Basil variety recipes

Basil is a lovely ingredient in many recipes.

But the key to realise is that different types of basil will have completely different flavours.

Below you will find

Basil variety recipes.
Our 20 most popular basil recipes.

Genovese basil recipes

If you like cooking Italian, French or Greek recipes.

Lemon Basil recipes

Unique flavour and great used in stir-fry dishes.

Minette Basil recipes

Ideal basil for pizzas, pasta and salads

Cinnamon Basil recipes

Ideal for Mexican or South American recipes

20 Most popular Basil recipes

The recipes below have tended to use a specific type of basil – but the lovely option is that you can slightly change the flavour by using different types of basil. More details a bit further down the page.

How to make basil pesto to freeze

Lovely easy to make recipe, great if you’ve got lots of basil

How to make pasta with Parma ham and tomato sauce

A meal that tastes of Italy – quick & easy to make.

Advice on what to do with lots of basil

10 ideas of what to do with lots of basil

How to make sweet basil cubes

Very easy to make and a great way of storing basil in the freezer.

Simple Chorizo sauce pasta

Combining chorizo with herbs adds a lovely flavour

How to make Thai basil sauce

Ideal ingredient for a very flavoursome meal

How to make the best Thai basil red curry

Easy to make flavoursome curry.

Pork meatballs in tomato sauce

Fun to make and great with pasta or rice

Thai basil tea – easy to make, delicious & Healthy

Easy to make, delicious and very good for you

Thai basil strawberry smoothie

Lovely fresh taste great for summer

Thai basil strawberry cocktail

Lovely fresh taste, great with Gin or Rum

Lemon basil pistou pasta with cocktail sausages

Easy pesto pasta without nuts or cheese

Cinnamon Basil iced tea with a lovely unique flavour

Lovely unique flavour ideal for summer

Thai basil coconut chicken curry

Very easy to cook curry with a lovely distinct flavour

Lettuce leaf basil tacos

Replacing lettuce with basil adds a lovely flavour

Marinara sauce with Minette basil

Great for pizzas, pasta or salads

Lemon Basil chicken stir fry

Very easy to make stir-fry with great flavour

Tomato and Basil Soup

Fresh tomatoes and basil add a lovely flavour

Easy Thai Basil Chicken

Easy to make delicious quick dinner

How to make basil pesto nut free

Quick to make, 3 ingredients make all the difference

How to grow Basil at home

If the recipes inspire you then basil is very easy to grow at home.

So far I’ve grow all the different types of basil at home, and used them in different basil recipes – for example Thai basil makes a lovely tea, as well as great in Asian dishes.

If you want to grow them then below is a quick comparison of their flavours and how to use them in recipes:

Basil Type	Flavour	Best For	Use Fresh or Cooked
Genovese	Sweet, clove‑like	Italian, tomato dishes	Fresh & cooked
Thai	Anise, liquorice	Thai, Vietnamese	Best cooked
Lemon	Citrus	Fish, salads, desserts	Fresh
Cinnamon	Warm, spicy	Mexican, drinks	Fresh
Holy (Tulasi)	Peppery	Thai stir‑fries	Cooked
Red Rubin	Strong basil	Tomato dishes, salads and cocktails	Fresh & cooked
Lettuce Leaf	Subtle flavour	Sandwiches, pesto and salads	Fresh
Minette	Slightly spicy	Pizza, pasta and salads	Fresh & cooked

Our growing articles provide advice for each one in detail – types of basil & how to grow them

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The Chef's Gardener