Yeast Free Kale & Herb Pesto
This vibrant green pesto is packed with earthy kale, fragrant basil, and bright parsley — a trio that makes every spoonful feel fresh and alive. A quick blanch keeps the kale brilliantly green and mellows any bitterness, so the final sauce is smooth and balanced rather than sharp or grassy. Lemon juice brings the acidity, garlic adds depth, and an optional hit of fresh ginger gives it a subtle warmth that makes this pesto genuinely interesting. Because it's built entirely from whole herbs, vegetables, and good olive oil, there's nothing here that could sneak in fermented or yeast-derived ingredients — no nutritional yeast, no store-bought shortcuts, just clean, real food. That matters when you're navigating a yeast-free approach and scanning labels on every jar of condiment or sauce you pick up. The food processor does most of the work in under ten minutes, and the result is a thick, spoonable paste that's endlessly versatile — toss it with pasta, spread it on flatbread, or use it as a dipping sauce for roasted vegetables.
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Learn more →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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