Pesto With Cashews

Making basil pesto with cashews makes a great (and cheaper!) alternative to traditional basil pesto, replacing pine nuts with cashews.

It's no secret that I love basil in all forms, so today I am sharing with you my recipe for pesto with cashews. Usually, basil pesto would be made with pine nuts, but cashews make a great alternative. They are also a lot cheaper than pine nuts here in Australia!

Made in basically the same way as traditional pesto with fresh garlic and parmesan cheese we are just going to substitute cashew nuts for pine nuts.

Ingredients you will need to make pesto with cashews

• fresh basil leaves
• unsalted cashews
• fresh parmesan cheese
• garlic cloves
• olive oil
• salt
• fresh lemon juice

*Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions

Why you will love pesto with cashews

• 5 minutes - 5 ingredients
• Cashews are a cheaper alternative to pine nuts.
• Once you go home made you won't go back!

Step by step photos

1. Place parmesan cheese (no need to grate) and garlic cloves in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
2. Add basil leaves and cashews and process.
3. Then add olive oil and process until combined.
4. Add salt and lemon juice to taste.

Top tips

• This cashew basil pesto recipe may have a little less oil than you are used to seeing in other recipes for pesto, but I like to keep my pesto on the thicker side - good for spreading/dolloping etc. This also means that I can just mix some of the cashew basil pesto with more olive oil when I need a more liquid consistency for drizzling/dressings etc. You can always add more oil, but you can't take it out!
• This is a recipe where I remove the centre "core" from the fresh garlic cloves, which will give you a more mellow garlic taste. For more information on when and how to core garlic cloves, see this post.

What other nut can you use in pesto?

A great substitute for the more traditional pine nuts in your favourite pesto recipe are other nuts such as cashews or almonds.

These are often a cheaper and can make a readily available alternative. Try my recipe for pesto rosso made with almonds.

Serving suggestions and recipes using pesto

• I like to use basil pesto as an alternative to the usual tomato based pizza base topping.
• Pesto with cashews makes a super fast and easy no-cook pasta sauce, just stir it through some just cooked pasta and use a splash of the pasta cooking water to loosen it up if you like.
• This lamb cutlet recipe is my favourite way to use basil pesto with lamb. An awesome taste combination!
• The fast and easy pesto crust on this oven baked salmon recipe makes this dish possible for a weeknight but also dinner party worthy.

Other pesto recipes you may enjoy

Rocket (arugula) Pesto - a fresh and vibrant pesto made with rocket. With pine nuts, parmesan cheese and a zing of lemon.

Classic Basil Pesto - green basil pesto - so easy to make and so versatile.

Pesto Calabrese - (red pepper pesto) - sweet, smoky chargrilled peppers (capsicums) in a fast and easy pesto.

Pesto Rosso - a classic pesto sauce with sun dried tomatoes, almonds, garlic, basil, parmesan and olive oil.

Quick Cashew Pesto With Basil (5 Minutes!)

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Basil Pesto With Cashews makes a great (and cheaper!) alternative to traditional basil pesto, replacing pine nuts with cashews.

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Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 1 cup

Calories: 105kcal

Author: Lee-Ann Grace

Ingredients

MetricUS customary

• 1½ cups fresh basil leaves firmly packed
• 70 g unsalted cashews
• 50 g fresh parmesan cheese no need to grate
• 2 fresh garlic cloves cores removed (see my notes)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• salt to taste
• fresh lemon juice to taste

Instructions

• Place parmesan cheese and fresh garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor.
  50 g fresh parmesan cheese

  2 fresh garlic cloves
• Process until finely chopped.
• Add basil leaves and cashews and process until chopped.
  1½ cups fresh basil leaves

  70 g unsalted cashews
• Add olive oil and process until combined, then add salt and fresh lemon juice to taste.
  ¼ cup olive oil

  salt

  fresh lemon juice

Notes

• This recipe may have a little less oil than you are used to seeing in other recipes for pesto, but I like to keep my pesto on the thicker side - good for spreading/dolloping etc. This also means that I can just mix some of the cashew basil pesto with more olive oil when I need a more liquid consistency for drizzling/dressings etc. You can always add more oil, but you can't take it out!
• This is a recipe where I remove the centre "core" from the fresh garlic cloves, which will give you a more mellow garlic taste. For more information on when and how to core garlic cloves, see this post.

*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*