Kale Pesto Recipe

Having freshly made Kale Pesto ready to go in your fridge is great way to amp up the flavor in tons of your favorite meals. With 3 cups of kale and fresh basil leaves in this easy sauce recipe, it’s the ultimate way pack more veggies into your diet.

I love pesto because it’s a delicious way to add flavor to almost anything.

Stir it into Pea and Bacon Pasta for a comforting dinner, add a little bit on top of scrambled eggs for breakfast, use it on a grain bowl or Buddha bowl for more flavor, combine it with some olive oil and vinegar to make a salad dressing, or use it as a sandwich spread!

This recipe only takes 5 minutes to come together, so you can keep a batch in your fridge or freezer at all times.

Made with curly kale, basil, walnuts, and garlic, this fun variation tastes just like your favorite Italian pesto. Better yet, it’s completely vegan and gluten-free!

Ingredient notes

• Kale leaves (any type of kale – tuscan kale, lacinato kale, dinosaur kale)
• Basil leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil – use a high-quality oil that you like the flavor of
• Walnuts – you can also use pine nuts, cashews or almonds
• Garlic – for even more flavor, try adding in some roasted garlic cloves
• Lemon – adds that delicious tang
• Salt

Note: Make this pesto without nuts by removing the walnuts entirely or replacing them with sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, or more basil and oil.

You can also add a little heat to your pesto by adding some red pepper flakes.

How to make it

Step 1

Add ingredients to food processor or blender

• Add kale, basil, olive oil, walnuts, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to the bowl of a food processor or blender.

Step 2

Process until smooth

• Pulse until the pesto is smooth.

1. Cook your favorite kind of pasta in boiling water to al dente (follow the package directions for the best results). Reserve some of the cooking water before straining the pasta. 
2. After the pasta is strained, add it back into the pot and stir in the pesto. Mix it all up until it’s completely coated in sauce, using the cooking water to thin it out as needed.

• Mix it into zucchini noodles or spread it on a zucchini pizza boat.
• Swirl it into this pesto risotto or pesto couscous.
• Spread it on a burger or sandwich.
• Use it in my broccoli pesto pasta.
• Add a dollop on top of eggs.
• Replace the tomato sauce on pizza for pesto instead.
• Turn it into this pesto salad dressing or pesto mayo.
• Add a dollop to a bowl of tomato bisque soup.
• More → 30+ Ways to Use Pesto.

It’s best to store pasta and pesto separately to avoid losing some flavor and vibrancy. Keep the pesto in a shallow airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. When you’re ready to use it again, allow it to come to room temperature before using it on your meal.

If you want to freeze the kale pesto, spoon some into ice cube trays and then freeze. Once they’re completely frozen, transfer the pesto cubes to a ziploc bag and freeze for up to 1 year.

More pesto recipes to try

• Arugula Pesto
• Broccoli Pesto
• Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

More Italian recipes to enjoy 

Did you try this kale pesto recipe?

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