Vegan Kale & Herb Pesto

Total time13 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time3 min

4.8

(20)

This vibrant green pesto skips the cheese and nuts entirely while still delivering the kind of bold, herbaceous punch that makes you want to put it on everything. Blanching the kale first is a small but smart move — it tames any bitterness, locks in that gorgeous bright color, and makes the leaves blend into a silky, cohesive paste rather than a chunky mess. Fresh basil and parsley round out the flavor, while lemon juice keeps it lively and a touch of turmeric adds a subtle warmth you can't quite put your finger on. The optional fresh ginger nudges it in an even more interesting direction if you're feeling adventurous. Because the richness here comes entirely from good extra-virgin olive oil, the texture is luxuriously smooth without any dairy doing the heavy lifting. Toss it with pasta, spread it on toast, swirl it into soup, or use it as a dipping sauce — this pesto is endlessly versatile and comes together in under ten minutes once your kale is blanched.

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Ingredients

6 servings

2 cups curly or lacinato kale, stems removed, leaves roughly torn
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 tbsp lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
¼ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated (optional)

Instructions

1
Bring a small skillet of water to a boil over high heat. Add the kale leaves and blanch for 30 seconds, until bright green and just wilted. Drain immediately and transfer to a bowl of ice water for 1 minute to stop the cooking, then squeeze out as much water as possible with your hands.
2
Combine the blanched kale, basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, turmeric, and ginger (if using) in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and the garlic is broken down.

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