Ramps Pesto Recipe / Wild Garlic Pesto - Recipes From A Pantry (2024)

Posted on12/04/201803/05/2019Updated on03/05/2019

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Looking for an awesome (Wild Garlic) Ramps Pesto recipe? Well, this one needs only 6 ingredients and your food processor!Freezer friendly, budget savvy, super quick this homemade Ramps Pesto is just what you need. Recipe suitable for Gluten-Free diets.

Today is going to be a good day folk. Why? Because it is going to be Ramps Pesto day. Can I get a yum?

Where Do You Find Ramps (Wild Garlic)?

One of my favourite things about spring is that it brings with it the wild garlic season. You know what I am talking about right? You are lucky to be able to find wild garlic (ramsons, ramps) in woods, hedgerows and parks here, there and everywhere.Alternatively, you can find wild garlic at your local farmers market.

Personally, I am chuffed about how amazingly well the patch of ramps that I planted (there is no such thing as too much wild garlic folks) is doing. So what better way to use this abundant and wonderful spring leaves than in a simply moorish wild garlic pesto? It pretty much means wild garlic for the next few lunches and suppers. Folks, you have been warned.

Please do check out the Royal Horticultural Society for a guide on how to recognise ramps if you go out foraging. Having the entire area smelling of garlic would probably be a good first clue. Or you could simply get some from a farmers market near you.

How to Make Ramps Pesto (Wild Garlic Pesto)

Homemade Wild Garlic Pesto is very easy to make and is essentially a paste of ramps (wild garlic), Parmesan, garlic and nuts with some olive oil. If you use wild garlic you get the green and the garlic all in one – time and dosh saving has only got to be a good thing right?

If you don’t have any Ramps, then substitute in other greens like basil and rocket (arugula) but, you would have to add some garlic. I tend to use cashews in this as they are a pantry staple but you can sub in any nuts you like. Roasting the nuts definitely make a difference to the flavour of the pesto so try not to miss this step.

• Put ramps (wild garlic), parmesan, cashew nuts, salt and pepper into a food processor and whizz into a paste.
• If you like your pesto chunky then whizz for a shorter time than you would if you want it smoother.
• Transfer paste into a container and slowly drizzle in olive oil mixing all the time till ramps pesto is saturated.
• Adjust seasoning and serve, or store.

How to Serve Ramps Pesto

This Ramps Pesto is good served on pasta, slathered on tomatoes or grilled vegetable sandwiches or on a homemade pizza. Frankly, I just eat spoonfuls of wild garlic pesto or basil pesto or this rose petal and roasted tomato pesto straight out of the jar because I can. I keep it for up to a couple of week in the fridge.

Wild Garlic Pesto Tips

• Feel free to play around with the quantities of nuts, cheese and greens to suit your own taste.
• Alternatively, you can roast the nuts in the oven at fan-assisted 140C/ 160C/ 350F/ Gas 4 for about 15 mins.
• Ramps Pesto turns darker if left in contact with air. This is perfectly fine to eat. To try and avoid it turning dark you can cover the surface of the pesto with a layer of olive oil. I have frozen pesto for up to 3 months.
• You can use canola oil (rapeseed oil) or other oils of your choosing. I add in about 100mls (0.5 cups) for this amount of pesto but OH happily adds in more.

Can You Freeze Ramps Pesto?

The answer is yes.

First, you can keep it in the fridge for a week especially if you cover the pesto with a thin layer of oil. But you can also freeze it. Even better freeze it in ice cube trays for so you can grab these for small single serving portions or to flavour soups and baked goods etc.

Ramps Recipes

If you want more wild garlic recipes why not check out these below.

Baked Ramps Falafels

Wild Garlic and Guinness Sausage Rolls

Pesto Recipes

If you are interested in more pesto recipes why not check out this buckwheat and chickpea salad with rocket and brazil nut pesto from Natural Kitchen Adventures, this pesto and pine nut bread from Knead Whine, spinach and artichoke pesto from Family Friends Food, salmon and pesto rice bake from Foodie Quine, spring greens spaghetti from Rough Measures.

Thank you for reading my Wild Garlic Pesto recipepost.And please come visit again as Icontinue dreaming up recipes, traditionalAfrican recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you.

This post has been updated since I originally posted it in April 2013.

Get the Ramsons Pesto Recipe