This sage pesto is a delicious, rich, flavorful, and versatile sauce that is easy to make in any kitchen. With fresh sage, hazelnuts, olive oils, and seasonings you will love how easy to make this herbal delight is!

I love my herb garden! It was the first type of garden that I ever tried growing. I'll always remember buying for the first time a pot to put some herbs in at my second level apartment. I never did anything with those herbs except just smell and water them, but they were the beginning of a new obsession. From that summer on, I've always had an herb garden.
This year my sage plant decided that it was going to flower toward the end of May, which is exceptionally early for Minnesota. The thing has become humongous and produces more sage than I know what to do with.
Despite cutting back the flowers countless times, the plant was determined to flower and go to seed.
Finally this week I decided drastic measures needed to be taken. I hacked back the majority of the plant in hopes that it would grow back and at least give me one more harvest before the end of the summer.
This left me with an abundance of sage leaves and flowers. Did you know that the sage flowers are editable? Although I'm not using the flowers in this recipe, my pigs sure did enjoy them!
This sage hazelnut pesto recipe is a result of my huge sage harvest! It's a large batch recipe, but it could easily be paired back to create a smaller recipe.
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Ingredients
- Fresh sage
- Hazelnuts
- Olive oil
- Nutritional yeast
- Garlic powder (we love the Redmond Real brand)
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
You know how much I like 'dump and go' recipes around here and this one is one that you can just dump into the blender without any extra steps! Wala! You'll have a super easy preservation recipe that hardly took any time!
Actually the part that took the most time for me was picking the sage and separating the sage twigs and flowers from the leaves!
In a blender or food processor combine the sage, hazelnuts, olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, and salt.
Blend until smooth.
Use right away or freeze in cubes to use at a later date.
You can watch me make the Sage Pesto recipe at the timestamp 09:18.
Equipment
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Mixing bowls
- Mixing spoons and spatulas
- Food processor or blender (we have always appreciated the brand Ninja for our blender)
- Freezing containers/molds if you choose to freeze the pesto into small pieces. This is the exact one that I'm using.
You can find the entire list of baking and cooking essentials that we use in our kitchen by visiting our Amazon Storefront or Like to Know shop.
Storage
Pesto does not store well in the refrigerator. It's sort of like lettuce that eventually spoils. The sage leaves will eventually spoil as well. Instead, you will need to use the pesto right away or freeze it.
I use molds that hold about 2 tablespoon of the sage pesto. I freeze it and then put the individual pieces into a freezer bag (we love reusable ones). This makes it easy to dip into the freezer bag and use it throughout the winter months!
Top tip
If you are making this as a large-batch recipe, you will need to pulse the sage leaves in at least two batches before you put in the remainder of the ingredients!
FAQ
Is pesto unhealthy or healthy?
Pesto typically uses olive oil which is high in fat and calories. However, pesto also uses fresh herbs and other healthy spices and ingredients. Like many things, pesto is healthy if it is not overdone.
Can you freeze whole fresh sage leaves?
Surprisingly yes! Store them loosely in a freezer-safe bag for up to one year. Ideally, you should lay them flat on a tray and freeze them separately before putting them into a freezer-safe bag. This will keep them from sticking together.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Sage Pesto with Hazelnut
This sage pesto is a delicious, rich, flavorful, and versatile sauce that is easy to make in any kitchen. With fresh sage, hazelnuts, olive oils, and seasonings you will love how easy to make this herbal delight is!
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh sage
- 1 ½ cup hazelnuts
- 1 ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor combine the sage, hazelnuts, olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, and salt.
Blend until smooth.
Use right away or freeze in cubes to use at a later date.
Notes
As this is a large batch recipe you may need to pulse the sage in two batches before adding the remainder ingredients.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 96 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 45Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 49mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g
Online nutritional calculators are estimates only. Use your best judgement when consuming.
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