Kale Pesto
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Homemade kale pesto is an easy, healthy, gluten free recipe, made with 7 simple ingredients. It’s perfect for tossing on pasta, pizza or grilled chicken!
I love pesto!
I love it so much that I’ve made 8 different varieties of pesto on the blog!
- Basil Pesto
- Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Spinach Pesto
- Vegan Pesto
- Cilantro Lime Pesto
- Paleo Walnut Sage Pesto
- Arugula Blue Cheese Pesto
- Kale Pesto
One of my favorite things about pesto is it’s versatility. You can easily toss it on a pizza, pasta or eggs. Add it to a sandwich, grilled chicken or a salad.
Toss it in risotto or spread it on baked salmon. The options really are endless!
My other favorite thing about pesto is how easy it is to make. Toss all of the ingredients in a food processor and you’ve got delicious homemade pesto in just 5 minutes!
This kale pesto is not only easy, delicious and versatile, it’s also packed with health benefits! Kale helps with cancer prevention, lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure.
One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium. It also contains 15% vitamin B6, 40% magnesium, 180% vitamin A, 200% vitamin C and 1,020% vitamin K.
It is also a good source of five minerals, copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
This recipe has 4 cups of kale in it. That’s a lot of vitamins!
How to make it
Add chopped green kale, garlic and cashews to a food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds. Add olive oil, water, salt and pepper. Blend until all of the ingredients have been incorporated.
Add parmesan cheese and pulse for 5-10 seconds.
Presto! You have pesto!
How long does it last?
Kale pesto will last in a sealed container, such as a mason jar, in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
Is it good for you?
As I mentioned before, kale has many health benefits, but so do the other ingredients in this kale pesto recipe.
Olive oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats and a great source of antioxidants. It helps with inflammation and to protect against heart disease.
Garlic is highly nutritious, yet contains very few calories. It helps improve cholesterol levels and can also reduce blood pressure.
Cashews contain high levels of iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, phosphorus and manganese. They also contain healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, which promote healthy levels of good cholesterol.
This recipe makes 1 1/2 cups of pesto. Each 1/2 cup of pesto contains 179.6% vitamin A, 132.4% vitamin C, 24.8% calcium and 13.2% iron.
This kale pesto is a healthy sauce that’s good for you when served as part of a balanced diet.
Ways to use it
As I mentioned earlier in the post, kale pesto can be used in a number of different ways.
Try it out in these delicious recipes:
- Sheet Pan Chicken Stuffed with Pesto & Goat Cheese
- Pesto Baked Salmon
- One Pot Ravioli with Creamy Pesto Sauce
- Pesto Egg & Bacon Breakfast Sandwich
- Roasted Beet & Goat Cheese Pesto Pasta Salad
This kale pesto recipe inspired one of the most popular recipes on the blog, Kale Pesto Spaghetti with Goat Cheese. You can easily make the pesto and this spaghetti recipe, all in under 30 minutes!
Made this kale pesto recipe and loved it? Rate it 5 stars below! ↓
Kale Pesto
Ingredients
- 4 cups curly green kale, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add the kale, garlic and cashews to a blender or food processor.
- Blend for 30 seconds.
- Add the salt, pepper, olive oil and water.
- Blend until all ingredients have been incorporated (30-60 seconds).
- Add the parmesan cheese and pulse for 5-10 seconds.
- Serve with pizza, pasta or your favorite dish.
Nutrition Facts
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13 Comments on “Kale Pesto”
Can this be stored?
Hi Hachi, yes, it can be stored for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Made this today but the poor old blender had trouble so I used my stick blender. I don’t have a food processor unfortunately. Maybe it was the red kale I used that left a spicy almost bitter taste? I’ll try it on some pasta this evening to see if the taste is tempered. Making a pesto mayo tones it down a bit too.
This tastes amazing!! How long do you think this would last in the refrigerator by itself?
I kept mine in the refrigerator for almost 2 weeks and it was still good!
This sounds great, I’ve been looking for more ways to eat raw kale without having to massage it! I’m not a fan of cashews though, will other nuts such as walnut work as well?
Sure, walnuts would work perfect!