The Creamiest Pesto Sauce (made without heavy cream)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This is the creamy pesto sauce that we make whenever we’re craving pesto. It’s made with simple ingredients, easy to make (everything goes into your blender), and unbelievably creamy without adding any cream. It’s delicious on everything from cooked pasta and roasted vegetables to sandwiches, eggs, and more.
It’s lusciously creamy, thick, and packed with flavor—without a drop of heavy cream. Instead of cream, I use plenty of nuts and blend them really well, which gives this pesto its rich, velvety texture while keeping the ingredients simple.
The sauce stays beautifully bright green thanks to a small addition of parsley. You won’t taste it, but it gives the pesto that vibrant color everyone loves. It’s incredible tossed with pasta and easily makes the best creamy pesto pasta I’ve ever had. This pesto sauce is unlike any store-bought version, and once you try it, you may never go back.
If you love creamy sauces, be sure to try my romesco sauce as well!
Tips for creamy pesto
Making truly dreamy pesto is worth a little care. When it’s done right, it’s fresh, herbaceous, full of flavor, and irresistibly creamy. Keep these tips in mind for pesto perfection every time.
- Taste and adjust as you go. Ingredients like basil, garlic, and lemon can vary in strength, so I always taste the pesto and tweak it—an extra squeeze of lemon or another clove of garlic can make all the difference.
- Use your blender wisely. If you have a high-powered blender, you can skip grating the Parmesan and add it straight in as a chunk. Easy win.
- Toast your nuts. This extra step adds depth and richness, elevating the sauce. Totally worth it.
- Fix the texture. If the pesto is too thick or slightly grainy, add a splash of water or olive oil and blend again. A little extra blending time helps create that silky finish.
- Choose good ingredients. Look for bright, unbruised basil leaves. Pine nuts are classic, but cashews and almonds work beautifully, too. Walnuts can be bitter, so use them sparingly.
Serving ideas
Make creamy pesto pasta, of course! Cook your favorite noodles then smother them in this sauce. We like to add some quickly sautéed cherry tomatoes to the mix.
But creamy pesto sauce is good on more than just pasta dishes. Here are a few other ways that I like to serve it:
- With roasted potatoes.
- Or with any roasted veggie. Try my roasted Italian cauliflower.
- On eggs – scrambled, fried, omelets, you name it!
- Instead of mayo on a sandwich.
- Mixed into pasta salad.
- Stuffed into tomatoes (try these pesto stuffed roasted tomatoes with basil pesto)
- Added to hummus.
The Creamiest Pesto Sauce (made without heavy cream)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil (packed)
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley (packed)
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- ½ cup toasted nuts (see notes)
- 1-2 cloves garlic (start with 1 clove)
- ½ – ¾ teaspoon sea salt (start with ½ teaspoon)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to your blender and blend on high until smooth and creamy.1 ½ cups fresh basil, ⅓ cup fresh parsley, 1 cup grated parmesan, ½ cup toasted nuts, 1-2 cloves garlic, ½ – ¾ teaspoon sea salt, Juice from 1 lemon, ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup water
- Taste and add more salt or garlic, if wanted. For a thinner pesto sauce, add a little extra water.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Made this with angel hair pasta and grilled chicken breast. It was so delicious, fresh and easy. Will definitely be saving this recipe for the future. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that! This really is my favorite pesto recipe.
I have been trying to make a good replica of my favorite pesto gnocci from this restaurant near me and with this recipe I was able to accomplish that! I do have to say when I made the recipe though it was extremely salty, way way way too salty to eat. I had to add a lot of heavy cream and make double of the amount of gnocci I was planning but after doing so the dish was incredible. I am very happy that I found this recipe. I think my preference I will use less parmesan cheese to lessen the salt but the flavor was SO GOOD and it was SUPER creamy, even before adding the cream. Thank youuuu!!! I am so happy
Hello, I was wondering how much pesto pasta this would make?
If it’s a main, I would count on ½ cup per person – so this recipe serves 4.
This recipe is insane. I’ll honestly never make pesto any other way again. It was so easy and I liked it way more than the usual oily version. This recipe is a keeper!