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.
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.
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Why this Recipe Works
Ingredients & Substitutions
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.
How to Serve Kale Pesto
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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Make This Recipe
Vibrant Kale Pesto
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.
Megan says
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!!
Amanda says
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. 🙂
LOLa says
Excited to try this recipe, do the cashews need to be soaked before putting in the food processor?
Amanda says
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!
Lola says
Thanks so much for the quick response, I'm glad I asked!
Amanda says
No worries! 😉
Nb says
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!
Karen says
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
Amanda says
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
Karen says
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 🙂
Perveen Usmani says
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
Amanda says
Fantastic Perveen! I am so glad you like it.
Madison says
Hmm so tasty
Renae Beck says
Not a great pesto flavor. I much prefer a basil. Which I added and made it taste better to me
Amanda says
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.