Pesto is a fantastic addition to a keto diet, and this particular keto pesto is no different! Using celery leaves means no waste next time you are wondering what to do with left over celery leaves, and can be used in so many great keto recipes.
Before you scroll to the recipe, below I’ve tried to answer any questions you may have, including storage tips, sourcing ingredients and substitutions
If you make this recipe please leave a review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Keto Pesto Using Celery Leaves Summary
- Ingredient tips
- Recipe tips
- Substitutions and sweetener tips
- Storage tips
- How many carbs in Keto Pesto with Celery Leaves?
After chopping celery into sticks every week, I was getting tired of throwing out so much green waste.
Ever since we moved into a small apartment, I have been missing my compost bin and feel like so much is going to waste.
Celery has to be one of the worst – you get so little out of such a big bunch.
So now, this Keto Pesto with Celery Leaves will mean no more waste, and a delicious by product to use in all your easy keto dinners!
Ingredients for Keto Pesto Using Celery Leaves
Traditional Keto Pesto uses basil leaves, which have a natural sweetness.
Celery leaves are a little more peppery, but have great flavour.
Being a little more peppery they can be great for people who don’t like the strong flavour of basil in traditional pesto, and pairs wonderfull with just about any meat!
You will need:
- Garlic cloves
- Celery leaves
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Parmesan Cheese
- Almonds
- Lemon juice
Substitutions and Ingredient tips
While using celery leaves for this pesto is already a substitution on traditional basil pesto, there’s a couple of other substitutions you can also make.
Celery Leaves
Of course you can use traditional basil like in a normal pesto, or really any other green leaf that is edible!
Almonds
Any nut will do here, pine nuts are traditional but expensive. I’ve also made this with walnuts, but almonds are the lowest carb so they keep this dish overall low carb.
Parmesan
Being a bitey, salty cheese it works really well in this pesto, but you could use any other strong cheese like Manchego.
Olive Oil
I prefer a very light flavoured olive oil for this dish, as some olive oils can go bitter when blended at high speeds. You could also use avocado oil which is very low flavour, or grapeseed oil.
Tips for making Keto Pesto Using Celery Leaves
This dish is honestly SO easy. Here’s the steps broken down in a very simple way.
- Blend everything in a food processor or mini blender except the oil
- Drizzle in the oil and continue blending. And you’re done!
How easy is that?
One tip: I used 3 cups of celery leaves for this keto pesto, but don’t pack them in too tightly or it could become too peppery.
This is also great just as is as a dip or on some celery sticks – double celery win.
Storage tips
- Fridge – you can store this pesto in the fridge in a small jar for up to a week. I have kept it longer, just keen an eye out for mould!
- Freezer – this is a great one to freeze and whip out to make any meal a little more special. You could freeze the whole batch, or freeze in ice cube trays then put in an airtight container or bag.
How many carbs in Keto Pesto Using Celery Leaves?
As you will see in the nutrition panel below, this Keto Pesto Using Celery Leaves has 2 grams of carbs per serve.
Given this would be a main meal for the day, this is a reasonable amount of carbs. If you want to keep very low carbs, say under 20 grams per day, I would introduce this on an already low carb day.
SAVE KETO PESTO USING CELERY LEAVES TO PINTEREST FOR LATER
Other Similar Recipes You Might Like
After thinking about the waste of celery leaves every time I used a bunch, I decided to try out a celery leaf pesto and was really happy with the results!
The celery leaf becomes very peppery, almost spicy so it pairs beautifully with cream. Here’s a few keto recipes using pesto for you:
Keto Pesto Chicken with Zucchini Noodles
Keto Vegetable Bake with Creamy Pesto
Keto Pesto Chicken Bake with 3 Cheese & Prosciutto
Keto Pesto with Celery Leaves
A great way to use up something that usually ends in the bin - celery leaves! Ready in 5 minutes, the peppery flavour of the celery leaf shines and pairs well with creamy sauces
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 3 cups celery leaves, loosely packed
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 40 grams parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients except oil in a food processor until resembling a crumb.
- Drizzle in olive oil and blend until just combined.
- Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for 6 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 205Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 146mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gProtein: 3g
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[…] do the trick. It can top stir fries, risottos, and be stirred into sauces. Our favorite so far is celery leaf pesto. Rather than buy spinach to make pesto, we just use the leftover leaves from our celery purchases. […]
SO easy…very tasty n have popped some in the freezer., as i wouldn’t typically use much or any in a week and don’t want if to spoil. I Will be trying it with the veggie bake recipe next week. Great way to utilise the whole celery.!
Thanks so much Caroline, no more wasted celery leaves here! 🙂
[…] recipe is based on another celery leaf pesto by Aussie Keto Queen, the only thing I did differently was replace almonds with cashews, and […]
[…] Best Keto Diet Celery from Keto Pesto Using Celery Leaves. Source Image: aussieketoqueen.com. Visit this site for details: aussieketoqueen.com […]
Yummy! I used pine nuts instead of almonds and garlic infused olive oil to make it low fodmap. I also used TBSP or 2 less oil than called for. Delicious cold and on pizza so far! A great use of all the celery leaves from my garden thank you for the recipe!
[…] their own.” Add a few to boost the flavor of soups and salads, or create a bright and flavourful pesto by pureeing them with a few toasted nuts and a sprinkling of Parmesan […]
[…] 8. Keto Pesto Using Celery Leaves | Aussie Keto Queen […]
loved the keto celery leaf pesto! amazing. now i won’t be wasting those gorgeous leags
Thanks Jill, it blew my mind when I first realised I could use the celery leaves after years of throwing them out!! Now I use this pesto in EVERYTHING!
Smashing recipe. Had it with our chicken and bulgar wheat. Great flavours.
Thanks for your review Sven! Glad you enjoyed it
Delicious!
A-Mazing !!! My kids think this is amazing!! I just used grated cheese because I had no parmesan 👌 so good 😉
The kid approval is the best kind! So glad you loved the recipe 🙂
[…] end of summer’s basil doesn’t have to mean the end of pesto. Substitute in celery leaves for a cool weather take on this herbaceous classic. Spread it on sandwiches, mix it into […]
I’ll be honest, I did not really expect this recipe to work (as is the fate of so many internet recipes), but it BLEW my mind. I actually used nutritional yeast since I did not have parmesan in hand, and peanuts in place of the almonds, and it worked perfectly! My problem now is that I want to eat it all by myself hahahah. Fantastic recipe!
Thanks for your review Lili, and I understand your scepticism! I’ve had so many failed recipes online. That’s great to hear it worked with the substitutions too, a fantastic vegan option.