Sauteed Green Onion Pesto (Scallion Pesto)
Green onion pesto is a fun twist on traditional pesto. It has a mellow onion flavor and is great on everything from pasta to cooked protein, pizza, bowls, or as a dipping sauce for crusty bread. This fresh pesto recipe is dairy free and nut free.
Looking for more dairy free pesto recipes? Try my pistachio pesto, zucchini pesto, roasted red pepper pesto, or sun dried tomato pesto.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make homemade green onion pesto:
- Green onions – also called spring onions in some countries.
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh basil leaves
- Hemp seeds
- Nutritional yeast
- Lemon zest and lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to Make Green Onion Pesto: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil.
- Once hot, add in the green onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. They’re done when they have a bit of golden brown color and have softened while still retaining their vibrant green color. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 30 seconds to minimize the bitter harsh taste.
- Add the sauteed green onions, sliced garlic, and the rest of the pesto ingredients to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade attachment. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Helpful Tips
- You only need the dark green and light green parts for this recipe, so save the white parts in an airtight container to saute for another use. They’re delicious in eggs, stir-fries, and more!
Storage
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freezer: Transfer the pesto to silicone ice cube trays. Once frozen, you can easily pop them out and transfer them to a tightly sealed freezer bag where they’ll keep for 2 months. Avoid leaving them in the ice cube trays for too long to avoid freezer burn.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this green onion pesto recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No hemp seeds? – you can also use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Or pine nuts.
- Not dairy free? – substitute fresh parmesan cheese for the nutritional yeast.
How To Serve
Green onion pesto has several uses. Here are some ideas, but the options are endless.
- on pasta or pizza
- drizzled over bowls such as taco rice bowls, dragon bowls, shrimp burrito bowls, etc.
- on roasted vegetables such as oven roasted cabbage steaks
- with cooked fish or other proteins
- as a dipping sauce for warm crusty bread
More Basil Pesto Recipes
I hope you love this Green Onion Pesto! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating below. Thank you!
Sauteed Green Onion Pesto (Scallion Pesto)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups chopped green onions dark green and light green parts only
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- ¾ cup fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- zest of 1 medium lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus more to taste
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Once hot, add in the green onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. They're done when they have a bit of golden brown color and have softened while still retaining their vibrant green color. Add the sliced garlic and cook for 30 seconds to minimize the bitter harsh taste.
- Add the sauteed green onions, garlic cloves, and the rest of the pesto ingredients to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade attachment. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.