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Home » Blender Recipes

Creamy Pesto Sauce

Published: Jul 8, 2021 · Modified: Jun 14, 2024 by Kristina Tipps · This post may contain affiliate links for which I earn a small commission.

Jump to Recipe

You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this creamy pesto sauce. Mix it all in a blender and you have a delicious pesto ready in minutes. Use it on pasta, chicken, sandwiches, vegetables, and more!

creamy pesto mixed with rigatoni pasta on a white plate topped with fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese
Table Of Contents
  • Ingredients Needed
  • Ingredient Substitutions
  • How To Make Creamy Pesto Sauce
  • How to Store
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Recipe
  • Recipe Reviews

Creamy pesto sauce is a delicious, fresh tasting sauce that requires no cooking. Just lots of fresh ingredients and a few others to add creaminess and bring it to the next level.

Avocado and heavy cream are mixed into this pesto, turning it into more of a whipped pesto rather than the minced pesto that you're used to. The sauce comes together in barely 5 minutes, so it's quick and easy. Perfect for busy nights, lazy days, and hot summer nights. It's is a simple way to use up lots of fresh summer basil.

There are so many ways to use pesto sauce— and none that you'll be disappointed with. One of the most popular ways is on pasta. It's a great sauce to mix with both long pastas like fettuccine or short pastas like rigatoni. Pesto is especially refreshing during the summer to use as a lighter sauce made with garden fresh basil.

creamy pesto in 2 mason jars surrounded by pine nuts and fresh basil

More Ways to Use Pesto Sauce

  • rub onto grilled or roasted chicken and fish
  • on sandwiches
  • smear on crusty bread or garlic bread
  • as a sauce on "green" or vegetable pizza
  • toss with roasted vegetables, like cauliflower or broccoli
  • mix into salad dressings and dips

More Creamy Pasta Dishes

  • Creamy Mac and Cheese
  • Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
  • White Cream Sauce with Milk
  • Tortellini with Tomato Spinach Cream Sauce
  • Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
  • One Pot Ricotta Lemon Pasta

Ingredients Needed

basil, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, avocado, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and salt spread out on a cutting board

Ingredient Substitutions

There are many substitutions for these ingredients. So whether you're worried about not having something on hand, avoiding an allergen, or trying to make it a little healthier, you should be able to find a creamy pesto recipe that suits you.

What is a Good Substitute for Basil in Pesto?

Many other leafy greens, such as spinach, kale, watercress and arugula, make great substitutes for basil. Use one, a combination, or half basil and half of another. Pesto does require a large amount of fresh basil. So if you find yourself having less than you need, mix another leafy green in with it.

What Can I Use Instead Of Pine Nuts?

Substitute pine nuts with walnuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, pistachios, or sunflower seeds. If you need a nut-free pesto, sunflower seeds are a great option.

What Can I Use Instead Of Avocado As A Thickener?

To make this pesto creamy without using avocado, try a little bit of cream cheese. Note that using cream cheese does alter the taste quite a bit.

What Can I Use Instead Of Heavy Cream?

Whole milk or half and half work here. But milk doesn't whip up or provide the same creamy thickness as heavy cream. You'll need to add extra avocado if using milk.

How To Make Creamy Pesto Sauce

This recipe is great to make in an Instant Pot Ace Cooking Blender. Because the pine nuts are lightly toasted, you can do this right in your cooking blender rather than using a toaster. If you don't have a cooking blender, that's no problem. Just toast the pine nuts for a couple minutes separately and you are good to go with a traditional blender.

whole pine nuts with olive oil in a cooking blender
pine nuts crushed inside the cooking blender
basil, spinach, avocado, garlic and pine nuts in a blender
basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a blender processed
olive oil and parmesan cheese in a blender
creamy pesto in a blender
  1. Toast pine nuts in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 2 minutes, until just beginning to brown. If using the Instant Ace cooking blender, set it to the chunky soup mode for 2 minutes. Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the blender and add pine nuts. Press start to have the blender lightly toast and chop the pine nuts.
  2. Add pine nuts, heavy cream, lemon juice, basil leaves, garlic, salt, and avocado to the blender. Pulse on high speed until mostly smooth, between 45 and 75 seconds depending on your blender. You can periodically push down the ingredients if they stick to the sides.
  3. Add the olive oil and parmesan cheese. Pulse until incorporated into the sauce, about 45-75 more seconds.
  4. For a thinner sauce, add more olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time. For a thicker sauce, add more avocado 2 tablespoons at a time until sauce is thickened to your liking.

Serve immediately on pasta, chicken, vegetables, or sandwiches. Or keep in the fridge until ready to use.

How to Store

This pesto cream sauce will last for 10 days when kept in an airtight container, like a mason jar, in the fridge. The lemon juice prevents the sauce from turning brown on the top, as is common with avocados and basil. Any longer than 10 days, or if not stored properly, you'll notice it start to turn brown.

Recipe FAQs

How do you make creamy pesto sauce thicker?

If you've made the recipe as written, you should not need to thicken it. But if you've made some substitutions and the end result isn't as creamy or as thick as you'd like, try blending in more avocado, adding more parmesan cheese, or setting in the fridge for an hour or 2.

How do you make pesto cream sauce thinner?

To make it thinner, blend in additional olive oil or add more heavy cream or milk.

creamy pesto in 2 mason jars surrounded by pine nuts and fresh basil

Recipe

creamy pesto in 2 mason jars surrounded by pine nuts and fresh basil

Creamy Pesto Sauce

Kristina Tipps
You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make this creamy pesto sauce. Mix it all in a blender and you have a delicious pesto ready in minutes. Use it on pasta, chicken, sandwiches, vegetables, and more!
5 from 20 votes
Bookmark RecipeSaved!
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Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Total Time 5 minutes minutes
Course Sauce
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 4
Calories 357 kcal

Equipment

  • Instant Ace Cooking Blender (or traditional blender)

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup pine nuts, plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil for toasting *see notes for substitutions
  • ½ cup heavy cream *see notes for substitutions
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3 cups fresh basil leaves *see notes for substitutions
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ½ large avocado
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Toast pine nuts in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 2 minutes, until just beginning to brown. If using an Instant Ace cooking blender, set it to the chunky soup mode for 2 minutes. Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the blender and add pine nuts. Press start to have the blender lightly toast and chop the pine nuts.
  • Add pine nuts, heavy cream, lemon juice, basil leaves, garlic, salt, and avocado to the blender. Pulse on high speed until mostly smooth, between 45 and 75 seconds depending on your blender.
  • Add the olive oil and parmesan cheese. Pulse until incorporated into the sauce, about 45-75 more seconds. For a thinner sauce, add more olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time until it's the desired consistency. For a thicker sauce, add more avocado 2 tablespoons at a time until sauce is thickened to your liking.
  • Use immediately on pasta, chicken, vegetables, or sandwiches. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Video

Notes

Creamy pesto will last for 10 days when kept in an airtight container, like a mason jar, in the fridge. The lemon juice prevents the sauce from turning brown on the top, as is common with avocados and basil.
Be very careful not to over toast the pine nuts, as they will become bitter if you do.
Basil substitutes: spinach, kale, watercress and arugula make great substitutes for basil. Use one, a combination, or half basil and half of another. A combination of basil and spinach works really well in pesta.
Pine nut substitutes: walnuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, pistachios, or sunflower seeds. If you need a nut-free pesto, sunflower seeds are a great option.
Heavy cream substitutes: whole milk + extra avocado or half and half. Milk doesn't whip up or provide the same creamy thickness as heavy cream. You'll need to add an extra avocado if using milk.

Nutrition

Serving: 3ozCalories: 357kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 6gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 439mgPotassium: 260mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1491IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 1mg
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Comments

    5 from 20 votes (17 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Michelle says

    October 31, 2021 at 1:16 am

    This looks amazing! If I want to make this creamy pesto sauce using premade pesto and adding the cream, garlic, lemon, salt & pepper, and avocado to it, how much premade pesto do you think would be the right amount?

    Reply
    • Kristina says

      October 31, 2021 at 8:21 am

      Hi Michelle! I would start with at least 1 cup (but I think you'll need more). Blend the premade pesto with everything else, and then add more as needed. The good part about it is you can keep adding pesto and blending until you've gotten it perfect. Let me know how it turns out, and how much pesto you ended up using. Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Sue says

    August 03, 2021 at 7:13 am

    5 stars
    The creaminess takes this pesto to a whole new level!

    Reply
  3. serena says

    August 02, 2021 at 6:10 pm

    5 stars
    I love the pine nut alternatives. They get so expensive, it's nice to have options

    Reply
  4. Lara says

    July 08, 2021 at 12:20 pm

    5 stars
    Love the addition of the cream in this recipe! Makes for such a rich a delicious sauce and so easy!

    Reply
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