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!
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.
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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
- 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.
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.
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!
Recipe Tips
- Give the carrot leaves a good rinse to wash away any lingering dirt to ensure you don’t have a gritty pesto.
- Drizzle the olive oil slowly so the pesto has a chance to emulsify into a fully combined mixture.
- You can make the pesto thicker by adding less oil or thinner with more oil or some cold water.
- 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.
- Make pesto sauce in bulk and freeze to have easy flavor enhancers on hand.
- 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.
Carrot Top Pesto FAQs
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.
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.
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.
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.
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📋 Recipe
Carrot Top Pesto with Cashews
Equipment
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
- Give the carrot leaves a good rinse to wash away any lingering dirt to ensure you don’t have a gritty pesto.
- Drizzle the olive oil slowly so the pesto has a chance to emulsify into a fully combined mixture.
- You can make the pesto thicker by adding less oil or thinner with more oil or some cold water.
- 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.
- Make pesto sauce in bulk and freeze to have easy flavor enhancers on hand.
- Pesto is best served at room temperature.
Nutrition
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Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
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!
Kim Peterson says
So delish, Heidi! You're gonna love it!
Michelle says
This carrot top pesto would be so delicious on some pasta! Will have to keep my eye out for them at the grocery store!
Kim Peterson says
Definitely! So many great ways to use it!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen says
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.
Kim Peterson says
Thanks, Ben! It is a really great combo!