Homemade pesto - it doesn't work

[payaklw]

Is it just me or is there no way to make pesto that is edible at home? I have tried several times recently and it never turns out like the pesto you buy in a jar - it's never the right taste or texture no matter what I do. I am clearly missing something.

Also wanted to try and make my own hummus but I'm feeling life's too short now given my pesto failures

AIBU - yes you can make edible pesto at home which is better than supermarket option

YANBU - let's just cut my losses and buy ready-made

That's because the pesto you buy in a jar doesn't really taste like decent, fresh, homemade pesto. My DD (13) makes a cracking pesto - just crushed up ingredients with a pestle & mortar.

Homemade hummus is easy and really yummy. Give it a go!

I haven't tried pesto, but I have done hummus and it was easy and turned out well - however not especially money-saving.

With pesto, I'd give up tbh as it must be a faff, unless someone comes along with the answer!

I make pesto with wild garlic leaves, it's amazing! But other pesto I've managed at home too.

And houmous is ridiculously easy.

You should try again; homemade is always best.

Mine works with fresh ingredients. I also do a cracking salsa verde - with thanks to Nigel Slater.
Mayonnaise tastes very differnt if you make your own with good quality ingredients.

I can't do pesto either, yet I can do some pretty fancy patisserie. Not sure what the explanation is

You need about a wheelbarrow full of basil to make the equivalent of a jar of shop pesto.

I don’t ever buy jar stuff and my kids eat a lot of pesto. It’s easier and much cheaper to make my own.

I’ll admit, some batches are better than others, but they always eat it without complaint!

I make it maybe once a week or once every couple of weeks, and it lasts for a couple of lunches.

Homemade pesto does taste very different from pesto in a jar. I prefer fresh or homemade (though I always have a jar in the larder on standby). But if you prefer the stuff in a jar then that’s fine. Don’t waste your time on something you like less. Do try the BBC Good Food classic pesto recipe first though before you give up making it. It’s simple, and perfect, in my view.

As to hummus. That’s so simple to make at home. Easiest thing ever and you really should give that a go. I make mine a bit firmer than shop bought. Again I don’t think you can go wrong with the Good Food recipe. I use a bit less water though than their least amount. Just by personal preference. And I leave it slightly chunky. Sorry can’t do links from my phone.

I like to get the fresh pesto from Asda/Tesco when they have it - it really is nicer than the shelf stable jarred stuff.

That being said - making it myself? No thanks. Too much basil and pinenuts for it to be financially viable.

Yes! And plenty of olive oil and parmesan.

Why isn't it working? If it's not green enough you need more basil. Too thick, more oil. Not salty enough use more parmesan. We often use ground almonds as cheaper than pine nuts. Put all in a jug and use stick blender.

Supermarket basil plants can do pretty well, just need tonnes of water and trim the taller stems

I'm yet to have a good tasting homemade hummus. Definitely not like the shops at all.

I suspect the pesto jars have a lot more oil than you'd want to put in a homemade one. The only homemade pesto I've had has been drier and more like a tapenade than a pesto.

agree with others.

homemade fresh pesto is a different product than preserved and heat treated jar pesto.

I have a big pot of parsley on my window sill.
my favourite pesto: handfull of fresh parsley (stalks and all), one clove of garlic, sprinkle of seasalt, olive oil) blitz in bullet type attachement of my kitchen machine.

sometimes I add a few capers, sometimes sun dried tomatos, sometimes a chunk of cheese or a few nuts.

I make great hummus using canned or tetrapack chickpeas and decent tahini (get the stuff from an asian shop or kosher shop selling Israeli tahini, not the supermarket)

Pesto is always a bit worrisome becauase HOW MUCH is 2 cups of basil??? But I found a vegan recipe that works pretty well for me. Not cheap but worth it.

Hummus is pretty cheap though

I’ve never managed to get pesto to work either and it cost a bloody fortune in ingredients. Pine nuts are about 4 quid for a small pack for a start.
Hummus is ok though, so I wouldn’t write that off yet!

I far prefer my home made pesto to shop bought.

I think you've got to view it as ground up basil that you add things to, try the ground almonds as it's easier to see how much to add, and they're cheaper

Home made pesto is delicious, but I think it’s cheaper to buy in the jar. Pine nuts are v expensive.
Hummus is easy though. You’ll never buy in a pot again once you’ve cracked it.

I make it once a week. 🤷 I don't use nuts though. my kids love it.

I make it in a blender. Toast the pine nuts. Its much nicer than jarred

Comparing homemade fresh pesto with jarred pesto is like comparing a perfect fresh pear to a tinned pear. They are different beasts.

My homemade pesto recipe is:
60g basil leaves
30g pine nuts
15g parmesan
15g pecorino (for vegan miss out the cheeses, it amazingly tastes identical and differs only in texture)
3 cloves garlic
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly milled black pepper (not authentic but we love our pepper)
Blast it in a hand held blender (again not authentic but much easier than mortar and pestle).

That's sufficient for ~10 individual servings, I use half for a meal there and then and freeze the other half, don't apply heat or it will taste like the jarred stuff. In Spring use the same recipe but swap out the basil for wild garlic and the pinenuts for hazelnuts. I've also made a sorrel recipe which needs a bit more cheese (or salt) to balance the sorrel taste.

I made amazing wild garlic pesto this year. I don't much like proper basil pesto though.

Hummus is easier - I can chick peas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic then drizzle olive oil to get desired consistency blending as you go. Add other flavours once you have the basic mastered (eg I find sumac, paprika or harissa works in place of tahini)