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cashew pesto in a white bowl with cashews nuts and basil leaves scattered around the base.

Basil Cashew Pesto

Robyn
Made with roasted cashew nuts and fresh basil, this cashew pesto recipe is a delicious and cheaper alternative to pesto made with pine nuts. Ready in a matter of minutes, this versatile recipe can be served with pasta, used in a dip or to top a pizza, and any leftovers can easily be frozen.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course appetiser, Dips | Sauces
Cuisine modern italian
Servings 4 people
Calories 185 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 35g (1c packed) fresh basil (approx 1 large bunch)
  • 50g (⅓ c) unsalted cashew nuts
  • 25g (⅓ c) parmesan cheese finely grated
  • 1 clove garlic peeled
  • 40ml (⅙ c) olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Optional step: fry the cashew nuts in a dry non stick frying pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until golden. Tip out onto a plate and leave to cool completely.
  • Place the basil, cashews, parmesan cheese, garlic clove and olive oil in a mini food processor or blender, and blend.
  • Scrape down the sides with a spoon or spatula and blend again, until you get your desired consistency. I personally prefer it to have a little texture.
  • Serve immediately or cover with clingfilm or a layer of olive oil and store in the fridge (if left out in the open the air will make it turn brown), or freeze.

Notes

Basil – sweet basil. You can also use the larger leaved Italian Genovese basil. When buying basil look for leaves that are bright green.
Cashew nuts – use unsalted natural cashew nuts. If you don’t want to toast the nuts you can use roasted cashew nuts, but just be aware of the increased saltiness roasted nuts tend to have. 
Cheese – parmesan or pecorino. This adds a saltiness and richness to the pesto. For a cheaper alternative, I often use a sharp mature cheddar instead. It tastes slightly more cheesy, but is still delicious.
Garlic – fresh garlic, or a pinch of garlic powder.
Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil is delicious, but you can also use a neutral oil such as canola or grape seed.
Toasting the cashew nuts in a pan releases their sweet flavour, but if you are pushed for time – and don’t want to dirty a pan – then you can make this pesto without toasting them.
If you do toast the cashews, leave them to cool completely before making the pesto – otherwise the pesto can become gloopy.
If you don’t have enough basil to make pesto – or want a mild tasting  pesto – add a small handful of fresh baby spinach or rocket (arugula). This pesto recipe is also a great way to use up the last bagged salad leaves to save them going to waste.
Garlic – if you don’t like the strong taste of raw garlic, pop a peeled clove into boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes. Cool then place in the blender with the other pesto ingredients. Or use a small pinch of dried garlic. (I often did this when my son was a toddler and wasn’t too keen on the taste of strong garlic.)

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 102mgPotassium: 118mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 511IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 1mg
Keyword basil cashew pesto, basil pesto, pesto without pinenuts

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