Baby Kale Pesto

Name: Baby Kale Pesto
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 5 ounces baby kale; 1 cup fresh parsley (chopped); 1 large garlic clove; 1 lemon; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ⅓ cup chopped pecans (toasted); ½ cup olive oil

By Reed Dunn

Nov 16, 2021, Updated May 11, 2025

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Baby Kale Pesto served with a persimmon caprese salad

Baby kale is an often-overlooked green, especially when perusing the produce section where spinach, lettuce and other greens are packed in clamshell containers. But this Baby Kale Pesto is a flavor bomb that lends itself to so many uses, including a seasonal Pesto Persimmon Salad.

You can use the kale pesto any way you might use a traditional pesto. Dollop it on this salad, or make a vinaigrette for this Pesto & Persimmon Caprese Salad.

Pair Kale Pesto With Persimmons

Persimmons might seem like a luxury, but they’re readily available on the West Coast from October through the beginning of the year. Drizzle on some kale pesto or layer slices of persimmons with fresh mozzarella cheese to create a spin on the caprese salad.

I’ve used persimmons to dress up an edible Thanksgiving centerpiece in the past, but these days I can’t make a batch of baby kale pesto without thinking about this application.

The brightness — both in flavor and appearance — of this dish also makes it a lovely addition to kick off any fall meal. Plus, this simple pesto recipe comes together in about 10 minutes, making it ideal for these days when we’re all feeling a bit crunched for time.

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5 from 5 votes

Baby Kale Pesto

Sliced persimmons are layered with fresh mozzarella slices then drizzled with baby kale pesto for a fall and winter take on a classic caprese salad.

Prep Time: 10

Servings:

Ingredients

Instructions

Add baby kale, parley, garlic and zest and juice of 1 lemon to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 15 to 20 times, until greens are finely chopped and well combined.
Add in chopped pecans, salt and pepper. With food processor running on low, slowly drizzle in ½ cup olive oil until well combined, but not too oily.
Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
To make the salad, alternate slices of persimmon with fresh mozzarella atop a bed of Baby Kale Pesto. Drizzle on more pesto and garnish with toasted, chopped pecans.