Pesto Recipes: Ideas & Inspiration

Last updated: 21.07.2025

Reading time: 4 minutes

Pesto is a super easy way to preserve herbs and leafy vegetables.
Wild garlic, for example, only grows for a short time each year - but as pesto, it will keep for up to two years if stored correctly. So you can enjoy its flavors even in winter.
We asked our Fryd community for their best pesto recipes. Here is a small collection to inspire you!

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Simple Pestorezpet by Jürgen Ehlers/ From the Fryd Community

A Simple Pesto Recipe

Simple Pestorezpet by Jürgen Ehlers/ From the Fryd Community

Ingredients:
provides approx. 200 ml/about ¾ cup

- approx. 50 g/1 ¾ oz basil or alternatively other leafy greens such as rocket (arugula) or wild garlic
- 80–100 ml/5–7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (adjust the quantity until a viscous consistency is achieved)
- salt to taste

And This Is How It Works

Pluck the basil leaves from the stalks and place in a blender or moulinette.
Puree and gradually add the olive oil until you have a thick, homogeneous mixture.
Season to taste with salt.
Fill boiling hot, rinsed, well-dried jars with the pesto.
Cover the surface with a little olive oil, seal the jars and place in the freezer.
The pesto will keep for at least 2 years if frozen.

Recipe by Vegan from the Fryd Community

Thai Basil Pesto

Recipe by Vegan from the Fryd Community

Ingredients
approx. 250 ml/ about 1 cup

- 60 g/2.1 oz fresh Thai basil (alternatively a herb of your choice)
- 70 g/2.5 oz unsalted, roasted cashew nuts
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 120 ml/½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp yeast flakes
- salt and chilli flakes to taste

Preparation:

Wash the Thai basil leaves and shake dry.
Place the basil, cashew nuts, garlic, olive oil, soy sauce and yeast flakes in a blender or food processor.
Puree everything until you have a smooth paste. If necessary, add a little more oil or nuts to achieve the desired consistency.
Season to taste with salt and chili flakes.
Use immediately or pour into a clean, sealable jar and store in the fridge.

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Pesto recipe /From the Vegan Fryd community

Recipe for a Simple Rocket Pesto

Pesto recipe /From the Vegan Fryd community

Ingredients:
approx. 250 ml/ about 1 cup

- 50 g/1.8 oz walnuts or sunflower seeds (preferably roasted for more flavor)
- 100 g/3.5 oz fresh rocket (arugula)
- 2 cloves of garlic (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp yeast flakes
- 100 ml/⅓ cup + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp pepper
- salt to taste

And This Is How It Works

Lightly toast the walnuts or sunflower seeds in a pan without fat, if desired, and leave to cool.
Wash the rocket and shake dry well.
Place the rocket, nuts/seeds, garlic, yeast flakes, olive oil, pepper and salt in a blender or food processor.
Blend everything to a smooth paste.
If necessary, add a little more oil or nuts until the desired consistency is achieved.
Use immediately or pour into a clean jar and store in the fridge.

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Author

Marie

Marie is an agronomist. She is particularly interested in the sustainable and organic cultivation of vegetables and other plants. In her own garden, she gained experience and likes to try things out to learn from nature. She is particularly interested in the values and principles of permaculture, in order to contribute not only to the well-being of nature, but also to the well-being of people and future generations.

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We held a chili workshop on Friday. Together we cooked a sweet and sour sauce, a chili oil and a sriracha. Beforehand, there was a visit to the tunnel where most of our chillies grow and a short tasting ranging from mild to super hot 🔥 The participants were then able to adjust their sauces accordingly. We had great fun and would like to thank Fryd for the goodies 😍

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Ground frost, cold nights and little sun during the day - time to sum up my gardening year: I concentrated on container planting on the patio, I also cultivated two raised beds there. The carrots and radishes have thrived very well, regardless of the variety. Kohlrabi suffered from the cabbage white butterfly. With the cucumbers, I had to contend with downy mildew during the hot period and powdery mildew during the rainy period. Vorgebirgstrauben were very successful, Marketmore were mediocre and unfortunately I had little success with Diva and other smooth varieties. With tomatoes, the small Supersweet were outstanding, San Marzano, Montfavet, Matina, Ranger quite ok and Marmande and the small bush tomatoes of various varieties were disappointing. I wasn't happy with the beetroot either, but the spring onions and garlic did well. Strawberries disappointed me, but pineapple cherries bore abundantly. All the lettuce varieties were more or less successful due to the weather, as were the various herbs. Zucchinis on the compost were mediocre, watermelons and pumpkins were very poor. In 2026, I will switch back to smaller pots of 15 and 30 liters and plant blueberries in the 80-liter pots. I didn't have good experiences with the planting bags, firstly they were difficult to move in the 30 and 60 l sizes, and secondly I couldn't really regulate the water balance well. What is your conclusion?

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