The Best Basil Pesto Recipe (It Won a World Championship)

This basil pesto recipe won the World Pesto Championship in Genoa, Italy, the birthplace of pesto. Now you can make it right in your home kitchen. Adapted from Italian chef Paolo Laboa, the secret to the silkiest, freshest, best-tasting pesto is one special technique, plus six classic ingredients.

Quick View: Why This Recipe Really Is the Best

• It won the highly-respected World Pesto Championship in Liguria, Italy, where basil pesto was born
• A cold-temperature chef technique keeps the pesto vivid green and bitterness-free
• Easy to make: six ingredients, 15 minutes, no cooking
• Yield: 1 1/4 cups, the exact right amount for a pound of pasta

Where This Basil Pesto Recipe Comes From

Food writing is full of hyper-enthusiastic hyperbole and puffery. You know what I mean: “Guaranteed the best, most delicious [insert food] ever!” That kind of thing. Except sometimes, it is an actual fact. Sometimes, you really do get the world’s best basil pesto recipe. The one that actually won the award in Italy, at the World Pesto Championships. And now this recipe is yours.

Winning the World Pesto Championship in the Liguria region of Italy, the birthplace of Genovese basil, is like winning the World Cheesesteak Contest in Philadelphia. (Which, to my knowledge, does not exist, but should.) In other words, if you win it there, you really are the world’s best. Now you can make this silky, fresh, absolutely delicious pesto at home.

This recipe belongs to Italian chef Paolo Laboa, and before that, to his mother. Laboa was running the kitchen at Farina in San Francisco in 2008 when his family recipe took the Italian world championship. He now cooks at Solo Italiano, a rustic Italian restaurant in Portland, Maine, where the pesto pasta is a favorite menu item. That’s where I first tasted it. The pesto was, and is, silkier than any basil pesto I’d ever eaten, and a soft, fresh green color, with none of the flat bitterness that creeps into many versions (hint: it’s too much garlic and bad pine nuts).

I went home determined to get the recipe and techniques. And I found it! The answers lie in a combination of some cool — literally — technique, and the use of the very, very best ingredients: the right basil, the right olive oil, and the right cheeses.

What Is Authentic Basil Pesto?

Basil pesto (pesto Genovese, or pesto alla Genovese) is an uncooked sauce originally from Genoa, Italy made of fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino cheeses, and extra-virgin olive oil. The name comes from the Italian pestare, meaning “to pound” or “to crush.” Traditionally, the sauce is worked by hand in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle, which the World Pesto Championship still requires.

At home, a blender does the job beautifully (though perhaps not as classically), and that’s what we use here for the silkiest texture. Even Chef Laboa, in the Portland Press Herald article, says, “I think 200 years ago, if they had a blender, they’d use a blender.”

Because pesto is never cooked and contains so few ingredients, it’s important to do this right: the quality of ingredients matter, and so does Chef Laboa’s special winning technique.

The Technique That Makes This Pesto Different

Most Italian basil pesto recipes tell you to rinse the basil and blend everything together. This one does one thing differently, and it makes a difference.

Winning Technique #1: Soak the Basil in Cold Ice Water

Soak the basil leaves, fully submerged, in cold ice water for 10 to 15 minutes before blending. You want to give it a full soak, not a rinse.

The soak does two jobs: 1) cleaning the basil leaves, and 2) preventing oxidization. Basil can be sandy, and an underwater bath gets all the dirt, grit, and sand out, which will settle to the bottom.

As importantly, the cold water chills the leaves, which slows oxidation — the process that turns basil brown and gives most homemade pesto its faint bitterness. Cold basil oxidizes more slowly. Additionally, the water still clinging to the leaves when they go into the blender acts as an emulsifier with the olive oil, (kind-of as a secret “non” ingredient), which is where that silky texture comes from.

Bonus Technique #2: Chill the Blender Bowl

This step is more optional because blending happens quickly, but bonus points if you also chill the blender bowl and blade. Blender motors generate heat, and heat can undo what the cold soak just accomplished. Chef Laboa freezes his blender bowl before making pesto. If you have the freezer space, do that. If you don’t, just fill the blender with ice and cold water, let it sit five minutes, dump it, and blend immediately. The bowl should feel cold to the touch when you start.

These two steps are why this pesto comes out a vivid, perky green color and tastes so smooth.

Basil Pesto Ingredients: What to Use

As noted above, this recipe uses the very, very best ingredients: the right basil, the right olive oil, and the right cheeses. If you want to go for the gold and make the world’s best basil pesto recipe to the exact specifications, here is where you can source the ingredients:

The Basil

Chef Laboa uses young Genovese basil. Luckily, Genovese basil is the most common type of basil you see in the store. Ideally, Laboa makes sure to use only young, bright green leaves, and not the large, tougher, dark-green leaves. He says that these bigger leaves have a different, less delicate flavor. If that is the Genovese basil you can find, however, it will still be great. Just avoid other types of basil, such as Thai basil.

You might also like: How to Store Fresh Herbs (Including Basil)

The Pine Nuts (Pignoli)

Traditional pesto Genovese uses Italian or Portuguese pine nuts, which are smaller, creamier, and more buttery than the Chinese-grown pine nuts in most supermarkets. If you want to source these online, Gustiamo and Nuts.com both carry Italian pignoli.

That said: standard pine nuts make a very good pesto. Use what you can get. If you have a nut allergy, raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds make a nice alternative.

The Two Cheeses: Parmesan and Pecorino

I am never in favor of sub-par Italian grated cheeses, perhaps especially with pesto, which relies so much on the flavor of the cheese. You will taste the difference. For this recipe, you need two cheeses, in equal measure:

• Parmigiano-Reggiano: Try to source actual Parm-Regg (the cheese aged 12 months has a nice balance; 24-month will have more sharpness). If possible, avoid domestic or generically-labeled “parmesan.” Grating it fresh is best, since pre-grated Parmigiano may be drier and not blend as smoothly, but either works.
• Pecorino Sardo or Pecorino-Toscano: These are less familiar vs. the more common Pecorino-Romano. Toscano is a sheep’s milk cheese from Tuscany, and tastes softer than Pecorino-Romano. If you can find it, great. If you can’t find it, Pecorino-Romano (often sold as Locatelli) is the right substitute; just cut the salt in the recipe by about ¼ teaspoon, because Romano is saltier.

The Olive Oil

Use a fruity, mild extra-virgin olive oil. Avoid a bold, peppery bottle (though I do love that for dipping bread), which will overwhelm the basil. If you really want to go full A.P. Pesto, Ligurian oil is the traditional choice, but any good, mild extra-virgin oil will make an excellent pesto.

The Garlic

The recipe calls for one-third of a small fresh clove — basically a sliver. There is such a small amount of garlic in this that originally, I thought it was a mistake. But it’s exactly the right amount of garlic. Raw garlic, like raw onion, has a sharp bite. This hint of garlic adds a complementary flavor without being overpowering or biting.

How to Make Basil Pesto, Step by Step

The full recipe with exact quantities is in the card below, but here’s a good overview to get you oriented.

Step 1: Soak the basil. Submerge the basil leaves in a bowl of cold ice water for 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve a few tablespoons of the soaking water; you may need it to loosen the blend.

Step 2: Chill the blender. While the basil soaks, fill the blender bowl with ice water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Empty it just before blending.

Step 3: Blend the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and oil. Then, add the wet basil straight from its soak. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding a bit of water as needed to loosen.

Step 4: Add the cheeses last. Add the grated Parmigiano and Pecorino cheeses, and blend until incorporated.

Step 5: Use or store immediately. Toss with pasta right away, or transfer to a container, cover the surface with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent oxidization, and refrigerate.

A note on yield: This recipe makes about 1¼ cups. If you halve it, the quantity may be too small for a full-size blender jar to handle; use a personal blender cup instead.

Equipment Note: Blender or Food Processor? Or Neither!

Both a blender or small food processor work, though chef Laboa prefers a blender over a food processor. A high-speed blender like a Vitamix (the gold standard) makes the silkiest version, closest to what Chef Laboa serves, but a regular blender is fine. A food processor produces a slightly coarser, more rustic pesto, which is also good (though not recommended by the chef); it’s just a different texture and you may need to blend it for a little more time.

The most common issue with blenders or food processors is ingredients that won’t blend. This is more likely to happen when you add the basil. This means there isn’t enough liquid to get things moving, or it is packed too tightly. Try adding the basil in two additions, or use the basil-soak water, added a teaspoon at a time until the mixture turns over.

Want to kick it old-world style? Traditional pesto Genovese is made by hand in a mortar and pestle — the championship requires it. If you own one and have the patience, go for it!

Ingredient Substitutions

If you can source all of the ingredients, perfect. It won as written. But here’s what to do if you want or need to make substitutions.

• Pecorino Sardo or Pecorino-Toscano: Use Pecorino-Romano (Locatelli). Romano is a bit saltier and sharper, though, so cut the added salt by 1/4 teaspoon.
• Italian pine nuts: Use supermarket pine nuts. They are slightly less buttery, but still work just fine.
• Ligurian olive oil: Substitute any mild extra-virgin olive oil.
• Parmigiano-Reggiano: Ok, this is the one ingredient I would argue should not be substituted because nothing else has its depth and flavor, but if you can’t find it, just use the best parmesan you can find.
• Pine nuts: blanched, skinless raw almonds are the closest substitute. I use raw pumpkin seeds if I need to go nut free.
• Adding lemon juice: Plenty of modern recipes use lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Traditional basil pesto Genovese does not use lemon, though, and neither does this one. If you must, add a teaspoon.

How to Serve Basil Pesto

The classic way to serve basil pesto is as a sauce for pasta. Many pasta shapes work well. I like to toss my pesto with linguine, trofie (the traditional Ligurian shape), or pappardelle. You will use about 1 cup of pesto per pound of pasta. Before draining, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water and add it a tablespoon at a time, as needed, as you toss to make sure the pasta is saucy and does not get dry. You can also add cooked green beans or cooked chunks of potatoes to the pasta, which is also traditional.

One rule above all: don’t cook the pesto. Heat dulls the color and flattens the flavor. Toss the pesto with hot pasta off the heat. It will warm through on its own.

Beyond pasta, this Genovese pesto can also be used a lot of other ways:

• Spread on bread
• Spooned over grilled or roasted chicken just before serving
• As a pizza base under mozzarella and sliced tomatoes
• Stirred into scrambled eggs or a summer frittata
• Tossed with warm white beans and a drizzle of olive oil
• As a dip for crudité or a torn baguette
• Dollop onto a tomato and mozzarella caprese salad

How to Store Basil Pesto and How Long It Lasts

In the Refrigerator

Transfer the pesto to an airtight container. Smooth it out and pour a thin layer of olive oil over the surface — just enough to seal it from the air — before closing the lid. The oil barrier will keep the top from oxidizing and turning brown. Stored this way, pesto keeps for up to three days, staying green and fresh. If the surface does darken slightly, it still tastes fine. Either stir it in, or scrape off the top layer.

Note: Basil leaves, by the way, hate the refrigerator and will turn brown. Keep the stems in a jar of water on the counter, like flowers. See my full instructions in my guide to storing fresh herbs and How to Chiffonade Basil.

In the Freezer

Pesto freezes beautifully for up to three months in an airtight container. To thaw: put the pesto at room temperature for an hour or two, or overnight in the fridge. Avoid the microwave and the stovetop. Heat will cause the pesto to separate and the cheeses to congeal. (I know from experience. Trust me.)

Buon appetito!

More Italian Recipes to Try:

• Fettuccini Alfredo e Pepe
• Sheet Pan Pasta Pomodoro
• Zucchini Ribbon Salad With Mint and Parmesan