Yes you did read that right, strawberry and basil pesto, a sweet pesto, what a novelty! The word pesto comes from the Italian to pound and as you make this in the same way as you make other pestos, the lack of parmesan and garlic, oh and okay olive oil doesn’t really matter, at least not in my world!
I came up with this recipe for strawberry and basil pesto when I was writing my A Passion For Pesto eBook a couple of years ago. My Dad always put black pepper on his strawberries and I picked up the habit from him.
When I was having a load of fun coming up with pesto ideas I suddenly remembered Dad and the pepper, why not do some sweet pesto style sauces as well. Mix herbs and fruits and maybe spices too. My sweet pestos were born!
Ingredients for strawberry and basil pesto
- Fresh strawberries
- Basil leaves
- Flaked almonds
- Black pepper
- Lemon juice
- Honey
How to make strawberry and basil pesto
Firstly you will want to toast the almonds, this recipe is just for about 1 cup of strawberry basil pesto so measurements are small. Use a dry pan to toast the almonds and watch them like a hawk, there are only a few here so don’t let them burn.
Remove from heat as soon as they release their gorgeous nutty aroma and tip out of the hot pan or they will continue to cook.
Allow them to cool completely before pulsing in food processor with all the other ingredients. Add a little water if you like to to get the consistency you prefer.
How to serve this fruit pesto
Serve your strawberry and basil pesto on top of good quality vanilla or strawberry ice-cream, over a plain vanilla cheesecake or with strawberries and cream themselves for a modern zingy touch to a real classic.
Enjoy a touch of summer flavour and sunshine.
Looking for more fun and tasty strawberry recipes? Then check these out;
Strawberry and Basil Ice-cream
Italian Inspired Strawberry Jam
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
PS Check out My Top 10 Super Strawberry Recipes
Strawberry And Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 100 g strawberries
- 1 tbsp basil minced
- 1 tbsp flaked almonds broken up
- pinch black pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey clear honey or agave nectar
- water to loosen if required
Instructions
- Toast the almonds in a dry pan then allow to cool
- Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse till you get the consistancy you like
- Serve over ice-cream, cheese cake, pies etc
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