It's not easy being green. We tasted eight different pestos to find the brightest, boldest, most basil-forward pesto brands to bring home from the store.
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When I think of basil, I immediately picture a bowl of verdant pesto. It’s probably not fair to all the other amazing basil recipes I make, but when my garden is bursting or I’m craving a summery flavor, a batch of pesto sets me right. And there are so many recipes with pesto that make the green sauce shine. Saucy pesto beans warm me up on a cool night, and crispy pesto grilled cheese is a year-round favorite.
Pesto is pretty simple to make—it’s usually just a blended combination of garlic, pine nuts, basil, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. But I don’t always have the time or ingredients to make homemade pesto, so store-bought pesto is a frequent and welcome guest in my kitchen. The catch is that I still want it to taste as close to homemade as possible—and I have been let down more than once.
To sort out the freshest from those seemingly hiding the basil, our Test Kitchen tasted several options to find the best pesto brands. We landed on one that tastes closest to homemade, a budget pick that still tastes great and an extra-cheesy option for those who don’t need basil to be the primary focus.
What We Look for in Pesto
This Test Kitchen taste test featured eight different pestos: Gotham Greens, Kirkland Signature, Trader Joe’s (a vegan version and a classic version), Rana, Barilla, Rao’s and Seggiano. Some have classic ingredients, while the vegan options avoid dairy ingredients like cheese. The pestos were stirred well before tasting and judged on consistency, aroma, appearance and flavor balance.
The best pesto had a bright green color and tasted well-seasoned, with a salty kick and a strong basil flavor. A pesto’s texture didn’t need to be super smooth, and some tasters appreciated the identifiable nubs of ground nuts. However, a sauce did need to feel blended, not just a mixture of various chopped ingredients floating in oil. Speaking of oil, a huge factor separating the top pesto options from less tasty ones was the ratio of oil to the other ingredients, as too much oil can mute pesto’s brightness and vibrancy.
Our least favorite brands tasted bitter or metallic and lacked a defined basil flavor, instead leaning on garlic or Parmesan to carry the sauce. Tasters did not care for pestos with a stringy or gritty texture or those with a heavy oily coating. The color also came into play. Olive and muddy-green pestos looked unappealing and also fell flat on the palate.
Our Testing Panel
- Allison Cebulla, Culinary Producer
- Ellie Crowley, Culinary Producer
- Monica Ganos, Culinary Assistant
- Danielle Kasprzak, Culinary Assistant
- Josh Rink, Culinary Producer
- Catherine Ward, Prep Kitchen Manager
Best Overall: Seggiano
Seggiano Fresh Basil Pesto
Seggiano stood out from the crowd for several reasons. For starters, this pesto strays from the traditional recipe and is made with just olive oil, cashews, basil, salt and pine nuts. Despite its vegan ingredient list, several of the tasters detected notes of Parmesan and garlic. Is it the Ligurian basil that’s preserved in oil shortly after it’s picked (according to the label)? Or the blend of cashews and pine nuts that tricks the senses? It’s hard to say, but those notes certainly contribute to the pesto’s complexity, and the tasters called it out for having the best overall flavor.
Our testers appreciated that this pesto actually tasted like fresh basil, which isn’t a given across brands, and that it is more chunky than smooth, adding to the homemade vibe. It has more oil than many of the other brands, so it needs to be stirred very thoroughly before use. Otherwise, your mouth might feel as if it’s coated with oil after a small taste. But Monica explained that the heavy amount of olive oil brought out the flavor of the nuts and helped the basil flavor linger.
Allison suggested using this pesto in recipes where the extra oil is an asset, such as mixing it into pesto mashed potatoes to add essential fats or swirling it into pesto bread to help with browning and crunch. Monica thought it would be good in any application but could see it working especially well as a salad dressing or as an addition to pasta salad recipes.
Best Value: Kirkland Signature
Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto
Our tasters thought this budget-friendly option tasted great but showcased the flavors of garlic and Parmesan more than the basil. The herbal and nutty flavor notes are there but mild. The tasters enjoyed the thick, mostly emulsified texture and noted that it had a nice consistency. Only a little oil needed to be stirred back into the pesto before use. It isn’t basil-forward enough to be named our top pick, but it is certainly a fantastic budget option.
At 22 ounces, this big jar of bright green, refrigerated pesto holds enough to make recipes that call for a lot of pesto, like a pesto babka requiring a full cup. Monica thought the size of the jar was its biggest benefit, especially when you need to make big batches of barbecue sides for parties and potlucks and a smaller jar just won’t cut it. Allison felt this brand would be a great introductory option for someone new to pesto and suggested mixing it into sauces where it doesn’t need to stand on its own. Josh agreed that it would be ideal for “cheese lovers and many kids too!”
Best for Cheese Lovers: Rana
Rana Basil Pesto
This pesto garnered mixed feedback, even among tasters who had used this brand before. The color was so bright that Catherine commented it looked as if it were freshly made. But the vibrant color didn’t translate to balanced flavors, and almost all the tasters agreed that the Parmesan overpowered the basil and garlic.
It is undoubtedly the cheesiest pesto of the bunch, although that’s not always a bad thing if you use it the right way. Josh noted that the sauce was tasty, so if your favorite part of pesto is the cheese, this is one to pick up. The tasters thought this pesto would be great for mixing into cold picnic salads for a salty taste and vibrant hue. Or, it could be added to casseroles or on pizzas, where the heat would naturally dull the taste of fresh basil anyway.
Tips for Using Store-Bought Pesto
- Look for pesto with olive oil: Some pesto brands use sunflower oil, but we think olive oil contributes a better flavor. It’s no coincidence that the three pestos mentioned here follow that recommendation.
- Prevent oxidation to preserve the color: Over time, pesto will darken as the basil oxidizes. To minimize how fast that happens, you need to limit how much air gets into the container. The easiest way is to add a thin layer of oil over the top of the pesto. Before use, simply stir in the extra oil. Alternatively, you could press a piece of storage wrap directly against the surface of the pesto, but it may be hard to reach as you get to the bottom of the jar.
- Freeze extra pesto: If you can’t get through your pesto quickly enough, you should freeze it. I like to divide it into portion-sized amounts in freezer-safe containers, pour a little oil over the top, seal and freeze for two to three months. You can also fill an ice cube tray, float a little oil on top and freeze, Then, pop out the pesto cubes and transfer to a freezer-safe food storage bag. Thaw frozen pesto in the refrigerator so it retains its bright color.
