Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe

This homemade basil pesto recipe has a delicious bold yet fresh and nutty texture with hints of garlic and lemon. that My favorite ways to use pesto is with any gluten free pasta,  zucchini noodles or as a spread on nutrient dense crackers. This healthy pesto recipe can easily be modified to a vegan basil pesto by simply omitting the parmesan cheese and adding in extra hemp and sesame seeds as a substitute. The addition of parmesan cheese gives this hemp and sesame basil pesto the bold authentic flavor of traditional pesto.

1 cup packed basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

How to make homemade pesto

Making a homemade pesto is super easy! Simply place all ingredients into a food processor and blend. Yup it’s that easy.

How to make homemade pesto without food processor

If you don’t have a food processor to make the pesto then no worries. Instead you can place all the ingredients into a large mason jar or jug then use an immersion blender to make this healthy pesto recipe. I prefer to use an immersion blender due to less cleanup of parts and due to the fact that an immersion blender takes up less space in my kitchen cupboards. An immersion blender is perfect for making pesto when you don’t have a ton of liquid as you can manually move the immersion blender up and down to thoroughly blend a fresh basil pesto.

Nutrition Tip: 

Store bought commercial salad dressing including pesto often contain unhealthy fats in the form of cheap refined vegetable oils such as canola oil which is why making your own homemade pesto with cold pressed olive oil is so much better and tastier!

It is the unhealthy fats that have oxidized that are inflammatory to the system and thus can contribute to weight gain so if your wondering is pesto good for weight loss then that depends on what kind of pesto you are making. This homemade pesto is great for weight loss as it contains healthy fats in fresh ground whole food form found in the hemp and sesame seeds. Cold pressed olive oil is used instead of inflammatory refined canola oil and parmesan cheese is low carb and again a source of healthy fats that provide satiety and help to lower insulin levels for weight loss.

If you do have food sensitivities to dairy then it is best to omit the parmesan cheese from this healthy basil pesto recipe for weight loss purposes as food sensitivities promote inflammation in the body that can lead to weight gain. This homemade pesto will still taste delicious if you decide to omit the parmesan and make a vegan basil pesto instead that can be served over zucchini noodles or freshly sauted zucchini slices.