Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!
Very Incredible Basil Sauce
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This was excellent! Used it on a riff of your Trader Joe’s turkey sandwich…was a last minute dinner and I used what I had…sautéed chicken, sun dried tomato pesto from the store, sourdough bread and THIS SAUCE! Sooooo yummy…the basil sauce was the star! Really love the punch of garlic! Fabulous !
Kim
This creamy basil sauce is going on EV-ER-Y-THING in my life: sandwiches, eggs, grilled chicken and veggies, dipped with chips?! It’s so good, packed with green goodness, it’s beautifully summery, and I’m doing the most with it.
In This Post: Everything You Need For Basil Sauce
The main thing:
Other stuff:
How To Make This Basil Sauce
Step 1: Get All Your Ingredients Ready
You can use a blender, food processor, or a mini-chopper-type gadget. I love this mini-chopper (affiliate link). It’s not meant for sauces necessarily, but I use it all the time because it’s super compact.
Step 2: Blend Your Basil Sauce
That’s it! Just blend, taste, and adjust!
This sauce can be a bit chunky / textured, so keep it going until it has the consistency you want. I prefer something right before completely pureed – where it has just barely noticeable flecks of herbs, but it’s mostly smooth and creamy.
Step 3: Put It On All Your Yummy Things
Like so. (Here’s that recipe.)
Lindsay’s Notes
Ooh baby. Basil, chives, garlic, and a tiny hit of oregano all in a creamy, salty, bright green sauce – I love this so much.
The first time I made this, my toddler (who mostly just eats crackers) found a spatula and just sat at the counter licking the remnants of the sauce out of the blender with me. And I hear that from a lot of people – many kids seem to be very into this for unknown reasons. Sometimes it just hits right, ya know? A+ for that experience.
My favorite thing about this sauce, besides that it tastes like heaven, is that makes healthy-ish eating something I really, actually look forward to.
Baked salmon goes up about 100 notches in my book when smothered in this creamy green sauce. Same goes for shrimp, chicken, and a big fresh salad or lots of roasted veggies.
This will not be the last we see of this sauce, which is why I decided to give it its own post on POY. Welcome home, little basil sauce.
Things You Could Put It On
The possibilities! They are endless.
- Trader Joe’s Focaccia Turkey Sandwich – this would be perfect in place of the pesto mayo.
- The Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich – okay as a sauce on this?! yes.
- Cashew Crunch Salad – as a dressing!
- Chopped Salad Pizza – I’m imagining this smothered all over it, and I like this idea so much that I’m going to make it for dinner tonight.
- Spaghetti with Crispy Zucchini – a little side bowl to dunk some of those crispy zucchini in.
- Lemon Herb Pasta Salad – I’ve seen a few of you doing pasta salad with this sauce on Instagram and it looks amazing.
- BLT Panzanella Salad – BLT flaves plus basil sauce is a match made in heaven.
Very Incredible Basil Sauce
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings of sauce 1x
Description
Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/2 cup packed fresh basil
- 1 small bunch of fresh chives (can sub green onions)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional, but very good)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup mayo (more as needed to keep it creamy)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice
- pinch of salt, to taste (add this at the end, after you taste it so you can see if you actually want it or not – I always do, but I love salt!)
Instructions
- Place all your sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor. (I use this mini chopper for the vast majority of my sauces because it’s nice and compact!)
- Blend until you get your desired consistency – I usually go for an almost-completely-smooth texture that is flecked with small bits of herbs.
Notes
Taste and adjust! More lemon juice will wake it up, Parmesan adds more umami and saltiness, and if it gets too salty for you, add a bit more mayo to dilute the pungency a bit!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: basil sauce, basil dressing
Frequently Asked Questions For Basil Sauce
What can I use instead of mayo?
I’ve seen some people on Instagram say they used Greek yogurt and liked it. I haven’t made it this way and I know I wouldn’t like it with Greek yogurt because it’s so tangy and has a different flavor. BUT, if you’re okay with it being a bit different than the original, I think Greek yogurt could work!
I have an egg allergy – what can I use?
Vegan mayo has no eggs and tastes great! That’s what I’d use!
How long does the basil sauce last?
I usually keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Can you make this vegetarian / vegan?
Yes! Use vegan mayo and vegan Parmesan! If you can’t find vegan Parmesan, just throw in a bit of extra salt to compensate for the change in flavor. And if you don’t want to use vegan mayo, try using an avocado like we did in this avocado mojo sauce.
Can you freeze this basil sauce?
I would not recommend freezing this.
More Of My Favorite Sauce Recipes
July 14, 2023
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
You did this with chicken in your stories I think. How did you prepare and cook the chicken?!
So excited to find your recipes
Just a quick saute! Here is a guide to cooking chicken that way.
I made this and it’s delicious! I’d love to try it with Greek yogurt.
I just had yogurt recently by Chobani and I must say that’s one of the healthiest foods one can eat after doing 1 to 2 hours of cardio. 🙂
This was excellent! Used it on a riff of your Trader Joe’s turkey sandwich…was a last minute dinner and I used what I had…sautéed chicken, sun dried tomato pesto from the store, sourdough bread and THIS SAUCE! Sooooo yummy…the basil sauce was the star! Really love the punch of garlic! Fabulous !
I just made steamed fish and red potatoes for dinner tonight and added some amino acid filled soy sauce to it. But being that you mentioned this Basil sauce, I may have to look into this “momentarily.” 🙂
I have a lot of basil and chives in my garden so decided to make this last night to go with baked salmon. It was excellent and the family loved it. It definitely elevated the fish to another level! I have some leftovers that I will be putting on a sandwich today. What else can I use the sauce for (pescatarian)?
You could put it on this Chopped Salad Pizza and just omit the meat from the pizza.
I did use plain yogurt mixed with mayo, just to make it a little less caloric. I thought it was great. I regularly make grain bowls, where I roast all the veggies I need to clear out of my fridge, serve them over rice, quinoa or couscous, and then add a dressing. So this was the dressing I used for the latest grain bowl. It was a hit.
I will warn that it’s very pesto adjacent. My son does NOT like pesto, so I was a little worried. But he liked it, and it made him rethink his dislike for pesto.
This sauce has endless possibilities. It made the best chicken sandwich tonight!!! Will make again.
Loved this! Served with air fryer chicken, new potatoes, and broccoli, and it was great on all of them even though it was only intended for the chicken. The only changes I made were adding some freshly ground black pepper and a tiny bit of water at loosen it up a bit at the end. Can’t wait to use the leftovers on sandwiches.
I used to love basil. But, two years ago, I was in a cabin where a cat ‘sprayed’ and it smelled like basil. I haven’t been able to disassociate the smell of that from basil since.
This was SO good! After seeing all the rave reviews, I had to try it and it did not disappoint. Even my husband, who does not love pesto said he was surprised at how much he liked it. We used it on top of pork chops.
So good. On repeat now in our dinner rotation.
Thank you for sharing this insightful post!
It’s great to see experts like you sharing their knowledge, and I believe that open discussions like this help us all learn and grow. Keep up the fantastic work! 😊
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Made this yesterday with the substitution of scallion greens – really good, I can imagine it with other herbs and part Greek yogurt instead of all mayo.
It sounds like the perfect way to add a bit of brightness and flavor to any dish.
This stuff is so so good! Like basil Caesar dressing. 😋
Lindsay! OMG! I made a potato salad with this sauce, plus extra basil and chives from my garden and it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Hands down! This sauce was enough to dress a few pounds of Yukon Golds. I heavily seasoned the water, so the salad doesn’t even need more salt. I’m serving it with your seasoned salmon (from the OG basil sauce recipe), rice, green salad, and some broccoli. It’s the queen of the feast! Thank you for these recipes that you pour your heart and soul into. This mama is so grateful. 🙂
Love that, Christine!
This sauce proved to be incredibly versatile, elevating tonight’s chicken sandwich to perfection! I’ll definitely be making it again.
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Absolutely love this punchy basil sauce! The blend of fresh basil, chives, garlic, and just a hint of oregano creates a burst of flavor that complements any dish perfectly. Can’t get enough of it on everything from sandwiches to grilled chicken. A definite must-try for all basil enthusiasts! – Bobby Cartwright
Good food is the secret to good health. Have good physical health. This was excellent! Used it on a riff of your Trader Joe’s turkey sandwich…was a last-minute dinner and I used what I had…sautéed chicken, sun-dried tomato pesto from the store, sourdough bread, and THIS SAUCE!
Sooooo yummy…the basil sauce was the star! Love the punch of garlic! Fabulous!