This Costco-Style Pesto Butter Recipe is a rich and creamy recipe, which is made with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. It’s a straightforward recipe, ready in about 5 minutes.
Jump to RecipeCostco-Style Pesto Butter Recipe Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, unsalted and softened
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
How To Make Costco-Style Pesto Butter
- Process the pesto base: In the bowl of a food processor or a high-powered blender, combine the fresh basil leaves, minced garlic, grated parmesan cheese, pine nuts, salt, and pepper.
- Blend until smooth: Pulse the ingredients until they are finely chopped and form a smooth paste. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
- Add the butter: Add the softened butter to the food processor. Pulse again until all the ingredients are well blended and the butter is a uniform green color.
- Store: Transfer the pesto butter to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Recipe Tips
- How is this different from traditional pesto sauce? This recipe creates a rich, creamy compound butter, similar to what you might find at Costco. Traditional pesto is a sauce made with olive oil instead of butter, giving it a looser, more liquid consistency.
- How to get the best flavor? Use fresh, vibrant basil leaves and a good quality block of Parmesan cheese that you grate yourself. Toasting the pine nuts in a dry skillet for a few minutes before blending can also deepen their nutty flavor.
- Can I use a different kind of nut? Yes. If you don’t have pine nuts, walnuts are a classic and more affordable substitute in pesto. Toasted almonds or even sunflower seeds can also be used.
- How to get the brightest green color? To help preserve the bright green color of the basil, you can blanch the leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds, then immediately plunge them into an ice bath before drying them thoroughly and adding them to the food processor.
What To Serve With Pesto Butter
This versatile pesto butter is a fantastic way to add flavor to many dishes.
- Toss with hot pasta for an instant, creamy sauce.
- Spread on warm, crusty bread or use it to make garlic bread.
- Melt a pat over grilled chicken, steak, or fish.
- Stir into hot mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.
- Spread on a sandwich or in a panini.
How To Store Pesto Butter
Refrigerate: Store the pesto butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Freeze: This butter freezes beautifully. You can roll it into a log shape using parchment or plastic wrap, then slice off rounds as needed. You can also freeze it in an ice cube tray for perfectly portioned amounts. It will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Pesto Butter Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 183kcal
- Carbohydrates: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Cholesterol: 46mg
- Sodium: 280mg
- Potassium: 48mg
- Fiber: 0.2g
- Sugar: 0.1g
- Vitamin A: 739IU
- Vitamin C: 1mg
- Calcium: 69mg
- Iron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
You can use a blender, though you may need to scrape the sides down more frequently. Alternatively, you can make it by hand by very finely mincing the basil, garlic, and pine nuts, and then mashing them together with the other ingredients in a bowl using a fork.
When cut basil is exposed to air, it oxidizes and can turn a darker, less vibrant green. This is normal and doesn’t affect the taste. To minimize this, you can pour a very thin layer of olive oil over the surface of the butter before storing it in the fridge.
Yes. You can substitute the butter with a high-quality dairy-free butter alternative. For the cheese, you can use a store-bought vegan Parmesan or a nutritional yeast-based substitute.
Costco-Style Pesto Butter Recipe
Course: SauceCuisine: Italian-InspiredDifficulty: Easy12
servings5
minutes183
kcalA rich and creamy no-cook pesto butter, packed with fresh basil, garlic, and Parmesan, ready in just 5 minutes.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp minced garlic
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Directions
- Add basil, garlic, Parmesan, pine nuts, salt, and pepper to a food processor.
- Pulse until the ingredients form a smooth paste.
- Add the softened butter to the processor.
- Pulse again until everything is well blended and the butter is uniformly green.
- Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Notes
- Using softened, room temperature butter is key to getting a smooth, well-blended final product.
- This is a compound butter, not a traditional pesto sauce, and is not suitable for canning.
- For a deeper flavor, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant before blending.
- This butter freezes exceptionally well for long-term storage.
