This easy 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 chili pesto with Thai basil to salads and sandwiches for an incredible flavor boost!
Toast the pieces of walnuts on medium flame until they are slightly brown and crisp. Let them cool.
Blend
Place toasted walnuts, garlic, chillies, cheese, salt, lemon zest and juice in a food processor.
3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt
Blend until you get a coarse, crumbly mixture. Scrape the sides and blend again until you get a uniform texture.
Add Thai basil leaves and blend. While the blade is running, slowly drizzle olive oil in a steady stream and blend until well incorporated.
¼ cup olive oil
If you don't have a food processor, use mortar and pestle to grind the pesto. After grinding, whisk the ingredients with olive oil.
Video
Notes
Chop walnuts into small pieces. This helps toast them better.
Grate the garlic and finely chop the chillies before blending. This ensures that they get blended well.
Buy parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano as blocks, if possible. Grating a block of cheese (rather than a packaged pre-grated one) is a better way to use it, for maximum flavor.
This recipe makes 1 cup of Thai basil pesto that can be added to about 300 grams of pasta (4 to 5 servings).
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Thai Basil Pesto Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
126.5
% Daily Value*
Fat
12.9
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
3.3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
7.2
g
Cholesterol
1.7
mg
1
%
Sodium
234.7
mg
10
%
Potassium
60.3
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
1.9
g
1
%
Fiber
0.6
g
3
%
Sugar
0.4
g
0
%
Protein
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
443.4
IU
9
%
Vitamin C
5.6
mg
7
%
Calcium
51.9
mg
5
%
Iron
0.5
mg
3
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.