This homemade Thai basil pesto is an Asian-inspired pesto recipe that not only works for pasta but as a sauce for your seared fish and chicken, too.
Add a spoonful of this easy pesto with Thai basil to salads and sandwiches for an incredible flavor boost!
lemon juice & zest
parmesan
walnuts
Thai basil
green chilli
olive oil
garlic
salt
Separate the basil leaves from stems, roughly chop the chillies, zest and juice the lemon.
Roughly chop the walnuts. Toast them on medium heat until lightly browned and crisp.
Place toasted walnuts, garlic, chillies, cheese, salt, lemon zest and juice in a food processor jar or blender.
Blend until you get a coarse, crumbly mixture. Scrape the sides and blend again until you get a uniform texture.
Once you get a coarse mixture, add Thai basil leaves and blend again until the leaves are incorporated with the rest of the ingredients.
While the blade is running, slowly drizzle olive oil in a steady stream and blend until well incorporated.
Using Thai basil in place of regular Italian sweet basil gives a spicy twist to the pesto.
There are tons of options: Serve it as a side to baked chicken breasts for a quick and easy dinner.
Spread the Thai basil pesto on toast and make these 5-ingredient prawns and peppers for toppings.
A healthier option is to add dollops of Thai pesto to this Italian pasta salad with balsamic vinaigrette.
Another healthy option to pair the Thai basil pesto with. Use pesto in addition to the spicy dressing or replace it entirely for a spicier salad!