong, try using half baby spinach instead of the basil.
- Pesto freezes well. If you do not use the entire recipe for your dish, try freezing some sauce in ice cube trays for small, ready-to-go portions.
- You can make pesto in a blender, food processor or with a mortar and pestle.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Walnuts are absolutely delicious but Pistachio pesto is also a great choice. Pecans, cashews and even almonds would also be delicious or sun flower seeds or hemp seeds or hearts for a nut free version.
Absolutely. For a dairy-free or vegan version, simply omit the Parmesan cheese or replace it with a vegan cheese or a spoonful of nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor.
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5–7 days. To help prevent browning, drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on top before sealing.
Walnut pesto is delicious on sandwiches, pasta, roasted vegetables, grilled meat or even as a dip!
If your pesto is difficult to blend, just continue to add more olive oil until it reaches the consistency you desire. You can also try adding an extra splash of lemon juice.
Did you enjoy this recipe for Walnut Pesto? If so, check out these other recipes I chose just for you:
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Walnut Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unroasted, unsalted walnut pieces
- 2 cups fresh basil
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tsp Garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup + 2-3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts in a small, ungreased pan on the stove until they begin to get some brown color and give off a nutty aroma, about 2-5 minutes.
- Add all of the ingredients and ¼ cup of olive oil into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Then, add the remaining olive oil incrementally until the pesto reaches your desired consistency.
Notes
- Unroasted, unsalted walnut pieces: Roasting the walnuts just before blending really enhances the flavor, but you can use them raw if you prefer.
- Fresh basil: Thai basil or lemon basil will work in a pinch, but the flavor will be very different from your standard pesto.
- Parmesan Cheese: Try not to use the prepackaged kind if you can help it!
- If you feel like the basil flavor is a bit too strong, try using half baby spinach instead of the basil.
- Pesto freezes well. If you do not use the entire recipe for your dish, try freezing some sauce in ice cube trays for small, ready-to-go portions.
- You can make pesto in a blender, food processor or with a mortar and pestle.
Nutrition
Recipe Origins
Pesto was first invented in Genoa, Italy, in the 19th century, with its earliest known written recipe appearing in 1863 in La Cuciniera Genovese by Giovanni Battista Ratto.
The name “pesto” comes from the Genoese verb pestare, meaning “to crush” or “to pound,” a nod to the traditional method of making the sauce using a mortar and pestle.
However, the roots of pesto stretch back even further to Ancient Rome, where people enjoyed a similar condiment known as moretum. This Roman sauce included ingredients like pine nuts, garlic, salt, cheese, olive oil, and vinegar—many of which still define pesto today.
Over time, the modern basil-based pesto became a beloved staple in Italian cuisine and beyond, now commonly found on restaurant menus and jarred in grocery stores. But this recipe is something special—creamy, dreamy, and so flavorful you’ll never want the store-bought kind again.
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