Why should you make a pesto sauce with a set of mortar and pestle instead of a food processor that works faster and is more convenient to put all ingredients together?
This way is really quick and convenient, but crushing and mashing ingredients with a mortar and pestle will give you a better result - creamy paste. Blending olive oil at a high speed can lead to a bitter flavor. Once you understand the importance of this set, refer to the list below to choose one:
Here are the best mortars and pestles for pesto you can buy in 2024:
- Easy To Hold (Granite Mortar and Pestle): ChefSofi
- Easy To Clean (Granite Mortar and Pestle): Health Smart
- Largest Capacity (Granite Mortar and Pestle): Kota Japan
- Smallest Capacity (Marble Mortar and Pestle Set): SIPARUI
- Reversible Design (Marble Mortar and Pestle Set): Laevo
- Long-Lasting (Marble Mortar and Pestle Set): Bembo Qualità d'Autore
- Sturdy (Porcelain Mortar and Pestle): E-liu
- Stain-Resistant (Porcelain Mortar and Pestle): SWEEJAR
- Easy To Pour (Porcelain Mortar and Pestle): HOMBENE
| 9 Best Mortars And Pestles For Pesto | ||
|---|---|---|
Easy To Hold | ChefSofi
| |
Easy To Clean | Health Smart
| |
Largest Capacity | Kota Japan
| |
Smallest Capacity | SIPARUI
| |
Reversible Design | Laevo
| |
Long-Lasting | Bembo Qualità d'Autore
| |
Sturdy | E-liu
| |
Stain-Resistant | SWEEJAR
| |
Easy To Pour | HOMBENE
| |
Easy To Hold: ChefSofi
- Heavy-duty uses
- Well-made
- Good balanced
- Great depth of the mortar
- High mortar side with pretty short pestle
- Hard to clean
In my imagination, something that is easy to hold should have at least a handle for holding tightly.
However, this mortar that has a round design without coming with any special detail for holding is easy to hold thanks to its unpolished heavy granite finish and the anti-scratch protector.
You don’t have to apply too much strength and pressure on your hand to hold the mortar since its self-adhesive and anti-scratch pad itself can keep your mortar in place when you grind your ingredients with the pestle.
Meanwhile, its unpolished finish not only provides you with a natural friction to crush, grind, and powder ingredients, but also creates a better adherence when holding.
| ChefSofi Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 7.05 pounds |
Dimensions | 6 x 6 x 6 inches; 7.05 Pounds |
Capacity | 2 cups |
Highlight Features | Unpolished granite material |
The unpolished surfaces: the inside and outside of the ChefSofi Granite Mortar and Pestle brings many benefits, especially holding tightly.
Easy To Clean: Health Smart
- Well-made
- Beautiful and attractive
- Pretty heavy
An unpolished finish helps you hold the mortar easier, but it’s more difficult for you to clean this unit. If you want to shorten your cleaning time, a set with a polished finish like the Health Smart is more useful.
Both mortar and pestle are polished that allow you to wipe down dirt and dust quickly and easily with a cloth, but they aren’t treated completely. The inside of the mortar and the head of the pestle are still unpolished to provide you with great friction to grind ingredients effectively.
| Health Smart Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 4 pounds |
Dimensions | 5 x 5 x 8 inches |
Capacity | 12 Fluid Ounces |
Highlight Features | Solid granite stone material |
The polished finishes of the Health Smart Granite Mortar and Pestle allow you to clean it easily.
Largest Capacity: Kota Japan
- Aesthetics
- Reasonable
- Heavy
- Cumbersome for small uses
Homemade pesto just lasts for a short period from 4 to 5 days in the fridge because it doesn’t contain any preservatives. Not many people think about choosing a large-capacity mortar.
However, if all members in your family usually eat pasta, you will want to prepare a large amount of pesto sauces at a time.
Kota Japan can help you perform this task easily. Its interior bowl is so wide (3 ¾’’ x 2 ¾’’) that you can comfortably prepare a huge content at the same time without having to prepare pesto too many times.
| Kota Japan Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 8 pounds |
Dimensions | Mortar: 5 ¼ inches X 5 ¼ inches Interior Bowl: 3 ¾ inches X 2 ¾ inches Pestle: 6 ¾ inches X 1 ¾ inches |
Highlight Features | Non-porous and solid |
The largest-capacity Kota Japan Granite Mortar and Pestle allows you to make a big jar of pesto at the same time.
Smallest Capacity: SIPARUI
- Sturdy
- Easy to clean and hold the mortar steady
- Beautiful
- Solid base
- Thick material
- Hard to move around
Earlier, homemade pesto couldn't last too long. Thus, if you live all alone or with another person, make pesto for one-to-2 serving at a time.
This way saves not only your left pesto but also your kitchen counter space and your wallet.
The SIPARUI mortar and pestle comes with a small size to save your storage space, but its capacity (1 cup) is still roomy enough to make an average amount of pesto serving with your pasta.
| SIPARUI Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 3.69 pounds |
Dimensions | 7.28 x 7.17 x 6.38 inches |
Capacity | 1 cup |
Highlight Features | Polished tail A set of a mortar, pestle, silicone pad, spoon, and brush |
In spite of a small size, the SIPARUI Marble Mortar and Pestle Set is still roomy enough to make a pesto for 1-2 people.
Reversible Design: Laevo
- Beautiful
- Heavy
- Well-made
- Not work best when adding liquid
One benefit of a set of mortar and pestle is that it helps you release the smells, oils, and fragrances of ingredients more effectively. However, if you want to grind ingredients for different purposes at the same time: coffee beans and spices, for example, clean it after every use for one ingredient. If not, the smells of ingredients can be mixed. This takes a lot of time and effort on your part.
The Laevo product can help you solve this problem because of its reversible design. You can grind an ingredient with a large amount in the deep “bowl” and handle smaller-size ingredients at a smaller amount in the shadow “bowl” to separate their flavors.
Of course, the pestle also comes with 2 heads to use for 2 “bowls”.
You might wonder that the bowls can become dirty when you put them on the counter surface. However, this set comes with a pad that is used as a lid to keep your ingredients inside and an anti-scratch protector to protect your unit from slipping.
| Laevo Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 6.75 Pounds |
Dimensions | 5.5 x 5.5 x 3.5 inches |
Capacity | 2.2 cups |
Highlight Features | Reversible design 100% solid stone |
The unique design of the Laevo Marble Mortar and Pestle Set allows you to handle different ingredients for different purposes.
Long-Lasting: Bembo Qualità d'Autore
- Creates more friction
- Beautiful
- Sturdy
- Easy to clean
- Not for heavy-duty uses
The Bembo Qualità d'Autore is made from Carrara marble material that is famous for durability and stain-resistance all over the world.
Even when you put much strength on the pestle, and use this set regularly, it is difficult to break.
| Bembo Qualità d'Autore Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 8.23 pounds |
Dimensions | 13.15 x 10.24 x 9.76 inches |
Highlight Features | White Carrara marble material Beechwood pestle 100% handmade, handcrafted |
The Bembo Qualità d'Autore Marble Mortar and Pestle Set can last for a long time because its material is so durable.
Sturdy: E-liu
- Safe to use for baby food
- The pestle is lightweight but works well
- No sticking
- Effortless to clean with soap and water
- Comfortable to grip
- Too large to grind only a couple of pills
The E-liu set is sturdy because it comes with a non-slip base that keeps the mortar in place no matter which grinding motion you apply.
This accessory also functions as a lid and a decorative item to beauty your kitchen.
| E-liu Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 1.52 pounds |
Dimensions | 4.7 x 0.6 x 1.9 inches |
Highlight Features | Unglazed porcelain Unglazed ceramic and sustainable bamboo wood Dishwasher-safe |
You can keep the E-liu Porcelain Mortar and Pestle sturdy without using too much pressure on it.
Stain-Resistant: SWEEJAR
- Dishwasher-safe
- Easy to clean
- Elegant
- Lightweight but effective
- Sturdy pestle
- Thin at the bottom
It’s very easy for stone mortar and pestle to stain when exposed to acidic and oily ingredients. Therefore, this material requires you to maintain and take care of it carefully to keep it at peak condition.
For staining, everything is simpler with the Sweejar mortar and pestle. The inside is made from white ceramic that is very easy to clean without leaving stains of food.
Specially, customers said that the mortar doesn’t leave stains from their herb ingredients at all.
| SWEEJAR Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 1.39 pounds |
Dimensions | 8.35 x 7.17 x 4.92 inches |
Capacity | 300ml |
Highlight Features | Classic design Ceramic material Dishwasher, freezer, microwave safe |
The SWEEJAR Porcelain Mortar and Pestle don’t leave the stains of food because its material allows you to clean anything easily.
Easy To Pour: HOMBENE
- Nice and beautiful look
- Heavyweight
- Nicely balanced
- Small size
The different ingredient ratios create different textures of pesto. If your version is a thick puree result, it’s better to invest in this set of a mortar and pestle. The mortar comes with a dripless pouring detail that helps you pour your pesto into a container easier and more convenient without causing a mess.
| HOMBENE Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimensions | Mortar: 4.5" D x 2.5" H Pestle: 5 inches |
Highlight Features | Unglazed Oven safe up to 660 °F Freezer safe High-quality porcelain |
How To Choose The Best Mortar And Pestle For Pesto?
How Large Should A Mortar And Pestle Be For Making Pesto?
Pesto is a blend of many ingredients. A traditional recipe has at least 5 basic ingredients: fresh basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and extra-virgin olive oil. Thus, make sure that your mortar is large enough to contain all of them at a suitable ratio.
A big mortar should come with a wide-head pestle. If not, you might take a lot of time to grind your ingredients. A large and high mortar should come with a large and long pestle. If not, you can hit your hand on the side of the mortar.
Do You Need To Care About Shape?
This is not too important because most mortar designs have a round bowl shape without getting corners inside, since hidden areas make you grind your ingredients harder.
Though some mortars have cylindrical shape, they are usually designed for special purposes. Its sharp corners make reaching the content with the pestle more difficult.
Which Extra Features Do You Need?
Earlier, pesto recipes include many ingredients. Therefore, to crush and grind them well and mix all of them together well, you need to apply much strength and pressure on the pestle. You should choose a set with special features that can keep the mortar in place stable while crushing and grinding ingredients. Below are some examples:
Silicone or rubber pads can keep the mortar in place without sliding around even when you put much strength on the pestle. It can protect your kitchen counter surface from scratching. Heavy models and mortar with special designs that allow you to hold the entire unit when grinding are also great solutions.
Can Proper Materials Help You Grind Ingredients Easier?
Yes.
Pesto is a blend of many ingredients, so you should choose solid stone materials such as granite and marble. Their weight is heavy enough to break down a large amount of ingredients at the same time. Weaker materials with a smooth finish such as wood and ceramic, lack abrasiveness to grind and shear some ingredients.
Does Coating Affect The Performance?
Yes.
Muddling ingredients with the pestle helps your ingredients release their oils, flavors, and fragrances better. However, if you choose a polished surface that looks more attractive and glossy minimizes the ability to pulverize. This creates low-quality fragrances, flavors, and oils. Instead, abrasive surfaces are a better choice.
Which Brands Make The Best Mortar And Pestle For Pesto?
ChefSofi
ChefSofi specializes in providing high-quality and long-lasting kitchen products. Some of their highlight products include mortar and pestle set & cheese and charcuterie board set that are well known all over the world.
FAQs
What is the best material for a pestle and mortar?
For me, the best material for a pestle and mortar is solid stone materials such as granite and marble because their heavy weight breaks down the ingredients. Thus, you don’t have to put too much of your strength on the pestle. Plus, these materials can withstand the pounding and grinding actions for years.
How do you make pesto with pestle and mortar?
The ingredient ratios of pesto vary on the Internet. So, if you don’t love the traditional recipe below, you can find a more suitable one online.
What to prepare:
- 2 cloves of garlic (medium size)
- 2 tsps of pine nuts (30g)
- 3 ounces of basil leaves
- Coarse sea salt
- 2 tsps of grated Parmigiano Reggiano (¾ ounce)
- 2 tsps of Pecorino Fiore Sardo (¾ ounce)
- 175ml mildly flavored extra-virgin olive oil (¾ cup)
How to make:
Put the garlic into the mortar and pound it with the pestle until it becomes a paste.
Next, add and crush pine nuts. Smash and grind them with a pestle until you get a sticky, slightly chunky and beige paste.
Add a handful of basil leaves at a time. Pound and grind basil leaves in a circular motion.
Add a pinch of coarse sea salt with every handful. Keep this action until you reach a fine-crushed mixture of basil leaves.
Drizzle cheeses in olive oil. Mix it with pesto until it reaches a pretty creamy, emulsified, sauce mixture.
Does a marble mortar and pestle need to be seasoned?
Any new set of mortar and pestle requires seasoning so that your content is free of sands and small particles.
Can you make pesto in a granite mortar and pestle?
Yes.
Should I make pesto in a blender or food processor?
Yes, but these machines can’t give you a result as well as using a mortar and pestle that can relieve the smell and oils of ingredients.
Conclusion
Again, food processors, blenders, and other machines can give you a faster result conveniently, but you still should apply my traditional method with a mortar and pestle.
Although machines can create many uniform little bits, you feel they look like grits in your mouth. Meanwhile, the mortar and pestle help you create a tender, and silken texture.
Jane Orta
