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    Home > Recipes > Vegan Sauces and Seasonings

    Vibrant Kale Pesto

    Updated: Nov 20, 2024 | Published: Sep 30, 2024 | by Amanda | 15 Comments

    Skip to Recipe

    Ready in 10 minutes flat, this simple kale pesto is a lovely twist on the traditional basil variety. Made with raws cashews and a bucket of kale, it's simple, healthy-ish and so addictive.

    Green pesto in a jar.

    This recipe was originally published in January 2019 and reposted in September 2024 with step-by-step instructions, ingredient substitutions and serving suggestions.

    This kale pesto is a riff on Toby Puttock's pesto in his cookbook Super Natural.

    While Toby's recipe is vegan, as is the entire Super Natural cookbook, I have made a few tweaks. I can't help it - I have never met a recipe I haven't felt the need to tweak. Perhaps it's the control freak in me. Don't judge.

    Jump to:
    • Why this Recipe Works
    • Ingredients & Substitutions
    • Step-by-Step Guide
    • How to Serve Kale Pesto
    • Storage
    • More Sauces and Seasonings
    • Make This Recipe
    • Leave a Comment

    Why this Recipe Works

    • Kale is a nutritional powerhouse; it's a good source of calcium, Vitamin C and E, selenium and beta-carotene.
    • This vegan pesto is fresh, vibrant and zesty.
    • We love raw cooking! It's quick, clean and tasty.
    • Vegan pesto comes together with a handful of ingredients.

    Ingredients & Substitutions

    Kale pesto ingredients in a grid with labels.

    Kale. I used fresh curly kale but you could use Tuscan kale. I prefer the bright green, but you choose your favourite. We are only using the leaves, so keep the stems to make a stock or soup.

    Garlic. Fresh garlic for punch.

    Cashews. I love the creaminess of raw cashews - try them in my zucchini soup or pumpkin soup - but you can use traditional pine nuts (you'll want to toast them in a dry pan first). For a nut-free pesto, try this recipe with pumpkin seeds.

    Nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a good source of B12 and protein (5g per 2 tbsp), plus it delivers delicious, cheesy umami.

    Lemon. We are going to use the juice and zest for a zesty, fresh kick. Acid lifts foods and adds dimension.

    Olive oil. A pesto staple.

    Salt. To make all the ingredients sing.

    The beauty of pesto is that you can adjust the seasonings to suit your taste buds. I add lemon zest but you could omit it. Add as much salt as you need and it's awesome with a good crack of black pepper. If you prefer more umami add another half spoon of the nutritional yeast. Simples.

    Step-by-Step Guide

    Step 1.

    Add the garlic and cashews to your food processor bowl and pulse 2 or 3 times to break them up. Add salt and nutritional yeast and pulse again.

    Step 2.

    Add the kale, lemon juice and zest and process until all the ingredients are well combined and broken down.

    Step 3.

    With the blade running, add the oil into the food processor in a steady stream. Process until the oil is completely combined.

    Step 4.

    The best part, taste it, season or add more lemon juice to taste and serve.

    Green pesto in a jar.

    How to Serve Kale Pesto

    • Kale pesto is a perfect topping for a healthy green pizza. Or dollop it on my pizza bianca
    • Toss your vegan pesto through roasted vegetables.
    • Of course you can stir it through cooked pasta for a quick pasta dinner.
    • Add it to beetroot hummus, shatta and creamy cashew ricotta for the perfect dip platter.
    • Slather it on crunchy, fresh bread.

    Storage

    Transfer pesto to a sealed container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.

    More Sauces and Seasonings

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      Vegan Brandy Sauce
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    • Tomato sauce in a pot close up.
      Sugo di Pomodoro (Italian Tomato Sauce)

    Sign up to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Insta for all the latest news. If you like this recipe, please check out my cookbook "Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family" It's full of simple, carnivore-approved family recipes.

    Make This Recipe

    An overhead image of a jar of green kale pesto with a spoon

    Vibrant Kale Pesto

    Ready in minutes, this simple vegan kale pesto is a perfect condiment when friends drop by. Fantastic with raw vegetables, breads or tossed through roast vegetables or pasta.
    4.45 from 18 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Condiment | Sides and Condiments
    Cuisine: Italian | Raw Vegan | Vegan
    Diet: Gluten Free | Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
    0 minutes minutes
    Servings: 10 servings
    Calories: 73kcal
    Author: Amanda Logan

    Equipment

    • food processor

    Ingredients 

    • 3 cups fresh kale, washed and roughly torn packed cups
    • ½ cup raw cashews
    • 2 garlic cloves or more to taste
    • 1 ¼ cups olive oil up to 1 ½ cups
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • zest of ½ lemon
    • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast heaped
    • sea salt to taste

    Instructions

    • Add the garlic and cashews to your food processor bowl and pulse 2 or 3 times to break them up. Add salt and nutritional yeast and pulse again.
    • Add the kale, lemon juice and lemon zest and process until combined.
    • With the blade running, add the olive oil in steady stream. Process until combined but textured.
    • Taste and add more lemon or salt to your taste.
    • Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Nutrition

    Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 156mg | Vitamin A: 2010IU | Vitamin C: 24.3mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.8mg
    Tried It?I'd love to hear your feedback. Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below. Or you can tag @mygoodnesskitchen or hashtag #mygoodnesskitchen on Instagram.
    « Homemade Za'atar Spice Blend
    Green Pea & Mint Buckwheat Risotto »

    Comments

      4.45 from 18 votes (13 ratings without comment)

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    1. Megan says

      October 03, 2023 at 6:48 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe! It's my go-to pesto recipe now that my body cannot process dairy. It's pretty forgiving and easy to make adjustments with, too. I usually add a handful of basil from my garden, increase the amount of nutritional yeast, increase the garlic, and decrease the amount of olive oil. I love using this pesto in gluten free pasta and on gluten free pizza with varied toppings, yum!!

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        October 03, 2023 at 9:37 am

        I love that you love it! You can make this recipe anything you want - and you have! Enjoy and thanks for taking the time to write, Megan. 🙂

        Reply
    2. LOLa says

      September 19, 2021 at 7:17 am

      Excited to try this recipe, do the cashews need to be soaked before putting in the food processor?

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        September 19, 2021 at 7:18 am

        Hi Lola, no the cashews don't need to be soaked - we want the texture. It's very similar to making a traditional pesto with pine nuts and basil. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
        • Lola says

          September 19, 2021 at 7:48 am

          Thanks so much for the quick response, I'm glad I asked!

          Reply
          • Amanda says

            September 19, 2021 at 9:14 am

            No worries! 😉

            Reply
        • Nb says

          November 02, 2024 at 9:13 pm

          5 stars
          Just dropping by to say thank you so much for this recipe! So easy and such a life saver for the sad looking kale in my fridge. My tip is to watch your lemon ring as my pesto almost bordered on bitter. Still loved it!

          Reply
    3. Karen says

      November 11, 2020 at 12:47 pm

      I made the recipe for my family and we love it! How long is it good for in the refrigerator before I need to freeze it? Thank you

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        November 11, 2020 at 1:32 pm

        Hey Karen, I am so happy you guys like the pesto. Me too! It will keep in the fridge for 4 - 5 days. For best results I would either freeze some straight away or around the 3-day mark. I freeze my pesto flat in a ziplock bag for a month r so. I haven't frozen it for longer. Have an awesome day. x

        Reply
        • Karen says

          November 12, 2020 at 3:51 am

          Wonderful! Thank you so much. I made a double batch, but I don't think this family will have a problem going through it in a month 🙂

          Reply
    4. Perveen Usmani says

      November 02, 2019 at 6:06 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Amanda, I love this pesto. I put some extra garlic but it was too garlicy so I adjusted the other things accordingly, like you said. Thanks you1

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        November 02, 2019 at 11:12 pm

        Fantastic Perveen! I am so glad you like it.

        Reply
    5. Madison says

      April 20, 2019 at 3:05 am

      5 stars
      Hmm so tasty

      Reply
    6. Renae Beck says

      April 08, 2019 at 8:42 pm

      2 stars
      Not a great pesto flavor. I much prefer a basil. Which I added and made it taste better to me

      Reply
      • Amanda says

        April 08, 2019 at 9:14 pm

        Hi Renae, It's a personal thing. I don't love basil pesto so this is a nice alternative to basil. Thanks for the feedback.

        Reply
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