Here's How To Store That Leftover Homemade Pesto

While pesto sauces aren't the most difficult or complex to make, they still take some effort and elbow grease to get right. For this reason, or if you simply love pesto and always want some handy, making more than you need and stashing away the extras can be a wise move.

To find the best, longest-lasting storage method for homemade pesto, we turned to Makenna Held, CEO of RecipeKick, the Courageous Cooking School, and steward of Julia Child's old vacation home, "La Peetch." She exclusively told us that she "prefers to store [her] pesto in ice cube trays, and move to a zip-top baggie after they have frozen solid." Not only does this make your pesto last exponentially longer, as long as four months if you're lucky, but it also makes it easier to portion out and doesn't force you to thaw more than you need.

Freezing your pesto in an ice cube tray is all about ease of use, with its longevity being an excellent bonus. Pulling out a cube or two to thaw for use in a pesto grilled cheese sandwich, as a pizza topping, or as a sauce for veggies and meats is unbeatable. Makenna Held also recommends pulling them out for quick pasta meals, advising people to "nab however many cubes [you] need for dinner, add to the hot pasta, and warm over low heat until it melts and coats beautifully."

As to why you should avoid storing leftover pesto in the refrigerator, Held notes that "olive oil, which is my preferred oil for pestos, solidifies in the fridge." She's not the only one who prefers olive oil either, with most recipes calling for extra-virgin oil specifically because of its extra flavor. The other downside is the drastic decrease in pesto's longevity. Held says "One week or so is the maximum in the fridge," though it may not last much longer than three days if you're unlucky. Unless you know you're going to use all your leftover pesto in the next two days, play it safe and freeze it.