Kale Walnut Pesto
Fresh, vibrant, and ready in just 15 minutes, this Kale Walnut Pesto is the sauce I keep coming back to all summer long. Made with kale, fresh basil, toasted walnuts, it has nutty and fragrant flavor.
Fresh, vibrant, and ready in just 15 minutes - this Kale Walnut Pesto is the sauce I keep coming back to all summer long. Made with dino kale, fresh basil, toasted walnuts, parmesan, lemon, and garlic. Bold flavor, simple ingredients, endlessly versatile.
If you love classic basil pesto, you are going to love this version even more. Kale adds a beautiful deep green color and a slightly peppery bite that basil alone just can't give you. And walnuts? They bring a rich, buttery nuttiness that feels more grounded and earthy than pine nuts - and honestly, a lot more affordable too.
Why Kale Walnut Pesto?
I make a big double batch of this every summer for two reasons. First, it comes together in the food processor in about 10 minutes flat. Second, once you have a jar of this in the fridge, dinner is basically already done - toss it with pasta, spread it on a sandwich, swirl it into soup, drizzle it over grilled chicken or roasted vegetables. It goes with almost everything. The secret to getting the best flavor? Toast the walnuts first. Just a few minutes in a dry pan until fragrant. It deepens their nuttiness and makes the whole pesto taste more layered and complex. Don't skip this step.
What You Need to Make Kale Walnut Pesto?
The ingredient list is short and mostly pantry-friendly:
- Dino kale (also called lacinato or Tuscan kale) - remove the tough center stems, use only the leaves.
- Fresh basil - this is what keeps the pesto bright and aromatic.
- Toasted walnuts - plus a small handful extra to garnish.
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated.
- Garlic
- Fresh lemon juice - essential for brightness and to keep the pesto green
- Preferrable Extra Virgin olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
How to Make Kale Pesto
Start by toasting the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until they smell nutty and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
In the food processor, add garlic and cooled walnuts first. Pulse a few times until roughly chopped - this step helps everything blend more evenly later. Then add kale leaves, basil, parmesan, and lemon juice. Pulse again to bring it together. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream until the pesto is smooth and vibrant. Taste and adjust - more lemon if it needs brightness, more salt if it feels flat.
That's it. Bold, fresh, ready in minutes.
How to Use Kale Walnut Pesto
This pesto is incredibly versatile. My favorite way to serve it is tossed with wide ribbon pappardelle pasta and a handful of toasted walnuts on top - if you want to try that, I have the full recipe here: Kale Pesto Pappardelle Pasta. It is one of our family's most loved summer dinners.
Beyond pasta, use it as a pizza base, a dip for bread, a marinade for chicken, or a finishing drizzle over roasted vegetables or eggs. Make a double batch and keep it in the fridge for up to a week - it only gets better as the flavors settle.
Make Ahead
Pesto will stay fresh in refrigerator for 1 week.
You can also freeze it. I freeze it in ice cube tray. Once frozen, take out of tray and store in a sealable bag. Use as needed. For example, add few cubes to freshly cooked pasta and toss it in until pesto cube melts. That's it! Garnish with more parmesan. Serve and enjoy!
Happy Summers!
Pairing Ideas:
Kale Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
Directions
- 1. Dry Roast Walnuts: Heat a dry skillet on medium heat. Add walnuts and let toast for 3-5 minutes. Stir a few times. Don't let burn. Remove in a bowl and set aside.
- 2. Prep Kale: Rinse kale leaves and pat it dry. Small chop kale leaves. Make sure to discard hard stems. See Note 1.
- 3. Make Kale Walnut Pesto: In a food processor jar, add garlic cloves and half of walnuts. Pulse a few times to mince the walnuts. Open jar, use spatula to scrape the sides. Add chopped kale leaves, basil leaves, parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice with half of salt and all black pepper. Process on medium then high speed until pesto is thick and creamy. Leaves are finely pureed. Taste and add remining salt (if needed) and more lemon juice (if needed). Pulse a few more times. Remove in a large pasta bowl.
- 4. Serve: Use Kale Pesto to make vinaigrette for salad, coat with fresh cooked pasta to make pesto pasta, serve over grilled meat as a condiment.
Savita's Notes:
- Kale: I prefer to use Dino Kale or Baby Kale for this recipe. To prepare kale for pesto, wash and dry leaves. Remove the hard inner rib and then small chop leaves. 3-4 large kale leaves yield 2 cups small chopped kale.
- Pesto will stay fresh in refrigerator for 1 week. You can also freeze it. I freeze it in ice cube tray. Once frozen, take out of tray and store in ziplock bag.
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