Almond Pesto

A twist on a traditional basil pesto using almonds in place of pine nuts. Pesto can be made is advance for quicker dinner prep.

5 from 23 votes

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Course: Condiment, Sauce

Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean

Prep Time: 10

Total Time: 10

Servings: 2-tablespoon servings

Calories: 165kcal

Author: Two Cloves Kitchen

Measure and set out all ingredients.
Place ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or in a high speed blender.
Blend until well combined, about 30 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds. I prefer a coarse mixture but blend to your preferred consistency. If needed, turn off the food processor and scrape the sides with a rubber spatula to incorporate any larger pieces of the pesto into the mixture and continue to blend.
Taste and season with more salt if needed.
If the mixture is too thick for your liking, add a small amount of water or olive oil and blend.

Approximate calories are for 2 tablespoons of pesto.
The recipe above creates about one cup, or about eight 2-tablespoon portions.
For two cups of basil leaves, I pick the leaves from a 3 ounce container from the grocery store, which is approximately 1.5 ounces of leaves.
This recipe is very garlic-forward. If you are sensitive, try adding one clove first and then adding another if you would like more garlic flavor.
It is important to use a mini food processor, food processor or high speed blender. A regular blender may not be able to create even, small cuts of these ingredients.
This recipe is incredibly versatile - try it in any application you would use traditional pesto in.
This recipe lasts for up to a week in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer.
If your pesto discolors, you can bring back the vibrant green color with a bit of lemon juice or a small amount of boiling water.
I would recommend using about 2 tablespoons of pesto for a sandwich or on a protein and more for pasta.
Freshly grated parmesan is best but pre-grated will also work. You could also use pecorino cheese.