Fresh homemade Walnut Sage Pesto is easy to make in just 5 minutes. This recipe is vegan, paleo & whole 30 approved, making it a healthy & flavorful choice!

This pesto is delicious on pasta, grilled chicken, sweet potato skins or roasted green beans!

Sage pesto in white marble bowl with small gold spoon

Some people know me as “The Queen of Buffalo Sauce”, but I think my title should probably be changed to simply, “The Queen of Sauce”.

I love sauces in every flavor, texture and temperature! I love hot sauces, cold sauces, spicy sauces, sweet sauces. Let’s just say, I’m a big fan of getting saucy!

One of my favorite Italian sauces is pesto. Over the years I’ve made 8 different types of pesto on the blog, ranging from classic to unique. Let’s take a quick walk down memory lane and take a look at these 8 tasty pesto recipes!

  1. Basil Pesto
  2. Cilantro Pesto
  3. Kale Pesto
  4. Spinach Pesto
  5. Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
  6. Vegan Kale Pistachio Pesto
  7. Arugula Blue Cheese Pesto
  8. Walnut Sage Pesto

This Walnut Sage Pesto is special because it’s not made with cheese. This is what makes it dairy free, paleo and whole 30 approved.

The flavor of sage will always remind me of fall and Thanksgiving. This is why I like to pair this pesto with fall vegetables like sweet potatoes, squash and green beans. But it really is a delicious pesto to eat year-round on chicken, fish or your favorite roasted veggies!

It’s so easy to make a batch of this sage pesto in just 5 minutes. Freeze whatever you don’t use within a week, then you’ll always have fresh pesto on hand!

Fresh sage pesto in white bowl with gold spoon

How to make Sage Pesto

  • Place fresh sage leaves and parsley in a food processor or high powered blender.
    • Quick Tip! When making pesto the leaves and stems of the parsley can be used in the recipe. But only the leaves of the sage should be used, as their stems are too tough.
  • Add garlic, black pepper and walnuts to the food processor.
  • Puree in the food processor for 15 seconds, then add the lemon juice.
  • Turn the food processor back on and with the motor running, add the olive oil through the pour spout at the top.
  • Add the water while continuing to puree for an additional 30-60 seconds or until all ingredients are combined.
    • Quick Tip! If the pesto is too thick, add one tablespoon of water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

How to freeze Sage Pesto

Leftover pesto can easily be stored in the freezer for 9-12 months, then heated up and used in your favorite meat, pasta or veggie dishes.

I recommend freezing the pesto in ice cube trays with lids. This makes it easy to pop just one cube of pesto out to use in a recipe, then keep the rest in the freezer for later.

Uses for Sage Pesto

Sage pesto is a versatile sauce that can be used in a number of different ways. Try it with some of these options!

  • Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken – use this chicken recipe & simply swap out the kale pesto for sage pesto!
  • Sage Pesto Grilled Cheese – sourdough bread + butter + shredded gruyere cheese + sage pesto = one seriously scrumptious grilled cheese sandwich!
  • Pesto Baked Salmon – instead of traditional basil pesto, try sage pesto on this salmon in the fall!
  • Sage Pesto Raviolis – purchase pre-made cheese raviolis in the refrigerator section of your grocery store. They only take 3-4 minutes to boil, then toss them with the sage pesto for a delicious dinner! For a little something extra, feel free to top the raviolis with fried sage leaves or toasted walnuts.
  • Sweet Potato Skins – the original inspiration for this pesto came from these potato skins. They’re healthy, gluten free, paleo, whole 30 compliant & most importantly, so flavorful! They can easily be served as an appetizer, side dish or game day snack.
  • Sweet Potato Soup – use the sage pesto to top this easy 30 minute Sweet Potato Soup recipe. Talk about taking your tastebuds to flavor-town!
  • Spaghetti Squash – squash & sage are a perfect pair, so instead of using basil pesto in this recipe, try this sage pesto! With or without the roasted tomatoes, this dish is delicious as an entree or side dish.

Sage pesto in bowl topped with chopped walnuts

How will you serve this sage pesto? Comment below and let me know!

Made this recipe and loved it, be sure to share a picture with me on Instagram @WhitneyBond. I love to see your creations from the blog come to life!

Sage pesto in marble white bowl with gold spoon, topped with chopped walnuts
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Sage Pesto

Fresh homemade Walnut Sage Pesto is easy to make in just 5 minutes. This recipe is vegan, paleo & whole 30 approved, making it a healthy & flavorful choice!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add the sage, parsley, garlic, black pepper and walnuts to a food processor.
  • Puree in the food processor for 15 seconds then add the lemon juice.
  • Turn the food processor back on and add the olive oil through the pour spout at the top with the motor running on the food processor.
  • Add the water while continuing to puree for an additional 30-60 seconds or until all ingredients are combined.
  • If the pesto is too thick, add one tablespoon of water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
  • Use immediately or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week.

Notes

  • This pesto can be frozen for 9-12 months. I recommend freezing in ice cube trays with a lid, so that you can pop out one serving of pesto at a time and keep the rest in the freezer for future use.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 117kcal (6%)Carbohydrates 3g (1%)Protein 1g (2%)Fat 12g (18%)Saturated Fat 2g (10%)Sodium 3mgPotassium 77mg (2%)Fiber 1g (4%)Sugar 1g (1%)Vitamin A 434mg (9%)Vitamin C 7mg (8%)Calcium 47mg (5%)Iron 1mg (6%)
Did you make this recipe?Tag @WhitneyBond on Instagram and hashtag it #WBRecipes!

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