Thai Basil pesto is an easy way to add some delicious summery vibes to your favorite dishes. Whether you're looking for a zesty dip, or just want something tasty to put on top of grilled vegetables or pasta, Thai Basil pesto hits all the right notes.
What Is Thai Basil?
Did you know there's over 100 different varieties of basil? They all have a similar basic flavor, with variations of sweet, peppery, or anise flavor. You're most familiar with the garden variety of Italian sweet basil, as it's the number one spice sold in the US!
Thai basil is tastes very much like regular basil, with slightly stronger pepper and anise notes. It's more flavorful than Italian sweet basil! The leaves are slightly serrated, not smooth ovals like sweet basil.
Where do I get Thai Basil?
I buy huge bundles of it at a local Asian food market, for about the same cost as a tiny plastic container at the grocery store. To last longer, I store it in a Debbie Meyer Green Bag, and it keeps for about 2 weeks! Whatever I'm not using for a stir fry, I whip up into Thai basil pesto and store in my refrigerator.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This Thai basil pesto recipe is super simple, super fresh, and super fast! Clean up is a snap also.
You'll love the the versatility of this pesto. It's marvelous as a light dressing tossed with roasted potatoes, hot pasta noodles, and grilled seafood or meat.
Jump to:
- What Is Thai Basil?
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- How to Make Thai Basil Pesto
- How To Use Thai Basil Pesto
- Serving Suggestions
- Substitutions and Variations
- Equipment
- Storage
- Tips for Success
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Food Safety
- Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
- Connect with Smells Like Delish!
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Look in your Asian food market in their produce section. You should see huge bags of Thai basil for sale. You literally get about 8 oz of fresh Thai basil for under $5.
This Thai basil pesto recipe will make a basil pesto with a little more spicy flair than regular sweet basil does. It's absolutely delicious too!
- Thai Basil - fresh, still on the stem.
- Parmesan Cheese - fresh grated.
- Walnuts - or Pecans if you prefer.
- Garlic - fresh garlic, grated on the microplane.
- Lemon - Juice and zest, fresh.
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper - fresh ground black pepper.
PRO TIP: Grate the cloves of garlic, it ensures a better incorporation, and prevents any chunks of garlic in the final pesto sauce.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Thai Basil Pesto
Bringing together fragrant Thai basil leaves with fresh walnuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil creates a flavor experience like no other! Get out your food processor and let's get cooking – it's time for an herb-filled bowl of freshly made Thai basil pesto!
Prepare Ingredients For The Food Processor
- Wash basil and gently shake off any excess water. Gently pat dry with some paper towels while removing the leaves from the stems.
- Roughly chop the walnuts, grate the Parmesan cheese, peel the garlic cloves, zest the lemon, and then squeeze the lemon for juice.
- Lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a skillet on medium heat, then allow to cool.
- Place Thai basil, grated Parmesan cheese, toasted walnuts, sliced garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice in the food processor.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Pulse In the Food Processor
- Use the pulse function on your food processor until you get a uniform texture. Scrape the sides and again pulse about 30 seconds so that all ingredients are incorporated evenly.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Add The Olive Oil
- Slowly add the olive oil while mixing on high to create a creamier texture, or until you reach your desired consistency.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. If you want more spice add a small amount of Sriracha sauce and pulse for 10 seconds.
- Serve immediately on hot pasta, steaks, or as a dip.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Use Thai Basil Pesto
This Thai basil pesto recipe is simple, customizable, and super fresh. You can serve it as a dressing for Spaghetti with Oil and Garlic (Aglio e Olio), as a dip for fresh veggies and bagel chips. You can also use it instead of a Chimichurri steak sauce. And, it is phenomenal on grilled fish and chicken!
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this versatile Thai basil pesto for your next pasta night! Make our Broiled Chicken Thighs, prepare some angle hair, spaghetti, or bucatini pasta, then toss while still hot with about ⅓ cup of this Thai basil pesto.
Add a last minute grind of fresh black pepper or a fresh shaving of Parmesan cheese, and you have a meal made in heaven.
Substitutions and Variations
If you can't find any Thai basil, simply use regular Italian sweet basil. No Parmesan? Try Asiago, it's a fabulous change of flavor.
Here are few other great ideas for using this Thai basil pesto recipe:
- Air Fried Mini Potatoes with Pesto - halve some mini potatoes and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, season lightly with salt and pepper. Air fry for 20 minutes at 400F, turning halfway though the cooking cycle. Remove and tose with 2 tablespoons of Thai basil pesto and serve.
- Pesto Omelette - Prepare an omelette and before adding cheese and folding smear a teaspoon of Thai basil pesto on the setting eggs. Add cheese, fold, and serve.
- Pesto Veggie Dip - Add the Thai basil pesto to a bowl and mix with cream cheese, sour cream, or some mayonnaise to create a creamy pesto dip. Serve with crackers, chips, and veggies.
- Pesto Pizza - Spread some Thai basil pesto on a pizza round, top with some topping like ham, bacon, cheeses, and mushrooms. Bake and enjoy!
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this Thai basil pesto recipe:
- Cuisinart Food Processor
- Microplane - perfect for to zest citrus.
- Cheese Grater w Cranking Handle - just like the kind they use in the Italian restaurants.
- 8 oz Small Bail Jars
- Freezer Cubes for Food
Storage
Store any unused pesto sauce in a Mason or Ball canning jar, or a bail jar. Keep in the refrigerator up to one week. Freeze leftovers in small cube freezer trays for longer use. After frozen, pop them out and keep the frozen Thai basil pesto cubes in a freezer bag.
Tips for Success
- Use ice cube trays or freezer cubes to store excess pasta, and herbs. They are ready to use at a moments notice for soups, sauces, and dips.
- Season at the end of the processing.
- If you decide to use fresh spicy peppers, use nitrile gloves to handle, seed, and slice them. This will protect your eyes and lip from burning later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, a little bit. Thai basil is stronger, a little bit more peppery like Arugula, and a stronger hint of anise than sweet basil. It's a great combination, kind of like Arugula, sweet basil, and a little fennel all in one bite.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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📖 Recipe
Thai Basil Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cup Thai Basil fresh, often found in Asian Grocery Stores
- 1¼ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 clove garlic grated
- 2 teaspoon lemon zest fresh zest
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice fresh juice
- ⅔ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha Optional
Instructions
- Wash the Thai basil and gently shake off excess water. Gently pat dry with some paper towels while removing the leaves from the stems.
- Roughly chop the walnuts, grate the Parmesan cheese, peel and grate the garlic cloves, zest the lemon, and then squeeze the lemon for juice.
- Lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a skillet on medium heat, then allow to cool.
- Place Thai basil, grated Parmesan cheese, toasted walnuts, grated garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice in the food processor.4 cup Thai Basil, 1¼ cup Parmesan cheese, 1 cup walnuts, 2 clove garlic, 2 teaspoon lemon zest, 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- Use the pulse function on your food processor until you get a uniform texture. Scrape the sides and pulse again for about 30 seconds so that all ingredients are incorporated evenly.
- Slowly add the olive oil while mixing on high to create a creamier texture, or until you reach your desired consistency.⅔ cup olive oil
- Taste and season with salt and pepper. If you want more spice add a small amount of Sriracha sauce and pulse for 10 seconds.½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon Sriracha
- Serve immediately on hot pasta, steaks, or as a dip.
Notes
- Use ice cube trays or freezer cubes to store excess pasta, and herbs. They are ready to use at a moments notice for soups, sauces, and dips.
- Chop the walnuts up kind of small so they get more toasting, which adds to the flavor.
- Season at the end of the processing.
- If you decide to use fresh spicy peppers, use nitrile gloves to handle, seed, and slice them. This will protect your eyes and lip from burning later.
- Substitute Pine Nuts for the Walnuts if you prefer.
- Freezes well for up to 3 months.
- Nutrition calculations are for 8 two ounce portions.
Nutrition
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