Wild garlic and walnut pesto adds a burst of flavour, goodness and vibrant green colour to pasta, risottos and many other dishes. This homemade pesto recipe also adds a nice garlicky punch to salad dressings and wraps.
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What you'll love about the recipe
- Wild garlic and walnut pesto is quick and easy to make. It's ready to eat in just 10 minutes and is made with 5 simple ingredients
- Budget friendly. If you can forage your wild garlic for free, this recipe is even more cost effective!
- Wild garlic has been shown to have even more health benefits than regular garlic
- Homemade wild garlic pesto is additive-free. The recipe is also gluten-free and can easily be made vegan and dairy free
You might also like this nettle pesto recipe, or vegan courgette pesto which is low-fat and nut free.
Ingredients
Wild garlic leaves or ransoms as they are also known are in season in the UK in Spring. If you are not able to forage them, they are also often available at farmer's markets.
For more details about wild garlic, see this recipe for wild garlic hummus. You might also like this wild garlic with potato soup recipe.
Wash the wild garlic leaves well before using them to make pesto, especially if you've picked them from the wild.
Walnuts. You can use other nuts, including pine nuts if you prefer. I like to use walnuts as they have a great flavour and are also a good source of omega-3 oils.
Olive oil. One of the benefits of making homemade hummus is that you can use a good quality healthy oil.
Parmesan adds a lovely salty umami flavour and a little creaminess to this wild garlic and walnut pesto. You could also use a mature cheddar or another strong hard cheese. If you prefer, omit the cheese. As an alternative, try some nutritional yeast.
Lemon juice. A squeeze of lemon adds a freshness to the flavour. If you don't have any lemon juice, add a few drops of white wine vinegar.
How to make wild garlic and walnut pesto
Using a food processor makes this recipe very easy. If you want to make pesto without a food processor, you could also use a handheld blender or a mortar and pestle.
Add the walnuts to the food processor and blitz until finely chopped.
Add the washed wild garlic leaves, lemon juice and olive oil. Pulse until the leaves have broken down.
Add the grated parmesan and pulse briefly to mix.
Taste the pesto and add a little salt if needed. Parmesan is naturally salty, so you may not need additional salt.
If you are using a mortar and pestle, grind up the wild garlic leaves and walnuts. Gradually add the olive oil and lemon juice, mixing as you go. Finally, mix in the parmesan.
Recipe tips
- For a more pronounced walnut flavour, toast the nuts before adding them to the pesto. Toast in a dry pan on a medium heat for a few minutes. Watch the walnuts like a hawk whilst they are cooking as nuts burn very easily!!
- If you want a lower-fat wild garlic pesto, replace up to half of the olive oil with water
- If you are serving wild garlic and walnut pesto pasta, add a tablespoon of the pasta water to make an extra creamy sauce. It'll coat the pasta better.
- You might also like this wild garlic salsa verde recipe. It's a quick easy sauce that you can serve with lamb, chicken, fish and veggie dishes.
Storage
Wild garlic and walnut pesto will keep in the fridge for up to a week if it's made with oil. If you replace some of the oil in the recipe with water, store it for up to 3 days.
Alternatively, you can freeze pesto. I find it convenient to freeze pesto in ice cube trays so that it can be defrosted in smaller quantities as needed.
Frequently asked questions
Whether to use pine nuts or walnuts in pesto is really down to personal taste. Pine nuts are a little softer so they break down easily and have a mild taste. Walnuts have a more distinctive flavour. They are also cheaper than pine nuts and a vegetarian source of omega 3 oil.
No, wild garlic can be eaten raw and is delicious added to a salad. It's got a much milder flavour than bulb garlic, so it's not overpowering. Fresh, young leaves are the best if you are eating them raw. However, wash the leaves thoroughly before eating, especially if they have been picked from near a footpath.
Yes, you can freeze wild garlic so that you can use it out of season. Like other leafy greens, it will lose its texture, so it won't be suitable for a salad, but will work well in cooking and wild garlic pesto. You can either freeze whole washed leaves in a bag or lidded container or chop and freeze them in ice cube trays.
Foraging recipes you might like
I love picking ingredients from the wild or from my garden to cook with. If you're lucky enough to have access to some hedgerows, you might be able to get these ingredients for free!
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Recipe
Wild Garlic and Walnut Pesto
Equipment
- Food processor, blender or mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 60 g wild garlic leaves washed in cold water
- 30 g walnuts
- 60 ml olive oil
- 30 g parmesan finely grated
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- seasoning if required
Instructions
- Add the walnuts to the food processor or blender and blitz until finely chopped.
- Add the washed wild garlic leaves, lemon juice and olive oil. Pulse until the leaves are broken down and the pesto has your desired consistency.
- Add the grated parmesan and blitz briefly to mix.
- Taste and add seasoning if required. Parmesan is naturally salty so you may not need additional salt.
Notes
- For a lower fat pesto recipe, replace half of the olive oil with water
- Toast the walnuts in a pan for a more distinctive roasted flavour. Just pop them in a dry pan over a medium heat until they are the desired colour. Nuts burn really easily so keep a close eye on them.
- If you are serving wild garlic and walnut pesto pasta, stir a tablespoon of the pasta water into the pesto. It'll make it creamier, and it'll coat the pasta better.
- Another hard cheese such as mature cheddar can be used in place of parmesan. Or for a vegan version, omit the cheese and add a little nutritional yeast.
- If you don't have lemon juice, add a splash of white wine vinegar.
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