Name: Carrot Top Pesto
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 bunch carrot tops* (tough stems removed. About 2 cups chopped.); 1 cup arugula*; ½ cup hemp seeds*; 1 lemon (zested and juiced); 2 cloves garlic (zested or pressed); ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt; ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper; ⅓ cup olive oil*

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Don’t throw away those carrot tops! Here’s a quick 5-minute recipe for Carrot Greens Pesto that’s super delish and packed with nutrition from the leaves of the carrots. This dairy-free carrot top pesto is the tastiest recipe to use carrot greens.

Carrots, carrot greens and lemons surround a bowl of carrot top pesto.

In my house, vegan basil pesto is a crowd favorite. BUT…I don’t always have enough fresh basil in my garden to make traditional pesto. Plus buying enough basil for pesto can get expensive….but using carrot greens to make pesto is super economical.

Looking for more Healthy Passover Recipes? Discover new and exciting ways to enjoy Kosher for Passover Recipes while maintaining a balanced diet with Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for Passover.

Carrot greens pesto is the perfect recipe to make, any time you have fresh carrots. Really, EVERY time you buy fresh carrots you should be setting aside the carrot greens to make this carrot top pesto recipe. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It’s so delicious, you won’t need a reminder.

Whether you’re making whole roasted carrots, moroccan spiced carrots honey roasted carrots, or you’re just cutting up carrots to dip into your vegan caesar dressing...this carrot top recipe is THE BEST.

Plus, there’s no reason to waste the carrot greens by sending them your compost pile…because this easy recipe uses just 7 ingredients and takes literally 5 minutes to make.

Why you’ll love this Carrot Top Pesto

OMG….so delicious.
Easy to make with just 7 ingredients and it takes less than 5 minutes.
NO WASTE: I HATE wasting food. With this recipe you finally have a use for all parts of the carrots.
No basil, no problem….and you still can enjoy pesto!
Perfect for zoodles, or mixed into cauli-rice, as a dip for raw veggies or used to flavor soups, stews, stir fry or sauces.
NUTRIENT DENSE: This recipe is loaded with vitamins and minerals.
Diversify your gut flora….variety is the spice of life. Bitter greens add so much diversity to your gut microbiome.
Super tasty….oh, did I already mention that. Well, it’s true. Totally scrumptious.
Anytime you buy carrots to make a recipe and you’re wondering what to do with carrot greens, now you have the answer. Quick and easy carrot top pesto!

Health benefits of carrot greens

Fresh carrots with their greens attached on a wire rack.

They’re actually MORE nutritious than the carrots themselves!
Carrot greens are considered bitter greens….which are good for digestion.
Carrot greens add a depth of flavor and a diverse nutritional profile that is good for the gut flora
They’re rich in nutrients: they contain 6 times more vitamin C than the root…plus Vitamin A, fiber, iron, potassium, calcium and phytonutrients.
Carrot greens have a good amount of chlorophyll which is a natural diuretic and detoxifier.
Why waste them? Seriously…..they’re easy to use in myriad ways.

What to do with carrot tops?

Chop them up and add into salad. The carrot greens will blend right in on this easy green salad, or my Tuscan Kale Chopped Salad. Really, any salad you made will be enhanced by adding carrot greens.
Sprinkle on top of carrot soup as a garnish.
Add the carrot tops to your favorite green smoothie. Oh, wait, that is MY favorite smoothie recipe. You might prefer to disguise your greens as a chocolate shake.
Carrot greens make a wonderful garnish to cooked recipes too like this easy stir fry recipe or these Dijon Lentils with Roasted Veggies.
You get the idea. Substitute carrot tops for any green or herb in any recipe. I’ve even added them to guacamole when I didn’t have cilantro.

How to store carrot tops

It’s best to store carrot greens separately from the carrots. The greens will lead to condensation, making the carrots spoil more quickly.
Wash and dry carrot tops the same way you would any leafy green.
Place them in a dry plastic bag or airtight container, lined with a paper towel to absorb any moisture.
Carrot greens will stay good in the fridge

What’s in Pesto?

Classic pesto is made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese and olive oil. But, why stop there? Think outside the box a bit and you’ll see that you’re only a few steps away from my carrot top pesto recipe.

In my book, pesto is made from some kind of green (maybe herbs, maybe not), some seeds or nuts (pine nuts are expensive, so I often use walnuts or pistachios), fresh lemon and garlic…maybe some oil…or maybe tahini instead…and some spices. I like vegan pesto, so I don’t use parmesan cheese. Sometimes I use nutritional yeast instead, but I don’t find it necessary. See what I mean about flexibility. Resourceful comes in, when you don’t have EXACTLY the ingredients called for.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Pile of carrot greens and pile of arugula, plus hemp seeds, olive oil, lemon, garlic and spices.

Carrot Greens: If you don’t have carrot tops and still want to make pesto, that’s cool….but it won’t be a carrot top pesto. Maybe you want to make arugula spinach pesto with walnuts or kale cashew pesto, if that’s what you have on hand. Classic Pesto with basil and pine nuts is also delish. If you have any type of greens, you can make pesto.
Arugula: I absolutely LOVE the peppery flavor of arugula, but if you don’t have any, you can still make carrot top pesto. Substitute a green or an herb that you do have. Good choices are parsley, spinach, basil, baby kale or oregano leaves.
Hemp seeds: Any nut or seed would work well here, but keep in mind, they won’t all grind up as easily in your food processor. If you don’t want chunks of nuts in your pesto, either use a high speed blender to puree, OR soak your nuts in hot water for about 30 minutes before blending. Use pine nuts as you would the hemp seeds. They’re soft. Good subs, that need soaking: cashews, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds. If you’re making this as a passover recipe, sub with cashews…YUM.
Lemon: Use the zest and the juice for the best flavor (and the least waste). No fresh lemons? Opt for bottled lemon juice, and be sure to buy organic. Lemons are a heavily sprayed crop. You can also substitute fresh lime zest and juice in this recipe…I’ve tried it, and it’s GOOD!
Garlic: I like to use a microplane zester for the garlic in this recipe. It’s easy to use and cuts down on waste. You can also use a garlic press or mince the whole clove before using. If you don’t have fresh garlic, use ½ teaspoon garlic powder….NOT garlic salt.
Oil: I used ⅓ cup olive oil in this recipe. If you want to make this without oil, use ¼ cup tahini and then add 1 Tablespoon at a time of water until you reach desired consistency.
Spices: If you like more spice, I recommend adding ¼-1/2 teaspoon white pepper. You could also up the amount of crushed red pepper.

How to make Pesto with Carrot Greens:

Bunch of carrots on a cutting board with their greens still attached.

First you’ll want to wash the carrots. You can also scrub them with a vegetable brush, or peel them, depending on how you’ll use the carrots.

Carrots trimmed, carrot green stems and carrot tops

2. Next, separate the carrots from the thicker stems and the leafy tops. Use the carrots in your favorite carrot recipe. I save the thick stems in a zip top bag in my freezer and throw them in the pot when I next make veggie stock. Put aside the leafy tops to uses in this recipe.

Food processor bowl filled with ingredients for carrot greens pesto.

3. Place all ingredients, except for oil, in the bowl of a food processor. It doesn’t matter if the carrot greens are still damp. If you’re making this as a Passover Recipe, substitute cashews or another nut for the seeds.

Food processor bowl filled with bright green pesto.

4. Process until everything is completely broken down. You may need to scrape down the sides a couple of times to be sure that everything is finely chopped.

Creamy green pesto in the bowl of a food processor.

5. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil. Continue to process until the oil is fully incorporated and the pesto sauce is emulsified. You may need to scrape down the sides once or twice in between.

Carrots, lemons, arugula around a bowl of pesto.

6. That’s it! Your pesto is ready to use. Sprinkle with additional hemp seeds to add texture or crushed red pepper to add some zing. Enjoy your pesto right away, or store in the fridge for up to a week.

Storage Tips

Store in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze for up to 6 months. Use freezer safe containers, allowing room for pesto to expand once frozen.
Use ice cube trays to freeze, then pop out and store in freezer safe zip top bags. This way you can just add one or two cubes to sauces and dips to liven up their flavor.

More Carrot Recipes

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📖 Recipe

Carrot Top Pesto

Author: Debra Klein

Stop throwing away your carrot tops. You can make this 5-minute carrot greens pesto instead. It's loaded with flavor and nutrition and easy to make.

5 from 52 votes

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Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Servings ½ cups pesto

Calories 200 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

▢ 1 bunch carrot tops* tough stems removed. About 2 cups chopped.
▢ 1 cup arugula*
▢ ½ cup hemp seeds*
▢ 1 lemon zested and juiced
▢ 2 cloves garlic zested or pressed
▢ ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
▢ ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
▢ ⅓ cup olive oil*

Instructions

Separate the leaves from the tough stems. Wash the leaves well.
Place carrot tops, arugula, hemp seeds, zest and juice of lemon, garlic, S+P in the bowl of food processor and pulse. Scrape down the sides and continue to process until everything is uniformly chopped.
With the motor running, slowly stream in. the olive oil. Stop to scrape down the side and process again until all the oil is fully incorporated and emulsified.
Store pesto in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to three months.

Notes

GREENS: You should have about 3 cups total between the carrot leaves and the arugula. Any combo is fine and feel free to substitute any herbs or greens to make up the 3 cups.

HEMP SEEDS: It’s OK to substitute other seeds or nuts. Keep in mind, harder nuts will be more difficult to grind into a smooth consistency. Soaking nuts in hot water for 30 minutes will help. Using a high speed blender will also assist in the blending process.

OIL: to make this oil free, omit the olive oil, add in ¼ cup tahini with the other ingredients and then, with the motor running, add water 1 Tablespoon at a time until you reached your desired consistency.

FREEZER: You can freeze carrot top pesto for up to three months. I like to freeze in ice cube trays that are later emptied into zip top bags. You can then add a cube or two to a sauce, straight from the freezer to add depth and rich flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 200kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 208mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2g

Note

The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag me @dkhealthcoach or use hashtag #dkhealtcoach on Instagram so I can see it!!

Categories

Condiment Gluten Free Grain Free Kosher for Passover Vegan

Comments

5 from 52 votes (46 ratings without comment)

Carrot Greens Pesto