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    Home » Recipes » Sauces and Dips

    Carrot Top Pesto with Cashews

    By: Kim Peterson · Posted: May 10, 2022 · Updated: May 10, 2022 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Carrot top pesto in a white bowl garnished with carrot greens, chopped cashews and lemon wedges on a wooden board.
    Ingredients in food processor ready to blend in upper image and blended carrot top pesto served in a white bowl in the bottom image.

    Hold on to those carrot leaves and whip up this delicious Carrot Top Pesto! A no-waste, five-minute recipe that can be used in so many different ways. Nothing like a bright pop of flavor for pasta, proteins, soups, salads and veggies!

    Carrot top pesto in a white bowl garnished with carrot greens, chopped cashews and lemon wedges on a wooden board.

    This pesto has depth of flavor from parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, lemon and roasted cashews. You'll want to make a double batch to freeze to always have some on hand!

    Making homemade pesto is a great way to experiment with ingredient combinations you may not have considered before. Here are a couple more of our favorite pesto recipes: spicy cilantro pistachio pesto, spinach walnut pesto and basil pesto with sundried tomatoes.

    Jump to:
    • What do carrot greens taste like?
    • Why You’ll Love this Carrot Top Pesto Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Pesto
    • Recipe Tips
    • Variations
    • Carrot Top Pesto FAQs
    • Delicious Ways to Use Pesto
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    What do carrot greens taste like?

    Carrot top greens are herbaceous, earthy, slightly bitter, and taste a bit like carrots. They have a unique, fairly mild flavor that pairs beautifully with fresh herbs like parsley and thyme.

    Why You’ll Love this Carrot Top Pesto Recipe

    • Herby and Delicious
    • Easy and Super Versatile
    • Great way to reduce food waste
    • Stores well and freezer-friendly
    • Budget friendly and pantry ingredients

    Ingredients

    Five long carrots with all their leafy greens on a dark brown wooden board.
    • Leafy Carrot Tops
    • Fresh Parsley and Thyme
    • Garlic Cloves
    • Parmesan Cheese
    • Roasted Cashews
    • Lemon Juice and Zest
    • Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

    How to Make Pesto

    Before tossing all the ingredients into the food processor bowl, trim off the woody carrot stems from the leafy tops. The stems are great to toss into your compost bin if you have one. Then add everything except the olive oil to the processor.

    Pesto ingredients in bowl of a food processor ready to get blended.

    Pulse a few times to get the mixture coarsely blended and scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula before streaming in the olive oil as the processor runs.

    Close up overhead view of pesto fully blended in the food processor sitting on a wooden surface.

    You can't go wrong with making delicious use of something you may otherwise have tossed. Season well with salt and black pepper then spread, mix, spoon or drizzle it over whatever you're dishing up. Enjoy!

    Bowl of carrot greens pesto on a small wooden board with lemon wedges, cashews and leafy carrot tops.

    Recipe Tips

    1. Give the carrot leaves a good rinse to wash away any lingering dirt to ensure you don’t have a gritty pesto.
    2. Drizzle the olive oil slowly so the pesto has a chance to emulsify into a fully combined mixture.
    3. You can make the pesto thicker by adding less oil or thinner with more oil or some cold water.
    4. To keep pesto from oxidizing and turning brown, add a little bit of oil on top of the pesto before covering in an airtight container.
    5. Make pesto sauce in bulk and freeze to have easy flavor enhancers on hand.
    6. Pesto is best served at room temperature.

    Variations

    • Make it vegan by using a vegan cheese or omitting the cheese altogether.
    • Change up the nuts with pecans, almonds, walnuts or pine nuts.
    • Make a nut-free pesto with sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
    • Adjust seasonings to make it spicy with crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, hot sauce or sriracha.
    • Make it creamy by adding avocado, chickpeas or white beans.
    Bright green carrot tops pesto in a small white bowl with lemon wedges to the side.

    Carrot Top Pesto FAQs

    Are carrot tops edible raw?

    They sure are! There’s no need to cook these feathery green tops to enjoy their slightly bitter, earthy carrot flavor. Simply toss them in salads or soften them in soup just before serving.

    What are health benefits of carrot greens?

    Carrot tops have a significant amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, dietary fiber, calcium and iron. Plus they’re high in potassium to help control blood pressure and antioxidants that benefit our kidneys.

    How long will pesto keep?

    Leftover pesto will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for about one week. You can also freeze pesto in ice cube trays then store in a freezer-safe bag up to four months. This way you have small quantities for whatever you need.

    What are other ways to use carrot tops?

    They can also be sauteed, added to a green smoothie, made into a chimichurri sauce or tossed into homemade vegetable stock. Plus, they are a delicious garnish in this vegan carrot ginger soup.

    Delicious Ways to Use Pesto

    Now that your easy recipe is whipped up and ready to go, here are some of our favorite ways to use pesto.

    • Gourmet Italian Grilled Cheese with Pesto
    • Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad with Basil Pesto
    • Four Cheese Veggie and Pesto Stuffed Shells
    • Skillet Breakfast Pesto Pizza

    🌟Love the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card and/or a review in the Comments section below!

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    📋 Recipe

    Close up of carrot top pesto garnished with chopped cashews, carrot greens and lemon on a wooden board.

    Carrot Top Pesto with Cashews

    Delicious Carrot Top Pesto is a no-waste, five-minute recipe that can be used in so many different ways. Nothing like a bright pop of flavor for pasta, proteins, soups, salads and veggies!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Pesto, Sauce
    Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 162kcal
    Author: Kim Peterson

    Equipment

    • Food processor

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups carrot top greens ,fairly packed
    • ½ cup parsley , fairly packed
    • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
    • 1 garlic clove , roughly chopped
    • ¼ cup parmesan cheese , freshly grated
    • ¼ cup toasted cashews , roughly chopped
    • 1 lemon , juice and zest
    • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

    Instructions

    • Combine carrot greens, parsley, thyme, garlic, parmesan cheese, cashews, lemon juice and zest in a food processor.
    • Pulse a few times to combine mixture. Scrape sides with a spatula.
    • With machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Continue to pulse for desired texture.
    • Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes approximately 1 cup.

    Notes

    Recipe Tips
    1. Give the carrot leaves a good rinse to wash away any lingering dirt to ensure you don’t have a gritty pesto.
    2. Drizzle the olive oil slowly so the pesto has a chance to emulsify into a fully combined mixture.
    3. You can make the pesto thicker by adding less oil or thinner with more oil or some cold water.
    4. To keep pesto from oxidizing and turning brown, add a little bit of oil on top of the pesto before covering in an airtight container.
    5. Make pesto sauce in bulk and freeze to have easy flavor enhancers on hand.
    6. Pesto is best served at room temperature.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 385IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 103mg
    Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @giveitsomethyme or tag #giveitsomethyme!

    This page contains affiliate links. Meaning, whenever you purchase an item after clicking an Amazon link through this website, we receive a small percentage from Amazon. It doesn’t cost anything extra to you! It simply helps maintain the blog. Thanks so much!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heidi | The Frugal Girls says

      May 16, 2022 at 6:39 pm

      Mmm... this is what I want to top my pasta with this week, and it's such a brilliant way to make use of carrot tops!

      Reply
      • Kim Peterson says

        May 16, 2022 at 11:02 pm

        So delish, Heidi! You're gonna love it!

        Reply
    2. Michelle says

      May 13, 2022 at 11:04 am

      This carrot top pesto would be so delicious on some pasta! Will have to keep my eye out for them at the grocery store!

      Reply
      • Kim Peterson says

        May 13, 2022 at 2:05 pm

        Definitely! So many great ways to use it!

        Reply
    3. Ben | Havocinthekitchen says

      May 10, 2022 at 7:38 pm

      I love all possible pesto variations, but I need to try a version with carrot tops. It looks and sounds terrific! I also love the use of cashews for their ultra creaminess and subtle sweetness.

      Reply
      • Kim Peterson says

        May 10, 2022 at 7:58 pm

        Thanks, Ben! It is a really great combo!

        Reply

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    Kim | Creator and Author of Give it Some Thyme

    Welcome! I'm Kim - author, recipe developer, and food photographer behind Give it Some Thyme. Here you'll find wholesome, classic and contemporary recipes that make memorable meals every home chef can prepare. Pull up a chair!

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