Name: Cashew Pesto with Basil
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1/2 cup raw cashews; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 2 medium garlic cloves; 2 cups loosely packed fresh basil; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 cup olive oil, plus additional as needed

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Can you make pesto with cashews? You bet. This basil cashew pesto is bright green and full of flavor; it tastes just like the classic!

Savory, creamy, garlicky basil pesto: what could be better? With a bushy basil plant in our garden, Alex and I have been whipping up big batches. But can you make pesto using cashews? A traditional basil pesto uses pine nuts, which can be expensive to buy. Cashews are a pantry staple in our house, so Alex and I set about to find out how a cashew pesto would taste. Spoiler alert: it’s delicious! And it tastes just like the classic basil pesto. Keep reading for the recipe!

What is cashew pesto?

Pesto is a sauce that originates from Italy. The most famous version of pesto is basil pesto or pesto alla genovese (pesto that originates from the city of Genoa). But the word comes from the Italian word “pounded”, so it can refer to any type of pounded sauce. You’ve probably seen lots of variations before: red pepper pesto, kale pesto, and so forth. The traditional ingredients in basil pesto are:

Pine nuts
Garlic
Fresh basil leaves
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt

This cashew pesto recipe uses the traditional ingredients above, but substitutes cashews instead of the pine nuts. Pine nuts have a distinct flavor and can be harder to find here in the US. So Alex and I wanted to create a pesto using pantry ingredients. We always have cashews on hand as a snack, so we wondered whether they’d work in a pesto. Turns out, cashews add a creamy body and make for a delightfully satisfying basil pesto!

Want a vegan version instead?

If you eat mainly plant based and prefer a vegan version of cashew pesto, we’ve got your back! Head over to our Vegan Cashew Pesto.

How to make cashew pesto

To make cashew pesto, you’ll need a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle. Traditionally pesto is made with a mortar and pestle, but many kitchens these days don’t have one. A food processor makes it the easiest work: using a blender really depends on the size and strength of your blender to get it to blend smoothly. (In this case a smaller, mightier blender is better — you’ll end up with about 1 cup sauce.)

Our cashew pesto has all the same ingredients as a classic basil pesto, with one addition: fresh lemon juice! Adding a squeeze of lemon brightens the flavor. You could omit this if desired, but we like the complexity it adds.

Here’s how to make basil pesto:

Optional: In a dry skillet, toast the cashews for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant. (This elevates the nutty flavor of the cashews.)
To the bowl of a food processor, add the cashews, Parmesan cheese, and garlic and process until finely chopped.
Add the fresh basil leaves, lemon juice and salt. With the food processor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until a creamy sauce forms.

You can store the cashew pesto for 1 week in the refrigerator and up to several months frozen.

Looking for a food processor?

You’ll need a food processor for this pizza dough recipe! Here’s the one we recommend. You’ll need a large sized food processor to accommodate this batch.

How to freeze pesto

If you’re not going to eat all your cashew pesto within 1 week, you can easily freeze it to save for later! This is also a great way to use up basil if you have a large basil plant. Alex and I make a bunch of pesto at the end of the season and freeze it: that way we can enjoy the freshness of basil in the winter months!

An easy way to freeze pesto is in ice cube trays! Simply pour the cashew pesto into the squares of an ice cube tray and freeze it. Once it’s sold (after a few hours), pop out the cubes and place them in a sealed freezer safe container.

To defrost the pesto, remove a cube from the freezer and place it in a container: let stand a room temperature or in the refrigerator until thawed.

A note on growing basil

Do you grow your own basil? If not, we highly recommend it! All you need is a sunny ledge and you can plant it in a pot. Or, if you have garden space, you can plant it in full sun! All you need to do is water and harvest it regularly. A pot of fresh basil will revolutionize your summer cooking! Here’s our tutorial on how to grow basil: How to Grow Basil.

Related: 12 Best Basil Recipes

Ways to use basil cashew pesto

If you’ve ended up here, it’s likely you already have some great ideas on how to use cashew pesto! But if you’re looking for more, here are some of our favorites:

Dollop it on pizza. Our Italian Pizza with Pesto would be a great place to start.
Throw it into pasta. This Vegetarian Pesto Pasta with Potatoes is a traditional Genovese way to serve pesto.
Spread it on toast. And top with a little fresh mozzarella and cherry tomatoes. Or burrata. So simple, and so good!
Use it as a sandwich spread. This Stacked Sandwich with Eggplant and Tomato is so beautiful and colorful, inspired by our trip to Italy.
Garnish on soup. A swirl of cashew pesto adds big flavor to soups. Try it on our Tortellini Soup or Italian Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi.

This cashew pesto recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.