Carrot Pesto
Roasted Carrot Pesto has everything you want in a delicious dip or spread. A little bit sweet a little bit salty, a little bit crunchy and a lot of tasty flavor.
Why This Recipe Works
- Delicious as a dip with vegetables or crackers
- Yummy as a spread on bread
- A lovely alternative to basil pesto stirred through pasta or salads
- The ingredients in carrot pesto are sources of: Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C Folate, Potassium and Iron.
Ingredients you will need
To make my Carrot Pesto you will need:
- carrots
- garlic
- cashews
- olive oil
- parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
- Carrots: Many carrot pesto recipes are made with carrot greens so they are in fact carrot top pesto. Not this recipe though. This is a sweet orange pesto made with roasted carrots.
- Garlic: I like to roast the garlic with the carrots. It gives the garlic a milder taste.
- Cashews: I use natural cashews and roast them with the carrots, you could use roasted cashews and skip the roasting step but be careful if you use salted nuts as it may make the dip very salty. The cashews can be substituted for walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds or pine nuts if you prefer.
- Olive oil: I like to use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe, but you can choose a milder oil if you prefer.
- Lemon juice: Orange juice is also a lovely alternative.
Step-by-step instructions
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my Carrot Pesto recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Prep: Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (360 F).
Step one: Top, tail and peel the carrots roughly chop and place on a roasting tray
Step two: Roast the carrots in the preheated oven for 10 minutes
Step three: Add the garlic cloves (in skin) to the baking sheet and roast for a further 5 minutes
Step four: Add the cashew nuts and roast for a further 5 minutes
Step five: Remove from the oven and let the garlic, cashews and carrots cool.
Step six: Pop the roasted garlic out of their skins. Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Step seven: Pulse until the pesto is finely chopped. (You don't want it to be a puree, it's nicer with a little texture).
Slowly add the olive oil
Step eight: Season with salt and pepper
Step nine: Optional (A squeeze of lemon can really enhance the flavour of the carrot pesto).
Enjoy!
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Top Tips
Here is how you can make this carrot pesto recipe perfectly every time!
- Roast the carrots until they are a little blackened in places. This adds a lovely umami flavor to the pesto
- I only toast the cashews for a few minutes as I like them toasted but still blond in this recipe.
- Store your carrot pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Carrot Pesto
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Ingredients
- 200 grams carrots
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup cashews 70 grams
- ½ cup olive oil
- 50 grams parmesan
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (360 F).
- Top, tail and peel the carrots roughly chop and place on a roasting tray
- Roast the carrots in the preheated oven for 10 minutes
- Add the garlic cloves (in skin) to the tray and roast for a further 5 minutes
- Add the cashew nuts and roast for a further 5 minutes
- Remove from the oven and let the garlic, cashews and carrots cool.
- Pop the roasted garlic out of their skins. Place all the ingredients in a food processor
- Pulse until the pesto is finely chopped. (You don't want it to be a puree, it's nicer with a little texture).
- Season with salt and pepper
- Optional (A squeeze of lemon can really enhance the flavour of the carrot pesto).
Notes
- Roast the carrots until they are a little blackened in places. This adds a lovely umami flavor to the pesto
- I only toast the cashews for a few minutes as I like them toasted but still blond in this recipe.
- Store your carrot pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- Carrots: Many carrot pesto recipes are made with carrot greens so they are in fact carrot top pesto. Not this recipe though. This is a sweet orange pesto made with roasted carrots.
- Garlic: I like to roast the garlic with the carrots. It gives the garlic a milder taste.
- Cashews: I use natural cashews and roast them with the carrots, you could use roasted cashews and skip the roasting step but be careful if you use salted nuts as it may make the dip very salty. The cashews can be substituted for walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds or pine nuts if you prefer.
- Olive oil: I like to use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe, but you can choose a milder oil if you prefer.
- Lemon juice: Orange juice is also a lovely alternative.
Nutrition
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I didn't manage to get it completely smooth but kids still like it (as do I) -lush. Just wondering if it will freeze