Carrot Top Pesto Recipe

5 from 1 vote

A quick and easy pesto that is just bursting with flavour. Super versatile and a great way to use up those carrot greens rather than throwing them in the bin or compost. Mix and match the herbs and nuts that you use depending on the meal you are making and what you have hanging out in the fridge.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Basic

Cuisine: Anytime

Keyword: carrot top pesto, what to do with carrot greens

Servings: serves

Calories: 36kcal

Equipment

High speed blender

Ingredients

3 tablespoon smoked almonds (see notes)
2 cups carrot tops washed and dried and chopped roughly
small handful coriander/cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lemon juiced
3 tablespoon parmesan cheese grated (see notes if vegetarian)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add almonds to the blender and blend until only slightly chunky.
Put the carrot tops and herbs into a food processor and blend until smooth (see notes).
Add the garlic and lemon juice (you can also add the zest if you want), and blend again for a few seconds until combined.
Add in the parmesan and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the mixture is still blending. Contiue adding the oil until you reach the desired consistency (I like my pesto to be relativey smooth with no bits, others like it quite chunky).
Add salt and pepper to taste and give the mixture a quick pulse to make sure it is all mixed together
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Can also be frozen (see notes).

Notes

Smoked almonds are a new taste sensation I have discovered lately, and I have been adding them to anything and everything.

In Australia, you can buy them at Harris Farm and some well-stocked supermarkets.

In The US I know for sure you can get them at Trader Joes.

Corriander/Cilantro goes really well with the carrot greens in my opinion, and seeing as I tend to pair it with dishes such as pumpkin soup, it works really well.

If you prefer something a little more subtle, then use up some parsley instead.

Parmesan is something I regularly have on hand. However, if you are vegetarian or vegan you can always sub this cheese out for some nutritional yeast or vegetarian parmesan-like products that can be found in the cheese section instead.

Don’t overcrowd the food processor. You may have to add some carrot tops, blitz until reduced in size, and then add some more.

If you do overcrowd they will likely get stuck around the blade and the whole mixture will stop moving.

If this happens, just remove some of the mixture and pop it into a bowl on the side. Blitz and then slowly add some more carrot leaves back in through the food pushing shoot as you continue processing.

Sometimes just giving it a quick pulse can be enough of a jolt to get it moving again.

Nutrition