Have you ever wondered, "Can I freeze pesto?!" Well I have amazing news for you! Freezer pesto is easy to make, convenient for quick weeknight cooking and lasts for months and months.
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My all time favorite way to use frozen pesto? I love popping one or two cubes in hot pasta and letting everything melt together.
Add some protein to make chicken pesto pasta or pesto salmon.
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Freezer Pesto Ingredients
- Pine nuts: Traditional pesto is made with pine nuts, but really you can use almost any nut imaginable. Try cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts, almonds, etc. And for nut free use pepitas or sunflower seeds!
- Garlic cloves: I like the taste of raw garlic, it's very punchy and strong. If you want to soften the flavor, roasted garlic is a good option.
- Olive oil: High-quality extra virgin olive oil is ideal for pesto.
- Salt: Just a touch to balance flavors.
- Fresh basil: From your garden or the grocery store produce section. Choose the brightest leaves with the least browning for optimal flavor and longevity. If you're short on basil you can bulk with greens like spinach or arugula!
- Lemon: Lemon juice isn't 100% required for pesto, but it does add nice bright flavor and can help preserve pesto's green color.
- Grated parmesan: Or Pecorino Romano! For dairy free, leave the cheese out or sub nutritional yeast!
How To Make & Freeze Pesto
Keep scrolling for the full recipe card and measurements. We’ll start here with a quick overview!
Optional: toast nuts
- Toasted nuts add richness. Raw nuts result in a fresh, light flavor. This is all about personal preference.
- Optional: Place nuts in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir often until golden and watch closely to avoid burning! No one is trying to waste expensive pine nuts in this economy. 😂
Grind nuts, garlic & oil:
- Place nuts, garlic cloves and half of your olive oil into a food processor or blender.
- Blitz everything together for about 20 seconds until coarse.
Add basil:
- Add basil, salt, lemon juice and remaining olive oil.
- Puree until combined and then quickly pulse in the cheese.
Freeze:
- Spoon pesto into an ice cube tray and freeze until completely solid.
- Pop frozen pesto cubes out and place them in a Ziploc bag for long-term storage.
- *TIP* If you're having trouble getting the cubes out, let them sit on the countertop for about 5 minutes. Then, gently use a knife and push the tip between the cube and tray to help it release.
Other Ways To Freeze Pesto:
If you don't have ice cube trays you can also spoon pesto into Ziploc bags and press flat before freezing. These take up barely any space in the freezer and thaw really fast. Pesto can also be frozen in muffin pan liners, a silicone muffin tray or small jars.
Stacey's Pesto Tips ✨
- Purée in layers: Puréeing ingredients in smaller groups or layers will get you the best results. It's tempting, but don't put everything in the blender all at once.
- Don't over-blend: Stop once everything is combined, it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth. Too much can create gummy texture.
- Herbs & greens: Did you know you can make pesto with basically any herbs or leafy greens?! Kale, spinach, arugula, basil, cilantro, parsley, mint? It's all up for grabs.
- Cheese: Can you freeze pesto with cheese in it? Yes! I've heard the opposite, but I regularly freeze pesto with parmesan and haven't had issues.
How To Use Pesto
Soup: Stir a frozen pesto cube into tomato soup for life changing flavor.
Pasta: Toss a pesto cube or two into warm al-dente noodles and let everything melt together. I like stirring in some ricotta to make creamy pesto pasta.
Pesto salmon: Thaw your pesto in the fridge, countertop or microwave. Stir it up, then slather on salmon before baking. Yum!
Burrata salad: Thaw pesto, stir it up and dollop onto a burrata salad.
Crostini: Thaw pesto and spread onto crostini toasts topped with cherry tomatoes and balsamic glaze.
Salad dressing: Mix thawed pesto into a garden salad for the most flavorful dressing of all time.
How Long Will It Last?
Fridge: Smooth pesto flat and even into an airtight container. Drizzle with extra olive oil to create a seal (this helps prevent browning and oxidation). It should last 3-5 days in the fridge.
Freezer: Frozen pesto lasts 6+ months! I don't drizzle oil on top before freezing because icy cold temperatures keep pesto from browning.
How to thaw? Thaw pesto cubes in the fridge overnight. You can also briefly microwave them on 50% power (most microwaves have a thawing button). I toss frozen pesto cubes straight into hot pasta and everything quickly melts together, so you don't necessarily even have to thaw your pesto, depending on what you're making.
Frequently Asked Questions
Young, tender stems can be added to pesto! They'll blend in seamlessly. Avoid bulky, tough stems.
I do not blanch my basil leaves for frozen pesto. This has never caused any issues for me.
Yep! I've heard people say you can't, but I do it all the time without issue.
It depends. I often use my salad spinner to give it a quick rinse. Though some basil packaging from the store will specify "no need to wash."
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Freezer Pesto
Equipment
- 1 Food processor *or blender
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup pine nuts *toast if desired *see note below
- 1 large (or 2-3 small) whole garlic cloves *peeled
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil *divided *can add more for smoother pesto
- 2 cups basil leaves *loosely packed *2-3 ounces
- ½ teaspoon salt *plus more to taste
- Juice from ½ small lemon *can omit if desired
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese *can omit for vegan (or sub nutritional yeast)
Recipe notes:
General tips: Can't get your pesto cubes out of the tray? Let it sit out for 5 minutes, then gently press the tip of a knife between the cube and tray to help it release. Thawing: Thawing isn't always necessary. I toss frozen pesto into hot pasta and just let everything melt together. You can also thaw in the fridge overnight or use the thaw setting on your microwave. Pine nuts: Lightly toast pine nuts for rich, nutty flavor or leave them raw for a light and fresh pesto.Instructions
- If you choose to toast nuts, place them in a skillet over medium heat and stir constantly for about 5 minutes until golden. They burn easily so be careful!
- Add pine nuts, whole peeled garlic cloves and half of your olive oil to a food processor. Puree 20-30 seconds.
- Next add lemon juice, salt, remaining oil and basil leaves along with any young, tender stems. Don't include stems that are large and tough.
- Puree until everything is well incorporated. The mixture doesn't have to be completely smooth. Don't over-blend or it can become gummy.
- Add grated parmesan cheese and pulse the food processor a couple more times to mix.
- Portion into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight. Then, pop cubes out and store in a Ziploc bag for 6+ months.
- You can also spoon fresh (not frozen) pesto right into a Ziploc, press flat and store in the freezer. These freezer bags thaw super fast (even faster if you put them in cold water)!
Nutrition
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