In summers past, basil at my house has been hit or miss. Not this year. I grew both Sweet Basil and Thai Basil. Both have gone bonkers this year. For a new twist on a classic Italian recipe I let the sweet basil keep on growing and use the Thai variety.  What’s the twist? Thai Basil Pesto!

Yep, you heard correctly but just in case…. Thai Basil Pesto. It’s an Asian spin on the classic Italian favorite.  

In addition to the pesto sauce, I swap out traditional pasta noodles for rice noodles. That makes it safe for those of you that are gluten free. Just swap out a few gluten full sauce ingredients in the recipe for gluten free alternatives and enjoy!

What is Thai Basil?

Thai Basil is very similar to the sweet basil typically found at your grocery store. Unlike sweet basil, however, Thai basil’s flavor is stronger than sweet basil and has a slight taste of anise or licorice flavor in it. The Thai variety of basil is not only used in Thai dishes but other Southeast dishes as well. 

How to Distinguish Thai Basil and Sweet Basil

Distinguishing the difference between the two basils is easy when looking at the two plants. Thai Basil leaves are smaller (about half the size) than sweet basil leaves. The stems of the plant are also different. Instead of being green like the sweet basil plant they are purple in color. 

The pictures below show the differences in the leaves of both basil varieties.

Can I Use Sweet Basil instead of Thai Basil Pesto?

Sweet Basil and Thai Basil can easily be substituted for the other if you don’t have the variety called for in the recipe. Because Thai Basil is stronger than Sweet Basil, you may want to increase the amount of basil in your recipe some to intensify the flavor of the dish.

Ingredients in the Pesto That May Be Unfamiliar to You

The ingredients used in this recipe are pretty easy to find in most grocery stores or online. Below are ingredients that may be unfamiliar to you as well as links to each conventional and gluten free product.

Oyster Sauce – Oyster Sauces are made with extracts of oysters and usually contain other ingredients such as soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. The sauce has a mild aroma and tastes sweet and slightly salty.

• Conventional Oyster Sauce
• Gluten Free Oysters Sauce

Fish Sauce – Fish Sauce is used widely in Asian Cuisines. It is used as a flavoring and also as a dipping sauce. Fish Sauce is made from liquid extracted from fermented anchovies and salt. It is amber to light brown in color. It has a pungent smell and taste. A little fish sauce goes a long way in a recipe.

Red Boat fish sauce is made with two ingredients, anchovies and salt. It is a good quality fish sauce and is gluten free.

Toasted Sesame Oil – Sesame Oil is oil that has been expressed out of sesame seeds. It has a nutty smell and taste. It’s perfect for Asian dishes.

Toasted Sesame Oil can be found HERE.

What Equipment is Needed for this Recipe?

There are a couple of kitchen items that I like using for this recipe.

1. A good Food Processor brings the pesto together in no time.
2. A Salad Spinner for cleaning and spinning the excess water off the basil leaves. This isn’t a must for this recipe but comes in handy.

Other Ingredient Substitutions

The Basil variety and gluten free options aren’t the only easy substitutions for this recipe.

The Hot Pepper – Choose the hot pepper that’s right for you. Jalapeno, Cayenne, and Thai Chili all work well. Leave the seeds in for heat or remove them for a milder pesto.

The Nuts – I use peanuts in this recipe for the Thai twist but cashews or walnuts would work in this Thai basil pesto as well.

The Oils – While I do not recommend substituting the sesame oil, substitute the vegetable oil for any mild flavored oil that you already have in your pantry.

What Are Some Other Uses for Thai Basil?

As I said earlier, Thai Basil is perfect for Asian Dishes. Here are some ideas for using any of the left-over leaves. 

• Use it in soups, salads, curries and stir fries. 
• Try using it for flavoring juicy grilled chicken!
• Make some spicy shrimp with it!
• Use it instead of sweet basil for grilled caprese salad or caprese salad skewers.

How Do You Store Thai Basil Pesto?

I like storing pesto one of two ways.

In the Refrigerator 

1. Put your pesto in a glass container that has a tight-fitting lid.
2. Top it with a little additional oil. This prevents air from getting to the pesto which slows the discoloration and browning.
3. Use in 2-3 days.

In the Freezer

1. Fill an ice cube tray with the leftover pesto
2. Freeze until solid.
3. Remove pesto cubes and place in a freezer storage bag. Don’t forget to label the bag!
4. Thaw cubes as needed by microwaving for a few seconds or adding a couple cubes to hot noodles.

There you have it, a new twist on an old favorite. I think you’ll see this recipe is full of flavor and find lots of ways to use it for your meals.

Print Recipe

Thai Basil Pesto

Thai Basil Pesto takes a classic Italian recipe and gives it an Asian twist. It’s great on noodles, chicken and perfect for spicy shrimp!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Dressings, Condiments & Sauces

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: 4

Author: Jamie at Savorysaver.com

Cost: 4

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Thai Basil
• 1 Jalapeno, Thai Chili, or other hot Chili
• 1 Clove garlic
• 2 green onions
• ¼ Cup Dry Roasted Peanuts
• 1 TBS Oyster Sauce or Gluten Free Oyster Sauce
• 1 TBS Soy Sauce or Gluten Free Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp. Fish Sauce
• 2 tsp. Packed Brown Sugar
• 6 TBS Vegetable Oil
• 1 TBS Sesame Oil
• Rice Noodles, cooked to package instructions for serving

Instructions

• Place Peanuts and Garlic into the food processor and pulse until peanuts are finely chopped.
• Add remaining ingredients to the food processor except for the Vegetable and Sesame Oils and pulse until combined.
• Turn the food processor to on and stream in the oils until a thick paste forms.
• Stir the pesto into warm rice noodles or other noodles of choice and enjoy.

Notes

Easy Substitutions

• The Hot Pepper – Choose the hot pepper that’s right for you. Jalapeno, Cayenne, and Thai Chili all work well. Leave the seeds in for heat or remove them for a milder pesto.
• The Nuts – I use peanuts in this recipe for the Thai twist but cashews or walnuts would work in this Thai basil pesto as well.
• The Oils – While I do not recommend substituting the sesame oil, substitute the vegetable oil for any mild flavored oil that you already have in your pantry.