I want to make a huge batch of pesto and freeze it. Should I leave out the cheese? Nuts?
Is it ok to just make the pesto with all of the ingredients and freeze it or are there ingredients that I should add after I defrost the pesto?
13 Comments
VivianAugust 8, 2019
I read that some kind of weird bacteria will form if you freeze the pesto with the garlic in it and that you should only add garlic to the unthawed pesto that you are ready to use.
GabriellaJuly 15, 2013
You should probably leave out the cheese it doesn't keep as well if you add it
carswellJuly 15, 2013
I always freeze it without cheese. I think it gives me more options when I decide to use it - for instance I combine the pesto with more olive oil to drizzle on a caprese salad where I wouldn't want the additional parmesan.
petitbleuJuly 15, 2013
I freeze it as-is. Some would argue that when the pesto thaws, the basil will "weep," and while this may be the case, I've found that the taste is still true after freezing and thawing. There's absolutely nothing like homemade pesto in the middle of winter to wake up your tastebuds!
smslawJuly 15, 2013
The advantage of leaving out the cheese and/or nuts is that you can use it in recipes where you just want the basil flavor.
amysarahJuly 15, 2013
I've frozen it without cheese - as I'd always heard it was preferable - and with cheese. Honestly never noticed a difference. So I just freeze the whole shebang.
ChefJuneJuly 15, 2013
I used to freeze the whole thing, but these days I preserve the basil and garlic in olive oil and freeze that. I like it better, think it tastes fresher, when the cheese is stirred in after the pesto is thawed. And as for the nuts -- many times I prefer Pistou -- the French version that has no nuts.
acookswordsJuly 15, 2013
'Tis the season, isn't it. I've come to freeze it without the cheese, as cheese, even grated, tends not to freeze and thaw without a significant change in texture, and not for the better. I add the cheese as I'm tossing the pesto with hot pasta and a ladle of its cooking water.
SpaCookJuly 15, 2013
Agree! I always freeze with a little extra film of oil on top, as well!
SpaCookJuly 15, 2013
Agree! I always freeze with a little extra film of oil on top, as well!
SpaCookJuly 15, 2013
Agree! I always freeze with a little extra film of oil on top, as well!
A Whole Foods Market CustomerJuly 15, 2013
Hey Erinbdm! Save yourself some work with no worries. The whole kit-n-caboodle can be frozen and defrosted beautifully. Enjoy fresh summer taste in the fall or winter. Have fun!
MonitaJuly 15, 2013
You can freeze it completely made. Here's a great piece by Melissa Clark about doing just that
http://www.melissaclark.net/blog/2012/10/kitchen-hip-tip-freezing-pesto.html
http://www.melissaclark.net/blog/2012/10/kitchen-hip-tip-freezing-pesto.html
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