
I never liked basil leaves when we had it in the pizzas we order during our trips abroad. Vj have an aversion of that smell. Even I did not like the strong smell. Once I tried a pesto recipe with spinach, that too was super flop. So I had no courage to try any pesto recipes again. When Sangamitra posted her pesto recipes in her Instagram stories, it was straight forward, so simple and it just pushed me to try it out. I thought after all these years, I should like it as I am liking thai green curry.
So ordered ingredients required online. I ordered genovese basil, got sweet basil though. I was determined to try pesto this time, so nothing stopped me.
I already made pasta with it and Aj loved it a lot too. So double yay for me. Should prepare pesto whenever I find fresh basil here after. I used garlic powder in the recipe, it was less pungent. For longer shelf life, better to skip garlic. Add couple of garlics freshly in your recipes then and there. Lets learn a simple pesto with almonds.
Recipe Cuisine: Indian | Recipe Category:Condiments & sauces
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook time: 1 mins | Makes: 1/2 cup | Author: Raks anand
Click here for cup measurements
Pesto with almonds, no parmesan cheese. Simple and easy pesto recipe that you can make with ingredients available in your pantry also vegan friendly.

Recipe ingredients:
Sweet basil - 2 cups packedAlmonds, roasted - 1/4 cup
Extra virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup
Black pepper, crushed - 1/2 tsp
Garlic powder (optional) - 1/2 tsp (if not, replace with 2 small cloves of fresh garlic)
Salt - as needed
Method
- Place cleaned basil, almonds, pepper powder, (garlic/ garlic powder if adding) salt, oil in a blender. Grind coarsely and store in airtight jar.
Notes
- Wash and pat dry basil leaves before use.
- I think you can also try almonds raw.
- If you are using food processor, pour the olive oil slowly while grinding.
How to make pesto with almonds
- Place cleaned basil, almonds, pepper powder, (garlic/ garlic powder if adding) salt, oil in a blender. Grind coarsely and store in airtight jar.


