Wondering what to do with carrot tops? Don’t throw them away! Make this bright, sweet and peppery carrot top pesto with pistachios, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh lemon juice. Vegan, gluten free, protein-rich, and kids love it!

Carrot top pesto in a bowl next to some carrots and bowls of salt and pistachios.
Photo Credits: Elana Lepkowski

Move over basil pesto, carrot tops make a wonderfully herby alternative to mix up your routine. Genovese-style pesto, made with basil, pine nuts, and pecorino or parmesan cheese, is the most well-known. However, there are many styles across Italy, from Sicilian Pesto alla Trapanese to a more modern Red Pesto made with sun dried tomatoes. Basically, if you can crush it, you can make pesto! 

There’s no shortage of recipes to use fresh carrots, from Roasted Carrot Soup to Moroccan-Style Carrot Salad. But the question of what to do with carrot tops strikes me every year thanks to an overabundance of carrots in our garden and the desire to cut back on kitchen waste.

To solve this conundrum, my family started making carrot top pesto. With its naturally sweeter taste, I found my young kids preferred this over traditional pesto on their pasta! It’s also dairy-free, making it a delicious alternative for vegetarians and vegans.

You can use this Carrot Top Pesto in place of many dishes that call for basil pesto. Try it on pasta, chicken, or pesto salmon and other seafood, or, yes, even spooned over roasted carrots! You may find this milder pesto becoming your new go-to as well. 

Table of Contents
  1. Carrot Top Pesto Ingredients
  2. How to Make Carrot Top Pesto
  3. How to Store Carrot Top Pesto
  4. Ways to Mix it Up
  5. What to Serve with Carrot Top Pesto
  6. But What Do I Do With Carrot Bottoms, You Ask?
  7. Carrot Top Pesto Recipe
Ingredients for carrot top pesto including carrots with their tops, garlic, pistachios, lemon, olive oil and kosher salt.

Carrot Top Pesto Ingredients

Carrot Top Pesto relies on just a few ingredients for a flavorful sauce. It’s best to make this with the freshest carrots available to you.

  • Carrot tops: Carrot tops have a peppery, sweet flavor to them, very much like carrots! The fresher the better–discard any wilted or brown fronds.
  • Pistachios: Roasted or raw will work in this recipe. Pistachios add a subtle and sweet nuttiness to the pesto. Choose unsalted, as the salt content can vary from brand to brand.
  • Garlic: I like one clove, but if you want a little more garlic kick you can increase to a second clove. Just keep in mind that too much garlic can overwhelm the nuanced flavor of the carrot tops. 
  • Lemon juice: Brightens, balances, and keeps the pesto a vibrant green. Use freshly squeezed lemon for optimal flavor. 
  • Olive oil: fruity, buttery olive oil incorporates all the ingredients together and turns them into a mixture. Don’t use a mild neutral oil, as olive oil is an ingredient that will shine through and you want something with a fuller flavor.
  • Kosher salt: Because this pesto is cheese-free, you might notice you need slightly more salt than what you see in a basil pesto. Always adjust to taste.
An overhead photo of bow tie pasta tossed with carrot top pesto in a bowl garnished with chopped carrot tops.

How to Make Carrot Top Pesto

Making Carrot Top Pesto requires minimal prep. In fact, if you’re used to making your pesto, this is pretty similar! And, if you do not have a food processor or blender, this pesto can be hand-chopped and mixed for a chunkier version, or ground in a large mortar and pestle. Here are the steps:

  • Prep the carrot tops. Remove the tops from 2 bunches of carrots, discarding any tough stems and wilted leaves. Thoroughly wash the carrot tops and pat them dry.An overhead photo of carrots just separated from their tops on a cutting board with a knife. Next to this is a bunch of carrots.
  • Pulse to make a paste. Add 1 garlic clove and 1/2 cup of pistachios into the food processor and pulse a few times to break them up. Add the carrot tops and 2 teaspoons lemon juice and pulse for 30 seconds.An overhead photo of carrot top pesto in the bowl of a food processor. Next to this is a lemon half and a bowl with two pistachios.
  • Make a sauce. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. With the food processor on low, drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil. Use the pesto right away, or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.An overhead photo of someone using a spatula to scrap the sides of the carrot top pesto in the bowl of a food processor.

How to Store Carrot Top Pesto

To store your Carrot Top Pesto, keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also freeze the pesto whole, or portion out cubes in an ice cube tray for smaller amounts.

I find that adding a light layer of olive oil to the top of the pesto when freezing helps prevent freezer burn and keeps the pesto a brighter green. 

An overhead photo of carrot top pesto in a bowl with a spoon next to a bowl of pistachios.

Ways to Mix it Up

While this Carrot Top Pesto is delicious as-is, here are a few ways to swap and substitute ingredients to make in your kitchen.

  • Swap out half the carrot tops with a variety of other greens. Basil, parsley, and cilantro work for herbs. You could also swap half with arugula or spinach, although I find sometimes that can add a slight bitter taste.
  • Like the cheesiness of Genovese-style pesto? 1/2 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese will give you some of that sharpness, but remember to cut back on the salt in the recipe as hard cheese can sometimes be very salty.
  • Want to try another nut? This recipe can be swapped 1:1 with unsalted, roasted cashews or raw walnuts. If you can only find salted nuts at your grocery store, hold back on the salt in the recipe then taste and adjust as necessary. 
  • Try other varieties of pesto, like Pesto Alla Trapanese (Sicilian Almond Pesto).
An overhead photo of a bowl of carrot top pesto. Next to this is a bunch of carrots, 2 lemon wedges, a bottle of olive oil, a head of garlic and bowls of salt and pistachios.

What to Serve with Carrot Top Pesto

You can use Carrot Top Pesto in place of many recipes that call for a basil-style pesto. The bright peppery, lemony base pairs well with fish, chicken, pasta and vegetable dishes. Here are a few more ideas for using this pesto recipe:

  • Pasta is the go-to pick for pesto. Toss with Potato Gnocchi, Ricotta Gnocchi, spaghetti or a farfalle-style pasta with a few spoonfuls of pasta water for an easy dish.
  • Spoon the Carrot Top Pesto over meat, like this whole roast chicken.
  • Pesto doesn’t always have to be a sauce! Use it as a spread for sandwiches, mix it with Aioli for a creamy dip, or try it in this Pita Grilled Cheese!
  • Carrots! Roast the carrots and use the Carrot Top Pesto as a sauce.

But What Do I Do With Carrot Bottoms, You Ask?

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5 from 1 vote

Carrot Top Pesto

A picture of Elana LepkowskiElana Lepkowski
A close up of carrot top pesto in a bowl.
Rather than throwing away those vibrant green carrot tops, turn them into this sweet and nutty carrot top pesto! Use this vegan spread just like you would any pesto–sandwiches, pasta, roast fish or meat, just to name a few ideas.
Prep – 10 minutes
Total – 10 minutes
Cuisine:
Italian
Serves – 6 (Makes 1 cup)
Course:
Sauce

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups carrot tops (from 2 bunches of carrots)
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 1/2 cup pistachios
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • Prep the carrot tops. Remove the carrot top’s tough stems, keeping only the lacy tops. Thoroughly wash the tops and pat dry. Set aside.
  • Blend into a paste. In a food processor or blender, pulse the garlic and pistachios together until broken into small pieces. Then add the carrot tops and lemon juice to the food processor and pulse for 30 seconds until well combined.
  • Create a sauce. Run the machine on low as you slowly drizzle in the olive oil, then add the salt. Stop and scrape down the sides and pulse a few additional times to combine all the ingredients.
  • Finish and serve. Taste and adjust if additional salt is needed. Use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Notes

  • Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil used in this recipe.
  • If you do not have a food processor or blender, this pesto can be hand chopped and mixed for a chunkier version, or ground in a large mortar and pestle.

Nutrition

Calories: 232.5kcalCarbohydrates: 5.6gProtein: 3.1gFat: 22.8gSaturated Fat: 3.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 15.6gSodium: 194.3mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 1.1gSugar: 0.8gVitamin A: 42.6IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 79.2mgIron: 2.3mg
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Culinary Specialty: Mixology

Elana Lepkowski has been mixing drinks from her home bar for years, but began blogging her original cocktail recipes in 2011. In 2014 she left a decade long career as a creative director to pursue the world of cocktails full-time. In addition to creating recipes for her site Stir and Strain, she regularly whips up recipes for many major liquor brands, national publications, and occasionally her husband.
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5 from 1 vote

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Comments

  1. Janice says:

    I just composted carrot tops this morning!! How I wish I had seen the recipe for Carrot Top Pesto earlier. Will have to buy more carrots at the farmers market this coming weekend. Sounds like a delicious recipe!

  2. Victoria says:

    Now that you’ve provided recipes to help us use up stale bread and carrot tops, how about one or two that use beet greens (tops)? 🙂

  3. Maria says:

    5 stars
    Great Recipe!