Home » Cuisine Type » American » Honey Pesto Recipe with Walnuts

Honey Pesto Recipe with Walnuts

Name: Honey Pesto with Walnuts
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup walnuts; 1 tablespoon honey; 2 cups basil; 1 cup fresh parsley; 3 cloves garlic; 1/8 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes; 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon); 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt and Black Pepper

ByKelly Jensen Posted onMay 2, 2023April 6, 2024 Updated onApril 6, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you.

Jump to Recipe

This honey pesto with walnuts recipe is a bright and fresh sauce made with basil, honey, walnuts, garlic, and olive oil. It’s fantastic tossed with fresh pasta, spread on toast, or stirred into risotto!

A fantastic sweet & savory addition to any meal. This easy no cook pesto sauce is ready in just 10 minutes in your blender or food processor!

honey walnut pesto recipe dariy free gluten free sweet pesto with honey from a local beekeeper raw honey recipes best for summer honey basil sauce

Table of Contents

I love bright and herby sauces, and this honey walnut pesto brings the flavor! As a beekeeper, I’m always looking for fun new ways to use our honey… and it adds the perfect hint of sweetness to pesto sauce.

I love making big batches of pesto with any fresh herbs or greens we have on hand: basil, spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc. This pesto was absolutely delicious tossed with fresh cooked pasta, and with garlic bread on the side. Everyone will absolutely buzz over this sauce.

This Honey Pesto Recipe Is

Bright
Herby
Fresh
Subtly Sweet
Loaded with Flavor
Versatile
Hearty
Vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free!

savory honey recipes pasta sauce with honey pesto with honey pesto honey and basil sauce for pastas honey risotto pesto sauce sweet pesto with honey recipes

Savory Honey Recipes for Meal Prep

You can easily meal prep this walnut and honey pesto recipe by following the below recipe and dividing it into a few equal portions to enjoy throughout the week. I love having an easy homemade meal ready in my fridge during the busy weekdays.

By meal prepping this recipe, you can cook once and have perfectly portioned meals ready to go. I rely heavily on meal prepping and created a whole section of the site to recipes you can meal prep, batch cook, or make ahead. Heat + eat, you’re all set!

Ingredients Savory and Sweet Pesto Sauce with Honey

Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!

Raw Honey: We use our own honey, straight out of the beehives for us! As beekeepers, we have plenty of raw honey so I try to use it in all my recipes instead of sugar. I’d recommend trying a local farmers market to find the best raw honey in your area.
Walnuts: because I love adding walnuts to my pesto sauces.
Fresh Basil
Fresh Parsley
Fresh garlic
Red Chili Pepper Flakes: for a little heat! if you don’t like spice, you can absolutely skip them in this recipe.
Lemon Juice – fresh if possible!
Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color.
Salt & Pepper

How Do I Make Pesto with Honey?

Toast the walnuts over low heat in a sauce pan – the nuts should be fully toasted after about 3 to 4 minutes, so make sure to watch and stir with a wooden spoon so they don’t burn.
In a food processor or blender, add basil, parsley, toasted walnuts, honey, garlic, pepper flakes, and lemon juice. Pulse a few times to break down the greens.
Mix on low and pour in the olive oil until the pesto is a smooth consistency. Add salt and pepper, taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Toss pesto with freshly cooked pasta, smash pesto with cooked chickpeas, or stir into risotto, enjoy!

More Savory Honey Recipes You’ll Love!

walnut honey pesto recipe with basil parsley chili flakes olive oil raw honey pasta sauce recipe italian recipes with honey

Let’s connect on social!

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!

This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn from qualifying purchases from affiliate programs, at no additional cost to you. Please read our privacy policy for more information.

Kelly Jensen

Kelly Jensen has 7 years experience as a food blogger, freelance recipe developer, content creator, beekeeper, and loves cooking everything she can from scratch.