Kale And Walnut Pesto is a delicious and frugal alternative to traditional pesto. You can use it on chicken, with pasta, on bread, and more.

This is a really delicious vegetarian dip. For more ideas, check out all our vegetarian recipes.

To say I’m obsessed with this kale and walnut pesto is an understatement. I like it so much better than traditional pesto.

Pesto is traditionally basil and pine nuts, neither of which is cheap. So it’s not cheap to buy and it’s not cheap to make at home either.

This kale and walnut pesto has, well, kale and walnuts instead of basil and pine nuts, respectively. I say respectively, but I think your brain could have figured that out.

For more things to do with kale, check out our list of Budget-Friendly Kale Recipes.

Kale And Walnut Pesto Recipe

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Kale And Walnut Pesto Ingredients:

• 2 cups kale, packed
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

How To Make Kale And Walnut Pesto:

Wash the kale and remove the leaves from the stem. Chop it into slightly smaller pieces.

Add the kale, garlic, walnuts, and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour in the olive oil and stir.

You want to stir in the olive oil. Don’t pulse it in the blend and especially don’t blend it. Doing so will release bitter tasting micronutrients that will turn your pesto bitter. Gently stirring won’t cause this to happen.

Pour in the parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt, then stir until combined.

Kale And Walnut Pesto: Frequently Asked Questions

Recipes Using Kale Pesto:

You can use this Kale And Walnut Pesto in any recipe that calls for traditional pesto. We specifically use it in the following recipes:

• Kale Pesto Bruschetta
• Homemade Kale Pesto Ravioli
• Zoodles with pesto

You could also use it in the following recipe:

• Caprese Grilled Cheese

We can also use in it pretty much any dish that calls for a marinara sauce, so on top of spaghetti, on chicken parmesan, in pizza, etc. You can definitely be creative with it and you’ll be surprised with the outcome.

What To Make With Leftover Kale:

This recipe uses about half to 3/4 of a bunch of kale, depending on how plentiful the bunch is. You could just double the recipe, or you could save the leftover kale and use it in a few of our favorite recipes:

• Simple Sautéed Kale
• Air Fryer Kale Chips

Neither of those recipes rely on an exact amount of kale, so you can make them regardless of how much leftover kale you have.

Additional Alternative Pesto Recipe:

Maybe you’re allergic to basil. Or maybe you just don’t like it. Either way, you made it to this Kale And Walnut Pesto recipe because you’re looking for an alternative pesto recipe.

Well, wouldn’t you know we have another: Asparagus Pesto. That recipe is so good … if you like asparagus. It is really asparagus forward. We use that in a pasta dish with sausage, gorgonzola, nuts, and asparagus pieces.

Have you made this Kale And Walnut Pesto recipe? What did you think of it?