Kale Walnut Pesto
This Kale Walnut Pesto isn’t just full of amazing pesto flavor, it’s also nutritional powerhouse! It’s perfect on pasta, stirred into soup, served up with eggs, on sandwiches … this versatile kale and walnut pesto is a fave in our house!
I love to make this kale and walnut pesto all winter long, when the fresh basil for more traditional pesto isn’t as available.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Walnut & Kale Pesto
Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
The Story Behind the Recipe
I originally shared the recipe for this Kale Walnut Pesto all the back in 2012, when I tossed it with bow-tie pasta and cherry tomatoes for an easy pasta dish.
But I love this kale pesto recipe so much, I thought I should share it all on its own! I love to add a dollop to vegetarian minestron soup or pasta e fagiole to add even more flavor, or toss it with pasta or gnocchi. It’s great on pizza, avocado toast, grilled cheese, grilled veggie sandwiches, and so much more.
Basically, this is a super versatile pesto to keep in your fridge to level up just about everything!
So it deserved a little limelight of its own.
Why You’ll Love Walnut & Kale Pesto
Superfood nutrition! With all the vitamins that kale brings to the table (source) + omega-3s and more nutrients thanks to the walnuts (source), this kale walnut pesto is as healthy as it is delicious.
Versatile! Put it on pasta, gnocchi, stir it into soup, add it to sandwiches, top scrambled eggs, drizzle over roasted veggies … just keep a jar of this walnut kale pesto in your fridge to elevate savory dishes any time you want.
Economical – Kale is less expensive than basil, so it can save you a buck or two too.
Kale Pesto Recipe Ingredients
Walnuts – Plain walnuts that you’ll toast up for optimal flavor.
Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves
Kale – Any kind works! Curly, tuscan, you name it.
Parmesan cheese – For that classic pesto flavor.
Olive oil – Grab your favorite extra virgin olive oil.
Salt & pepper
Adaptations/Variations
Add a squeeze of lemon for a punch of zippy bright flavor.
If you have it, throw in some fresh herbs for more flavor. A little bit of basil, some parsley, a few thyme leaves … all delicious!
How to Make Kale Walnut Pesto
First, toast your walnuts. In a saute pan over medium heat, stir the walnuts until just lightly toasted, about two minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Pulse the garlic in a food processor or high speed blender until it’s finely chopped, then add the kale, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Pulse until chopped, turning it off periodically and removing the top/scraping down to press the kale down toward the blade if necessary.
With the food processor or blender running on low, stream in the olive oil in in a steady stream until it forms a sauce.
Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like. That’s it!
Jump to recipe for the full, printable instructions & directions
Tip for Success
When roasting nuts, you want to stop RIGHT before they get browned and toasty. Why? Because even off heat, they’ll continue toasting for a bit. So err on the side of less toasting vs. more.
I hope you love this Kale Walnut Pesto as much as we do! It’s versatile, easy, and a nutritional flavor powerhouse!
Kale Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition
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