Spinach walnut pesto is a simple, creamy, vibrant sauce that is so easy to make! Perfect for pasta, zoodles, pizza, wraps or dipping your favorite veggies, you are going to love how much flavor this recipe adds to any dish!
In a food processor, combine the basil, lemon juice and olive oil. Process about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
1 package basil, 1 lemon juiced, 2 tbsp olive oil
Add the walnuts, salt, garlic powder, and 1 tbsp. water to the food processor and process on high until smooth (1-2 minutes).
1/4 cup walnuts, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp water
Add the spinach to the food processor (in batches if necessary) and blend until smooth.
2 cups baby spinach
Add additional water depending on how thick you want your pesto, 1/2-1 tablespoon at a time.
Notes
Storage:
Store in sealed glass container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Note: color will start to darken after 3-4 days.
To freeze pesto for later: Freeze in silicone ice cube tray until solid. Once solid, remove from tray and store in a freezer safe silicone bag or freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Substitutions:
Spinach: you can also use arugula or kale in place of the spinach.
Walnuts: If you don’t have walnuts on hand, you can also use:
Almonds,
Cashews
Hazelnuts
Hemp hearts
Pumpkin seeds or
Sunflower seeds
Garlic powder: I use garlic powder because I find that raw garlic can sometimes be a bit overwhelming to pesto, but some people love that kick from raw garlic. If you would rather use raw garlic, you will need about 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
If you cannot have garlic, I would recommend that you use roasted garlic olive oil in place of the olive oil to give it some garlic flavor without the garlic.