Make this easy kale pesto recipe with fresh kale, walnuts, olive oil, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. It’s the perfect complement to pasta dishes, as a dip or a marinade.
Amazingly Easy Kale Pesto
Pesto is such a fun way to flavor pastas, proteins, and anything in between. Our classic pesto recipe is a popular one on Fit Foodie Finds, but we wanted to make a kale pesto that features kale instead of the more traditional basil. And it’s delicious!
What is pesto?
Pesto is a green sauce that originated in Italy. It’s typically made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil.
There are many variations of pesto including kale pesto like this one, walnut pesto, basil pesto, vegan pesto, etc.
Kale Pesto Ingredients
Recommended Kitchen Tools
Cuisinart 8-Cup Food Processor
Crate and Barrel Measuring Cups
Crate and Barrel Measuring Spoons
Eleton Olive Oil Dispenser
How to Make Kale Pesto
Take the bottom of a glass or a large chef’s knife and place it over the top of each garlic clove and press firmly to smash the garlic clove just until flattened.
Heat 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium/high heat, and sauté the garlic until fragrant and slightly golden brown.
Add the cooked garlic to a high powered food processor along with kale, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, walnuts, salt and the remaining olive oil.
Pulse the ingredients in the food processor to mix the ingredients and then process all of the ingredients on high for 2-4 minutes or until the ingredients become thick and creamy.
After the pesto has been processed it should be thick and creamy.
If the pesto is still dry and chunky, add a teaspoon or two more of olive oil, scrape the sides, and continue to process the pesto until it becomes thick and creamy.
Sometimes processing the pesto longer will draw the oil out of the walnuts which will add more moisture to the pesto.
Serve the pesto over pasta, as a sauce on sandwiches, or transfer the pesto to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Kale: don’t have kale? Try using spinach or basil instead.
- Walnuts: no walnuts on hand? Try using pine nuts, cashews, pecans, or almonds instead.
- Parmesan cheese: hoping to keep this recipe dairy-free? Our vegan parmesan cheese is a great substitute.
- Olive oil: instead of olive oil use grape seed oil.
Make it Vegan!
Vegan Pesto
Looking for a vegan pesto recipe? Try our homemade vegan pesto recipe. It has the same texture and similar flavors.
Get RecipeHow to Serve Kale Pesto
There is no one-size-fits-all with our kale pesto recipe. One of our favorite things about it is that it’s so versatile in how you can use it!
too thick?
Is your kale pesto a little bit too thick? Simply add a little olive oil by the teaspoon until it thins out.
Too thin?
If things seem a little bit too thin, simply add more fresh kale. That should do the trick!
Add Other Herbs
Try adding other fresh herbs into your kale pesto such as basil, parsley, or thyme! It will give your kale pesto some depth.
Transfer your kale pesto into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Freezing kale pesto is so easy and a great way to use up all your fresh kale! Here’s how to do it:
- Transfer pesto into an ice cube tray. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of pesto into each ice cube so that it’s filled 3/4 of the way full.
- Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours or until fully frozen.
- Pop the kale pesto ice cubes out of the tray and then transfer the frozen cubes into an airtight container or gallon-size bag.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
More of our Favorite…
Recipes with Pesto
- Israeli Couscous Salad
- Pesto Chicken Salad
- Sweet Potato Pizza Bites
- Naan Breakfast Pizzas
- ⅓ cup olive oil separated
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 4 cups chopped kale deboned and packed
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese medium grate
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Take the bottom of a glass or a large chef’s knife and place it over the top of each garlic clove and press firmly to smash the garlic clove just until flattened.
- Heat 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium/high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant, add the garlic. Sauté the garlic until fragrant and slightly golden brown.
- Add the cooked garlic to a high powered food processor along with kale, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, walnuts, salt and the remaining olive oil.
- Pulse the ingredients in the food processor to mix the ingredients and then process all of the ingredients on high for 2-4 minutes or until the ingredients become thick and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times during the processing time.
- After the pesto has been processed it should be thick and creamy. If the pesto is still dry and chunky, add a teaspoon or two more of olive oil, scrape the sides, and continue to process the pesto until it becomes thick and creamy. Sometimes processing the pesto longer will draw the oil out of the walnuts which will add more moisture to the pesto.
- Serve the pesto over pasta, as a sauce on sandwiches, or transfer the pesto to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- This recipe yields approximately 3/4 cup pesto.
- This isn’t a drippy pesto, it is a thicker pesto sauce. If you would like a more wet pesto add 1-2 teaspoons of water until it reaches the desired consistency.
- We sauté the garlic to draw out the garlic flavor and create a delicious depth of flavor.
- You can use raw garlic, but it will change the flavor of the pesto.
- If you would like a “creamy” pesto you can add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
- If you don’t have walnuts you can use almonds or pistachios.
- This pesto has to be used within 5 days if stored in the refrigerator. To stretch the pesto, scoop the pesto into an ice tray and freeze the best for 1-2 hours. Pop the pesto cubes out of the ice cube tray and store them in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
