Herby and delicious Kale Pesto. The perfect way to get use up all your kale and basil greens. Because let’s be real… who really uses all the kale when purchased. Anybody? Nope just me? okay cool. Well I find it really hard to use up all my greens when I buy it. So one way I try to use them up before it goes bad is by making pesto. And this Kale pesto is so easy to make and packed with so much flavor and nutrients.

Made with a ton of basil, chopped kale, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan Cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning.
And babyyyy this did not disappoint. I probably won’t buy pesto from the grocery store anymore. That’s how good it was and it was super fresh. I love that I can control how much of an ingredient I add to it and doctor it up the way I like. Full creative control.
Kale Pesto ingredients
- Chopped Kale
- Basil
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Red pepper flakes
- Italian Seasoning
- Pine nuts
- Lemon juice
Tips/alternatives
- you can use sunflower seeds or walnuts if you prefer
- You can spice things up with red pepper flakes or jalapenos

I made a bomb Pesto and Cherry Tomato Pizza and a quick 3-ingredient pasta and omg! So fresh and flavorful. This pesto is perfect to make on a Sunday, and use for quick meals throughout the week!
Ways to use the Kale Pesto
- Butternut Squash, Kale & Caramelized Shallot Harvest Pizza
- Air fried Shrimp Pizza
- Easy Cheesy Pesto & Cherry Tomato Pizza
If you try this my Kale Pesto please be sure to leave a comment, and or tag me on Instagram @cookwithci. I would love to see your recreations and hear your thoughts.

Kale Pesto
Equipment
- Blender or Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup Chopped kale
- 1 cup Basil
- 1/4 cup Pine nuts
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup Olive oil + more if needed
- 1 tsp Red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 3-4 garlic cloves
Instructions
- To a food processor, add chopped kale, basil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, and olive oil. blend until smooth. Add in Parmesan cheese, more basil, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings according to taste.
- Pour into a mason jar and refrigerate for later use.
Notes
Did you make it?
Tag @cookwithci on Instagram and hashtag #CookwithCi