Carrot Pesto

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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.

A small glass jar filled with orange pesto, on a bench with a snack platter and loose carrots.

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
The ingredients to make carrot pesto laid out on a bench top.

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.

I am an ambassador for Countdown supermarket, they support my blog by providing ingredients for recipe creation and testing. I used cashews, and extra virgin olive oil from their range in this recipe.

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

Peeled and oiled carrots on a lined baking 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

A lined baking tray with roasted carrots, cashews and garlic cloves.

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.

A food processor with roasted carrots, chunks of parmesan and cashew nuts.
Roasted garlic cloves being held above a food processor.

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).

A halved lemon being held above a food processor of carrot pesto.

Enjoy!


A small glass jar filled with orange pesto on a grey marble bench.

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.
A plate of carrot pesto pasta next to a jar of carrot pesto.
A snack platter of sliced vegetables, carakers and orange carrot pesto.
A plate of pasta topped with orange pesto sauce and garnished with chopped chives.

If you made my roasted carrot pesto  or any other recipes on the blog please :

  • leave me a comment and a star rating below to let me know how you got on, I love hearing from you.
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A small glass jar of orange pesto with loose baby carrots in the background.

Carrot Pesto

Easy to make roasted carrot pesto is a delicious dip or spread. It's also fantastic stirred through pasta. With the natural sweetness of carrots it's the perfect blend of sweet, salty and savoury.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dips Dressings Sauces
Cuisine: New Zealand
Keyword: carrot pesto, roasted carrot pesto, roasted carrot dip
Diet: Egg Free, Gluten free, vegetarian
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 161kcal

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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

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3380IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg

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One Comment

  1. I didn't manage to get it completely smooth but kids still like it (as do I) -lush. Just wondering if it will freeze