Pesto doesn't always have to be made with basil, learn how to use roasted or air fried asparagus to make a delicious spring time pesto.
📋 What's New In This Post (6/7/25) - Add new photos and some different ideas for using the asparagus pesto.
✍🏻 Featured Comment - Adri says "I adore fresh asparagus, but I've never used it for pesto! This looks amazing... And just in time for asparagus season!!"
Not All Pesto Has Basil
Most people think pesto = basil. But I’m here to tell you it can be made with all kinds of green veggies. I first tried it with kale—and it actually got my kids to eat kale! Then I moved on to spinach and arugula when my garden was overflowing and I couldn’t keep up with the harvest.
That’s when I thought: why not try asparagus? Sure, it seemed a little unusual, but I love experimenting in the kitchen. And in the 15-year history of this blog, it turned out to be one of the best ideas I’ve ever had. I absolutely love this asparagus pesto and share it with everyone I can. It’s become a must-make in our house every year when asparagus is in season.
You can use it however you’d like, but my favorite way is to save the tips, make the pesto, and mix it into toasted couscous—then fold those crispy tips back in. Oh, it’s so good. I even shared this recipe when I was a guest on the Recipe of the Day Podcast.
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Ingredients
Here is what you will need to make this recipe
- Asparagus - This recipe is only going to be as good as the asparagus you use. It's best made in the spring time when U.S. grown asparagus is in season. As local and as fresh as you can get is best. This is a great recipe to use up asparagus before it goes bad. If you are not sure if yours is still good check out my post - How to Tell if Asparagus is Bad?
- Parmesan cheese – Skip the pre-shredded stuff; a freshly shredded block of Parmesan makes all the difference
- Garlic - I use half a head of garlic that has been roasted in the oven in foil first. This will bring a more gentle, sweet garlic flavor to the pesto over raw garlic. But you could use chopped raw garlic if you like.
- Olive oil - I give you permission to use the good stuff in the pesto. Whatever extra virgin olive oil you like. The amount you need depends on the moisture content of your asparagus, so I say have at least ⅓ cup oh hand.
- Lemon - Adding lemon to the pesto will not only keep it's color bright, but will brighten up the flavor itself. You will be amazed at what just a little bit of lemon juice will do.
- Sunflower seeds - This is a low cost alternative to using pine nuts. Pine nuts are great and all but they are expensive while sunflower seeds are cheap and still add a nutty flavor the pesto needs. Cashews and walnuts will work as well.
When the pesto is all made up I then add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cook the Asparagus First
Unlike when you make pesto with basil or spinach or kale, you do need to cook the asparagus first. For that I go with one of two methods - roasting or air frying.
To roast the asparagus, set your oven to 500 degrees. Drizzle on some oil and sprinkle on some salt and then cook until tender.
Check out my Roast Asparagus post for further instructions.
To air fry asparagus, set your air fryer to 400 degrees - which is the max temperature on mine. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer, work in batches if you have to. If it's too big to fit in your air fryer, cut the asparagus in half.
Check out my Air Fryer Asparagus post for further instructions.
Step by Step Instructions
Let me take you step by step on how to make the pesto. I posted pictures so you can see what it should look like.
When you have your cooked asparagus and you have allowed it a little time to cool, remove the tips from the asparagus and place the rest of it into a food processor. The tips are the best part, so you don't want to blend them up with the stems! You are going to mix them back in at the end.
The stalks go in the food processor along with some roasted garlic, sunflower seeds and Parmesan cheese.
At this point it will be more of a paste than a sauce. Now you are going drizzle in the olive oil until you get the desire consistency you want.
The best way to do that is to have the food processor running and you slowly pour the olive oil in until it's right texture. It should love more smooth and creamy.
How to Use Asparagus Pesto
Anything basil pesto can do, asparagus pesto can do as well. You can serve it with pasta and chicken like I did here:
If you read my story at the top, you will know my favorite way to use it is with toasted couscous. I am talking about using the larger couscous, often referred to as Israeli couscous. Let me show you how:
Place the couscous into a pot with some butter. Set the pot over medium heat and cook until the couscous has started to brown. Be careful it could burn if you aren't watching.
You are then going to add some water, bring it to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water has be absorbed and the couscous is tender.
When the couscous is ready I just stir in the asparagus pesto along with those crispy tips and serve. It's one of my favorite side dishes of all time!
Can you serve it cold? Are you looking for more of a cold salad for a picnic? This would work for that as well. Just make it as the recipe says and put it in the fridge. Serve it cold at your heart's desire. It may help to add a little oil or water if it needs loosening up. You could mix in some cherry tomatoes too if you like and top with feta cheese.
Asparagus Pesto with Toasted Couscous
Ingredients
- 1 bunch of asparagus about 1 lb
- 1 cup Israeli style couscous
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ head roasted garlic
- ¼ cup to ⅓ cup olive oil plus more for roasting and toasting
- 1 lemon
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds shelled
- 1 tablespoon butter
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To prepare the pesto
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Cut off the woody ends of the asparagus, Save the ends for stock, soup, or compost.
- Place them on a sheet pan. Drizzle on some oilve oil, then sprinkle on kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
- Take half a head of garlic (or the whole head and save half of it for a later use), wrap it in foil and place it in the oven along with the asparagus.
- Roast for about 15-20 minutes until asparagus is brown and has softened. Check half way through to set if the tips are starting to brown and cover then with aluminum foil. Check if the garlic has softened, leave it oven for a little longer if needed.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting off the tips. Set them aside. Then slice up the stems into bite sized pieces.
- Place in your food processor, the roasted garlic, sunflower seeds, asparagus stem pieces, and Parmesan cheese, and the juice of half a lemon. Process to combine, making sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl at least once.
- With the machine running drizzle in about ¼ cup of olive oil. If it needs more to get to the right consistency you want, then drizzle in more slowly and keep checking. Add additional salt if needed.
To make the couscous
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 cup of couscous. Stir often until the couscous smells toasty and has taken on some brown color.
- Add 10 ounces of water. Turn the heat down to simmer. Cover and cook until the couscous has absorbed the water about 5 to 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- Then add the pesto and reserved asparagus tips right to the pan. Serve hot.
Adri Smuts
I adore fresh asparagus, but I've never used it for pesto! This looks amazing... And just in time for asparagus season!
Eric Samuelson
Thanks. I hope you will give it a try.