Ramp Pesto

This ramp pesto recipe is phenomenal! Its bright green color and bold flavor make it a sensational spread or a great addition to pasta.

This easy pesto is quick to make and is perfect for ramp season, which runs from late April to early June.

This will be your new favorite way to enjoy ramps!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• A Note About Sustainable Ramps
• Instructions
• More Spring Recipes to Try
• Substitutions & Variations
• Storage
• Tips for Making Ramp Pesto
• Ramp Pesto

This flavorful pesto recipe is similar to traditional pesto recipes with the addition of pine nuts, parmesan, and oil.

This wild ramp pesto is a great way to enjoy ramps and save them for enjoyment later in the year, as this pesto freezes well.

Ramp season is such a short time - so make this pesto in the spring and enjoy it year-round spread on toast, in pasta, in soup, or on a charcuterie board. It's the best way I've found to preserve ramps through the year.

This pesto is similar to a traditional basil pesto but it has an allium kick and a more garlicky flavor. If you like the flavor of green onions, you'll like this pesto.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this delicious pesto.

• ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
• 3 ounces parmesan cheese, crumbled or shredded
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6 ounces ramps (1 bunch of about 15 ramps)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

If you'd like to keep the colors in this pesto bright, you can squeeze in a little lemon juice or lemon zest as well.

A Note About Sustainable Ramps

Ramps (Allium tricoccum) have exploded in popularity! If you are foraging ramps (also called wild leeks, wild spring onions in North America, and wild garlic in Europe), make sure you know how to sustainably pick them.

Foraging for ramps is now illegal in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Quebec because zealous ramp lovers have overharvested them.

Ramp bulbs and the hairy root should be left in the ground. The ramp greens and leaves can be cut and used in recipes. Ramp bulbs, like any bulb plant, won't come back if they are pulled out of the ground. It can take several years for a ramp field to come back if it is improperly harvested.

If you're buying ramps, find out if they're wild ramps or if they're from a farm that specifically grows them to sell them with the bulbs.

In warmer parts of the US, ramps start appearing in early spring. If you are in the Eastern United States or Midwest, you'll likely see them in mid to late spring.

Instructions

Cut the ramps into large pieces.

Combine the pine nuts, parmesan, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.

Blend till the pine nuts and parmesan is broken down and have a sandy-like texture.

Add the ramps and pulse to combine till the ramps have broken down. Drizzle in the olive oil, and pulse to combine till the pesto is at your desired consistency.

Serve immediately or save for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

More Spring Recipes to Try

Try some of our favorite spring recipes that celebrate the season's produce.

• Ramp Omelet - a delicious and flavorful breakfast or brunch
• Spring Charcuterie Board - a beautiful pastel charcuterie board
• Spring Farro Salad - asparagus and radishes in a warm farro salad
• Asparagus Puff Pastry Tart - a delicious appetizer or lunch recipe

Substitutions & Variations

• Cheese - you can substitute the parmesan cheese for pecorino romano or if you'd like to make this recipe vegan, use the same amount of nutritional yeast instead.
• Nuts - you can substitute the pine nuts for an equal amount of nuts or seeds of your choice. Sunflower seeds, walnuts, and pistachios would all work well.
• Oil - you can substitute the olive oil for avocado oil.

Storage

You can save this pesto recipe for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Extra pesto can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Tips for Making Ramp Pesto

Specialty Ingredients - Fresh ramps are a specialty ingredient. They're not available in most grocery stores I shop at. You'll have better luck finding them at a farmer’s market, farm stand, your friend's garden, or in a backwoods area! Please see the note on sustainably harvesting them above.

Recommended Tools - I highly recommend using a food processor to make this recipe. I haven't tried making it in a blender, although there are some that could probably pull it off. A food processor will give you a better pesto texture.

Freezing Tips - Pesto is easy to freeze. You can either save it in a quart-sized zip-top bag or spoon it into ice cube trays and freeze it to save it in smaller pieces.

Diet Alternatives - If you'd like to make a vegan ramp pesto, you can substitute the parmesan for nutritional yeast.

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