This recipe for Perfect Basil Almond Pesto calls for blanching the basil first, which preserves its fresh green color. It also substitutes almonds for pine nuts – producing a milder, more basil-focused sauce.
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Oxidation is an ugly matter
Basil pesto has always been a challenge for me. I love the flavor of basil in both savory dishes and baking, but it’s a delicate herb. As soon as it is cut, muddled or torn, it turns an unappealing, muddy brown color.
What was fresh and vibrant one minute can quickly resemble something that got pushed to the back of the refrigerator and completely forgotten in the next. This discoloration has always left me feeling less than excited about pesto. I know it’s fine, but it’s too visually unappealing for me to overcome.
I recently read a blog post by the Spruce Eats on how you can blanch avocados as a way to prevent oxidation. It was a great trick that I’ll be keeping in my kitchen quiver. Although the post focused on avocados, it made me think about basil and experimenting with pesto. Ultimately, it inspired the development of this recipe.
Blanching the basil is the key to slowing oxidation
Blanching is a food preparation technique that calls for briefly submerging vegetables in boiling water and then “shocking” them in an ice cold water bath to stop the cooking. This technique is often used when preserving foods because it slows down the rate at which the food loses its color, nutrients or otherwise naturally degrades.
In this recipe for Perfect Basil Almond Pesto, we significantly slow the oxidation process by blanching the basil first. I have processed this pesto and stored it in my refrigerator for as long as 5 days and it was still as green on the 5th day as it was on the first.
Perfect Basil Almond Pesto can also be stored for longer periods of time in the freezer. You can use either freezer jam jars or a large ice cube tray. The ice cube trays make for a nice single serving sauce option. Once frozen, you can empty the pesto cubes into a larger container and pull out portions for a quick mid-week meal.
This sauce is great for dipping a crusty Italian bread or as a base sauce for other dishes. For example, I use this recipe for Perfect Basil Almond Pesto as the base for my recipe for Delicious Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad. It’s a fun and easy riff on Caprese Salad – a classic summer.
Why using Kosher salt in this recipe for Perfect Basil Almond Pesto is so important
Another contributing factor to food discoloration is the type of salt that is used in a recipe. Although I love pink Himalayan and flavored sea salts for cooking and baking, I only use Kosher salt in this recipe. Kosher salt is free of iodine and other additives. It’s a pure salt. As a result, it will not contribute to the pesto’s natural tendency to oxidize.
For this reason, I use only Kosher salt in this recipe.
Why I chose almonds over pine nuts
I enjoy toasted pine nuts sprinkled over a salad or in a dish as an accent, but I find their flavor too overpowering for pesto. Compared to pine nuts, almonds are mild in flavor. They lend body to the sauce but they don’t overpower it. The almonds, fresh garlic, Parmesan, red pepper flakes and lemon zest all do their part to elevate the pesto, but the basil always remains the star.
I also have an aunt who is severely allergic to pine nuts. I’ve mentioned before that I often set out to develop recipes for family and friends – especially those with food sensitivities.
My reason for choosing almonds in this recipe is twofold: it’s a nod to my aunt and an intentional choice to keep basil the dominant flavor.
Perfect Basil Almond Pesto
Course: Main CourseCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutesThis recipe for Perfect Basil Almond Pesto calls for blanching the basil first, which preserves its fresh green color. It also substitutes almonds for pine nuts – producing a milder, more basil-focused sauce.
Ingredients
- For blanching the basil
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
5 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves, washed and drained.
- For making the pesto
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. fresh lemon zest
2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. roughly chopped fresh garlic
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. almonds
1/8 tsp. – 1/4 tsp. crush red pepper flakes (optional)
3/4 cup light extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Blanching the basil
- Fill an 8-quart stockpot with water. Add 1 Tbsp. of kosher salt and bring to a boil.
- Fill a large bowl with ice water and set off to the side of the boiling pot.
- Add the 5 cups of fresh basil to the pot. Using a slotted spoon or spider utensil, stir and remove after just 5 seconds.
- Transfer the blanched basil immediately into the ice water to stop the cooking and cool down.
- Squeeze out as much of the excess water from the blanched basil. You can wrap the blanched basil in a towel and squeeze to help with this step.
- In a food processor or blender, combine the basil, almonds, Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest and seasonings and 1/4 cup of the oil. Blend on low for approximately 30 seconds until a thick, well chopped, emulsified paste forms. Gradually add the remaining oil and blend for another 30 seconds.
- The finished pesto can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also store it in a well-insulated container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- How much pesto can I get out of a single plant? I have two basil plants that I earmark for pesto. On average, I can process 5 batches of pesto from the two plants. The pesto freezes perfectly in freezer jam jars. You can also freeze it in a large ice cube tray for a single-serve sauce option. Simply pull out portions as needed.
- The finished pesto can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also store it in a well insulated container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
