Radish Greens Pesto packs a peppery, nutritional punch! Be sure to save those radish tops to make this delicious pesto that’s perfect with pasta, chicken, fish, and potatoes!
If you grew up the way I did, you just didn’t waste food. A culinary trend that’s super hot right now when it comes to vegetables is to use as much of the plant as possible. This trend makes total sense. Gardening is also hard work so you don’t want your hard work ending up in the compost bin.
We eagerly anticipate the first radish from our garden each spring. In fact, there could be more photos of first spring radishes on my husband’s Facebook page than photos of our grandkids!
I had heard about making pesto with radish greens and at first, I wasn’t too hip about the idea. After making and trying it, I’m in pesto love and plan to freeze a batch each year just as we do basil pesto.
Radish greens are completely edible. Because of their coarse texture, they don’t work well in salads unless they’re young and very small.
They can be cooked like any other green, but there too, you’ll want to use young and tender leaves. The texture of the leaves is why they’re perfect as a pesto. After they’ve been processed into pesto, you won’t notice the rough texture at all.
Here’s another reason to save those radish greens. According to Livestrong.com, radish greens are a nutritional powerhouse, ranking right up there with broccoli and kale in terms of antioxidants. They’re also high in vitamin C and calcium. Wow!
How to make Radish Greens Pesto:
- First, clean them well. Radish greens can be muddy. To thoroughly wash them, fill a sink with cool water.
- Place the greens in the sink and gently move them around. Doing so helps the dirt detach.
- Remove the leaves then drain and rinse the sink.
- Fill the sink again and repeat the process. I do this several times until I’m confident no dirt remains.
- Radish greens wilt quickly when separated from the root, so placing them in cool water like this also helps to perk them up. When you’re confident they’re nice and clean, spin dry in a salad spinner. After that, pack the leaves into a food processor and you’re ready to roll!
- This pesto has many of the same ingredients as a traditional basil pesto: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil and nuts.
- Because of their pungent, peppery flavor, I suggest using mild, sweet nuts such as almonds, macadamia or pistachios. If you are allergic to nuts, use sunflower seeds instead.
- A little bit of lemon juice in the pesto really punches up the flavor. If you plan to freeze the pesto, leave out the cheese and garlic and add them when you’re ready to serve the pesto.
Radish Greens Pesto is great with almost anything! Serve with fish, chicken, pasta, potatoes and any other way you would serve traditional pesto. Enjoy!
Be sure to try these other recipes that use pesto in creative ways!
Lasagna with Pesto Green Beans and Potatoes
This small-scale Lasagna with Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes is the perfect way to use the last of your fresh basil or any pesto you froze.
Baked Orzo with Pesto Peas Prosciutto and Mascarpone
Baked Orzo with Pesto, Peas, Prosciutto and Mascarpone is a lovely Italian-inspired spring main dish or side dish that's easily made ahead of time!
Oven Fries with Spicy Pesto Aioli
Oven Fries with Spicy Pesto Aioli make the perfect summer side dish for burgers, steaks, fish, chicken or anything else you're grilling!
Easy Hash Brown Frittata with Pesto and Goat Cheese
Easy Hash Brown Frittata with Pesto and Goat Cheese is impressive and comes together quickly for the perfect summer breakfast or brunch!
Tomato Ricotta Tart with Basil Pesto
Tomato Ricotta Tart with Basil Pesto is a savory and delicious way to enjoy those tantalizing summer tomatoes and fresh basil!
Naan Potato Pizza with Radish Top Pesto and Smoked Mozzarella
Here's a pizza for the carb-lover! Add an over-easy egg and you have a crazy delicious breakfast!
Green Minestrone with Radish Greens Pesto
Green Minestrone with Radish Top Pesto is a healthful taste of spring! A twist on classic Italian minestrone, this version has lots of spring vegetables which will make transitioning from cold weather to warm weather easy and delicious!
Helpful tools and equipment to make Radish Greens Pesto: (Affiliate Links):
Radish Greens Pesto
Pungent, peppery radish greens make perfect pesto and pack a nutritional punch! Use with chicken, fish, pasta, vegetables, potatoes or any other way you would use traditional basil pesto.
Ingredients
- 4 cups radish tops (packed), washed and dried
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds, coarsely chopped macadamia nuts or pistachios
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Combine first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender.
- Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add additional olive oil to achieve a thick sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Notes
If freezing, leave out the cheese and garlic and add when ready to serve.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1/4 cupAmount Per Serving Calories 390 Total Fat 33g Saturated Fat 6g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 26g Cholesterol 11mg Sodium 383mg Carbohydrates 19g Net Carbohydrates 0g Fiber 4g Sugar 10g Sugar Alcohols 0g Protein 8g
Eric says
June 28, 2019 at 7:02 pmMade it with pistachios. Actually surprised how good this tastes. Always just tossed the greens
Carol says
June 29, 2019 at 5:45 pmThanks, Eric! We were surprised the first time we made it too! It’s sooo good! Thanks again and glad you enjoyed!
pat says
May 24, 2019 at 9:34 amMade this today…tastes wonderful!! Thank you!
Carol says
May 24, 2019 at 11:09 amThanks so much, Pat! Love to hear that. So glad you are enjoying! You’ll love that it stays green!
Aika says
May 14, 2019 at 3:27 amThis pesto looks really delicious! I can’t wait to try this at home. I’m sure my family will love this too. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Carol says
May 14, 2019 at 6:35 amThank you, Aika. Hope you enjoy!
Connie B. says
April 4, 2019 at 12:25 pmWow! Such a lovely pesto. I tried it with all radish greens and with half spinach. It is so tasty. My husband and son loved the first one – so much. My husband said he might even like it better than basil pesto! High praise indeed. Thanks for the wonderful, waste-saving, delicious recipe!
Carol says
April 5, 2019 at 11:17 amHi, Connie! Thanks so much! After I made it the first time, I also thought it was better than basil pesto! So glad you all enjoyed and please stay in touch!
Maureen says
December 2, 2018 at 12:42 pmRecipe looks great! How long will it keep jarred and refrigerated?
Carol says
December 3, 2018 at 7:03 amHi, Maureen, Thanks for your question. I would only give it two or three days as the radish flavor starts to fade. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Alane Frakes says
May 9, 2018 at 2:18 pmHas anyone tried this dairy free with nutritional yeast instead of parm?
Carol says
May 10, 2018 at 7:43 amHi, Alane, Thanks for your question. I don’t know of anyone right now but I’m sure it would work fine if that’s what you use regularly to achieve a “cheesy” taste. Perhaps try it without the yeast first. If you like it, then no need to add the yeast. Hope you’ll give it a try and let me know how it goes. Thanks again!
Taza G. says
April 23, 2018 at 6:20 pmWow! I love the Internet! Was just cleaning a beautiful bunch of radishes & wondered: what could I make with these radish leaves? I used half almonds & half walnuts. It’s delicious! I love the idea of serving it with steamed spuds. Thanks for this great recipe!
Carol says
April 23, 2018 at 6:28 pmThanks, Taza! I know…. radish greens! Who knew! I think I like radish greens pesto better than basil pesto. It stays green! Thanks again and glad you enjoyed!
Alison says
March 5, 2018 at 11:23 pmDo I need to remove the stems? thanks
Carol says
March 6, 2018 at 6:38 amHi, Alison, Thanks for your question. Definitely remove them if they’re tough or woody. If you think they’ll blend into the pesto, then I wouldn’t bother. This recipe is all about using up things that people normally toss so you want to use as much as possible. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Sharayah says
June 25, 2017 at 2:55 pmI just made this– yum!! I added a bit more parm and garlic to mine. Thanks for the idea for using up those radish leaves, they won’t go to waste in this household anymore! I plan to use this over sauteed zucchini, zoodles, sauteed radishes, and maybe even those “miracle noodles”(we’re eating keto hence the low carb/high fat combos). Thanks again!!
Carol says
June 25, 2017 at 6:38 pmHi, Sharayah, Thanks so much! By all means… one should tweak things to their taste! So glad you enjoyed and please stay in touch!
Sarah says
June 12, 2017 at 10:46 pmJust made this and love it! Made a pesto and tomato pizza that was lovely.
Carol says
June 13, 2017 at 6:36 amThanks so much, Sarah! I love how this pesto does not turn a funky color like basil does. Here’s a recipe I recently did with the pesto and potatoes on pizza you may be interested in: https://www.fromachefskitchen.com/naan-potato-pizza-radish-pesto-smoked-mozzarella/
Eileen says
June 12, 2016 at 1:51 pmCarol, this looks so good. Last week I made a carrot top pesto and can’t wait to try this. I shared this recipe on the member page for my co-op farm. We get lots of radishes in our share and I’m sure this recipe will be very popular.
Carol says
June 12, 2016 at 2:23 pmThanks, Eileen! We really enjoyed the pesto. I LOVE that it doesn’t turn black like basil pesto. It stays a bright vivid green and I did not know until I did this posting how nutritious radish greens are. Even my granddaughter loved it and she’s not into green food!