🌿 Fennel Frond Pesto Recipe

❤️ Recipe Credit
Recipe: Fennel Frond Pesto Recipe
Created/Shared by: Vaishali – Holy Cow Vegan and Floyd Mcgregor
Featured by: Daily Kitchen Collection
Photo: Floyd McGregor

A Delicious Vegan Pesto That Turns Garden Greens Into Something Wonderful

What do you do when your fennel plant produces an abundance of beautiful, thick, fragrant fronds? Make pesto! This fresh and flavorful vegan fennel pesto is a wonderful way to use those gorgeous garden greens that might otherwise be discarded. With fennel fronds, garlic, pumpkin seeds, lemon juice, olive oil, and simple seasonings, this recipe transforms an unexpected part of the fennel plant into a vibrant homemade sauce.

Last year, we planted two fennel bulb, those plants certainly made an impression. They grew into a big, beautiful plants, and when harvest time arrived, we used the fennel bulbs for salads alongside the lettuce we had grown in our garden. But what really caught our attention were the thick, massive fronds. They were so lush and full that it seemed like a shame to simply throw them away.

That got us wondering: There has to be something we can make with these amazing greens! And that’s how we discovered this wonderful vegan fennel pesto recipe.

The result was surprisingly delicious. The fennel fronds create a fresh, aromatic green pesto with the distinctive flavor of fennel, while garlic adds savory depth and lemon juice brings just the right amount of brightness. Cashew nutts give the pesto a wonderful nutty quality while keeping the recipe completely vegan. You can also substitute other nuts if cashews are not your thing. The original recipe calls for pumpkin seeds

One of the things we especially love about this recipe is how practical it is. It’s a great garden-to-table recipe that helps you make the most of the entire fennel plant. Instead of tossing those beautiful fronds into the compost, you can turn them into something you’ll actually look forward to eating.

The pesto comes together with just a handful of ingredients. Fresh fennel fronds are combined with garlic, cashew nutts, red groud pepper, lemon juice, pink salt, and extra-virgin olive oil. The olive oil can be adjusted depending on how thick or smooth you’d like your pesto. Nutritional yeast can be added for an extra savory, cheesy-style note, but we made ours without the nutritional yeast, and it was still absolutely delicious.

Once blended, this bright green pesto is ready to enjoy in all kinds of ways. Spread it on crusty bread, spoon it over roasted vegetables, toss it with your favorite pasta, or use it as a flavorful sauce for your next meal.

And we already have plans for our next batch: tortellini pasta with fennel pesto! We can’t wait to see how those tender pasta pockets pair with the fresh, garlicky, lemony flavor of this homemade sauce.

This recipe is a wonderful reminder that sometimes the best kitchen discoveries come from simply looking at an ingredient differently. Two giant fennel plant gave us delicious salads, beautiful greens, and now a few jars of homemade pesto. That’s garden cooking at its best!

Fennel Frond Pesto

📝 How to Make Fennel Pesto

🌿 Ingredients

• 4 packed cups chopped fennel fronds, from approximately 2 bulbs
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• ½–1 teaspoon red or black gound pepper
• ¼ cup unsalted cashew nutts or pumpkin seeds
• 6–8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt, to taste (we used pink salt)
• Juice of 1 lemon (Mayer lemon if available)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional

Nut options: Pumpkin seeds can be substituted with walnuts, pecans, cashews, or pine nuts. If using salted pumpkin seeds, reduce the amount of additional salt.

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Prepare the fennel fronds
Wash the fennel fronds thoroughly and dry them well. Chop them into smaller pieces so they blend more easily.

2. Add the ingredients
Place the chopped fennel fronds, garlic, cashew nutts, pepper, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast—if using—into a food processor or blender.

3. Blend the pesto
Pulse the ingredients while gradually adding the extra-virgin olive oil. Continue blending until the pesto reaches your preferred consistency. Add more olive oil for a smoother, looser pesto or use less for a thicker spread.

4. Season to taste
Add salt and adjust the lemon juice, pepper, or olive oil as desired.

5. Serve and enjoy!
Toss with pasta, spread onto bread, spoon over vegetables, or use as a flavorful sauce for tortellini. Transfer any extra pesto to a clean jar and refrigerate.

Don’t Toss Those Fennel Fronds! Make This Fresh & Flavorful Fennel Pesto

🌿 Pro Tip: Don’t Toss Those Fennel Fronds!

If your fennel plant produces an abundance of beautiful green fronds, save them for pesto instead of throwing them away. Wash and dry the fronds well before chopping, and don’t be afraid to experiment with the seeds—pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, and pine nuts can all give your pesto a slightly different flavor and texture. 🌿

And remember: nutritional yeast is completely optional. We made this batch without it, and it turned out delicious!

Grab your canning supplies from Daily Kitchen Collection Canning Needs Here—and enjoy the amazing flavors of a twist on traditional pesto.

64 oz Wide Mouth Mason Jars – 6 Pack