Don’t fear the stinger! Stinging nettles can be a bothersome plant that leave behind painful welts if you accidentally brush by them, but there’s a silver lining to this wild weed: it’s delicious, free food that you don’t have to slave over in a garden for months in order to harvest! Stinging Nettle Pesto has mild and fresh flavors and isn’t quite as bold and herbaceous as basil pesto, but has a unique and delicate green flavor profile of its own.
In the spring once the nettles start popping up, my favorite thing to do with stinging nettles is to make pesto. Stinging Nettle Pesto is easy to make, it’s almost exactly like making basil pesto except you blanch the nettles first to deaden the stingers.
My favorite way to utilize this delicious pesto is using it in my Stinging Nettle Pesto Pasta !
How to harvest and cook stinging nettles
It can feel intimidating making nettle pesto for the first time but it’s very simple! I’ll give you tips help give you confidence:
- Always wear gloves when handling nettles. I prefer gardening gloves over disposable gloves as the material is much thicker and the stingers won’t penetrate.
- Wear long pants and long sleeves when harvesting nettles.
- Harvest young nettles. It’s too late for harvesting if the plant is going to seed.
- Don’t eat the flowers!
- Harvest nettle leaves from the top 1/3 of the plant, similar to harvesting basil. Those will be the best tasting leaves. Avoid harvesting all the way down the plant.
- Remove the stems.
- Harvest generously. It may seem like a lot of nettle leaves that you’re using but blanching nettles will shrink the volume substantially (think: cooked spinach).
- Blanch nettle leaves for 30 seconds, no more than 45. Once you dunk the nettle leaves in the pot of boiling water to blanch, use a wooden spoon to make sure all the leaves are fully submerged and then start your timer. The longer they are in the boiling water the more they will cook down and lose their flavor and nutrients.
- After blanching, strain water and transfer leaves into an ice bath. This will prevent the leaves from continuing to cook and help keep that vibrant green color.
- Remove as much water from leaves as possible. If the leaves are too wet, the pesto will be watery. Squeeze the water out (you can use your hands, the stingers will be deadened) then transfer to a salad spinner to remove excess water. After spinning, wrap the leaves in a clean kitchen towel for good measure.
Tools you’ll need:
1 pair of gloves + scissors for harvesting
1 large pot
1 colander
1 food processor with chopping blade
1 rubber spatula
Harvest + Prepare Nettles
Harvest young nettles while wearing gloves (I prefer gardening gloves over disposable) by cutting stem about 1/4-1/3 of the way down the plant, similar to harvesting basil.
Keep wearing gloves while handling stinging nettles.
Measure out 6 oz (about 6 packed cups) of nettles.
Set up a colander in the sink and have a large bowl of cold water with ice cubes ready for an ice bath.
Blanch Nettles
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add nettle leaves, using a large spoon to make sure leaves are fully submerged, then start the timer for 45 seconds.
Once timer goes off, strain the water using the colander in the sink, then quickly transfer leaves to the ice bath. Remove the gloves and check to make sure leaves are cooled, then strain water in the colander again. Use your hands to gently squeeze the water out of the leaves, then transfer to a salad spinner. Separate the leaves and spin to get as much moisture out as possible. You’ll want to remove as much moisture as possible, otherwise the pesto will be watery.
Make Nettle Pesto
Place 1/3 cup pepitas and 3 cloves garlic in a food processor and process until fine. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula, then add the blanched, cooled, and patted dry nettle leaves, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, ½ tsp sea salt. Process until a paste-like consistency, stopping to scrape the sides a couple of times. Remove the lid and the blade and use the spatula to stir in ¼ cup olive oil. Taste, adding anything more it may need.
Recipe inspiration! Stinging Nettle Pesto Pasta:
Recipe FAQ
Incredibly healthy! Nettles are rich in tons of nutrients including calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium, and vitamins K, C, D, and A. One cup of blanched nettles has 2.4 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber, and 42% of the recommended daily intake of calcium!
Many of the nutrients in stinging nettles act as antioxidants in the body, helping to protect the body from free radical damage that causes premature aging, cancer, and other diseases. Stinging nettles have been shown to reduce blood pressure, reduce inflammation, aid with liver health, and help lower blood sugar.
Yes, the pesto won’t have the same silky mouth-feel without olive oil, but it can be made without oil.
Yes! I use pepitas instead of nuts so this recipe is nut-free.
Stinging Nettle Pesto
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Food processor
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup pepitas
- 3 cloves garlic
- 6 oz fresh nettle leaves about 6 packed cups (seems like a lot but it shrinks down)
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
- Harvest Nettles: Harvest (young) nettles while wearing gloves by cutting stem about 1/4-1/3 of the way down the plant. (Don't harvest the lower leaves.) Remove and discard stems.
- Measure Nettles: Weigh 6 oz nettles (about 6 packed cups).
- Prepare Ice Bath: Have a large colander in the sink and large bowl of cold water with ice cubes prepped for an ice bath.
- Blanch Nettles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 6 oz nettle leaves, using a large spoon to make sure leaves are fully submerged, then start the timer for 45 seconds.
- Strain + Dry Nettles: Once timer goes off, strain the water using the colander in the sink, then quickly transfer leaves to the ice bath. Remove the gloves and check to make sure leaves are cooled, then strain water in the colander again. Use your hands to gently squeeze the water out of the leaves, then transfer to a salad spinner. Separate the leaves and spin to get as much moisture out as possible. Then wrap the leaves in a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. (You'll want to remove as much moisture as possible, otherwise the pesto will be watery.)
- Pesto: Place ⅓ cup pepitas and 3 cloves garlic in a food processor and process until fine. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula, then add the blanched, cooled, and patted dry nettle leaves, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, ½ tsp sea salt. Process until a paste-like consistency, stopping to scrape the sides a couple of times. Remove the lid and the blade and use the spatula to stir in ¼ cup olive oil. Taste, adding anything more it may need.
Notes
- Nettle Pesto can be used immediately for a pasta dish, mixed with tofu scrambles for a mediterranean flare, as a vegan pizza base (with some more pesto dolloped on top!) just to name a few ideas!
- Pesto keeps in the fridge in a well-sealed container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1-2 months.
Very rich but smooth pesto flavor. Great for pasta and blends well with other veggies!