Carrot Top Pesto: An Easy 5-Minute Recipe for Reducing Food Waste

Did you know that the greens of many root vegetables are edible?  You might think that carrot tops are just rabbit food (and rabbits indeed love them), but they can also be delicious for humans when prepared the right way.

Enjoy these bunnies munching on some carrot tops... pretty cute, huh?!

Another benefit of eating carrot tops is reducing food waste.  Whether you have a compost bin or send your food scraps to the landfill, isn’t it better to actually eat all the food you or your family spent money on?  This could have the added benefit of reduced GHG emissions from landfills. And maybe your trash can fills up less quickly, too.  One less trip to the dumpster? Not too shabby. You can learn more about food waste here and here. With that being said, let’s get to the recipe!

Carrot Top Pesto: An Easy 5-Minute Recipe for Reducing Food Waste

Flavor Profile: Herbaceous, Tangy, and a Bit Spicy!

This pesto is great on whole wheat sourdough toast or red lentil penne.  Feel free to get creative with it!

Ingredients: 

• Greens/tops of roughly 5 carrots

• 1 jalapeño pepper

• 3 large garlic cloves

• Juice of ½ of a lemon

• 1 bunch of spring onions/scallions 

• ½ cup olive oil

• ⅓ cup cashews 

• 1 pinch of salt

  
  

Speciality Tools:

• Blender or Food Processor

Steps:

1. Chop the produce.  Remove the thicker parts of the carrots' stems and chop the remaining greens into smaller segments so that they don’t overwhelm your blender. Chop the jalapeño and spring onions.  Peel the garlic cloves. Nothing needs to be cut up too small; the blender will do most of the work for you.

2. Put the liquids (oil and lemon juice) in a blender along with half of the chopped produce.  Blend on a low setting at first, then increase speed as the carrot leaves start to break down.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until the mixture reaches your desired texture.  

Notes:

1. The recipe should make (very) roughly 12 ounces.  If you don’t plan on eating it within a few days, try freezing leftovers for a rainy day when you don’t want to go grocery shopping.  

2. Wash all produce very thoroughly to reduce any risk of contamination, especially since you won’t be cooking it. 

3. Leave jalapeño seeds in for a spicier pesto, or carefully remove them for a milder pesto.  Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling or wear gloves. You don’t want to get pepper juice in your eye!

4. Roasted/toasted cashews will add the best flavor, but “raw” will work too.  Whatever you can get most easily. Keep in mind that the longer you blend the mixture, the more creamy the cashews will be.

5. I used baby leeks instead of spring onions.  I am substituting spring onions here because they are easier to come by and more appropriate for the recipe than fully developed leeks.

6. Don’t be afraid to customize this recipe! Adjust the proportions to get the flavor and texture right for your preferences.  Feel free to get fancy and add other seasonings from your spice rack!

Nutritional Breakdown: Carrot Top Pesto

Wait, before you go! I want to take this opportunity to highlight some of the key ingredients in our "Carrot Top Pesto: An Easy 5-Minute Recipe for Reducing Food Waste" and their nutritional qualities.  Bonus:  All of these plant ingredients contain fiber!  Another great reason to embrace your inner bunny rabbit.

Carrot Tops:

Carrot tops don’t get a lot of attention compared to their vibrant orange counterparts, carrot roots.  So, there has been little research on their health benefits.  They are slightly bitter (this is why we add the lemon juice) and taste a bit like parsley. Bitter greens tend to aid in digestion.  Carrot tops also contain around six times more vitamin C than the roots, in addition to other micronutrients.  

Jalapeños:

Jalapenos are rich in a variety of micronutrients like vitamins A, C, B6, and potassium, just to name a few.  Along with other hot peppers, they contain a compound called capsaicin.  This is what makes them spicy.  Capsaicin can help boost metabolism and increase fat burn.  It also may have a variety of other health benefits, though more research is needed.

Raw Garlic:

There are a lot of health claims associated with raw garlic, ranging from common cold prevention to anti-cancer properties.  More research is needed to substantiate such claims.  What is clear, though, is that garlic contains high levels of the minerals potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and sulfur.

Cashews: 

Cashews are a great source of plant protein and healthy unsaturated fats.  They also contain a significant amount of copper.  This mineral helps with energy production, healthy brain development, and a strong immune system.  They are also a good source of a variety of antioxidants.  

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Sources:

The Guardian (2019): “Don’t discard those nutritious carrot tops”

WebMD (2025): “Health Benefits of Jalapeños”

Healthline (2018): “7 Surprising Health Benefits of Jalapeños”

BBC Food (2024): “Is garlic really good for your health?”

Healthline (2025): “Are Cashews Good for You? Nutrition, Benefits, and Downsides”