After a cool and wet spring, the nasturtiums always come. Fields of nasturtiums—all over my garden, popping up through the mulch, under the stairs, between the cracks, volunteering everywhere.
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Most people don’t give nasturtiums a second look. They’re sometimes regarded as weeds, as they reseed easily and will grow absolutely anywhere with the least amount of maintenance. They’re often seen as ornamental annuals, blooming through early summer before the heat turns them into a scraggly mess of vines.
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But historically, nasturtiums (Tropaeolum majus) are considered vegetables, hailing from South America and originally cultivated in Peru.
The leaves and flowers contain high amounts of mustard oils, which give them a pungent, peppery flavor and are released when the plant is crushed or chewed. (These are the same oils found in mustard seeds, horseradish root, and wasabi.)
Mustard oils have active antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial properties, making nasturtiums a natural remedy for everything from skin infections to sinus colds. The leaves are also rich in vitamin C and iron, and anthocyanins in the red and orange flowers make them highly antioxidant.
Read more: Anthocyanin Powerhouse: Pusa Asita Carrots
Just make a simple (yet beautiful) salad with the leaves and flowers to gain the many health benefits of this very underrated plant!
But when I end up with a bumper crop of nasturtiums, my favorite use for them is making pesto. The mustard oils in the plant add a boldness to this recipe that isn’t found in traditional pesto, and it’s such a treat to have homegrown, homemade pesto when it isn’t basil season yet!
So how do you use nasturtium pesto? Almost anywhere you’d normally use basil pesto: spread on a pizza or sandwich, tossed with hot pasta or zucchini noodles (zoodles), smeared onto a piece of toast, or stirred into vegetable soup for a burst of flavor. You can add a dollop of nasturtium pesto onto a steaming baked potato, or thin it out with more olive oil and drizzle it over eggs or roasted vegetables.
Nasturtium pesto may overpower more delicate flavors, so use it sparingly unless you love a little kick!
Nasturtium Pesto
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
4 cups packed nasturtium leaves
2 cups packed nasturtium flowers
1 1/2 cups olive oil
5 cloves garlic
1 to 1 1/2 cups walnuts
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Pick a basket full of fresh, healthy leaves and flowers without any blemishes. If your plants aren’t blooming yet, using only the leaves is fine too.
Nasturtiums are highly beneficial in the garden for being natural aphid traps, so you’ll want to make sure you’re not harvesting a colony of aphids along with them!
Thoroughly wash and dry the leaves and flowers; tear larger leaves in half.
Add the leaves, flowers, garlic, olive oil, walnuts, and Parmesan to a blender or food processor. I like my pesto extra nutty and extra cheesy, so I use the full 1 1/2 cups for each ingredient.
Blend all the ingredients until the mixture is smooth.
Ladle the pesto into small jars, refrigerate, and enjoy! The pesto should keep for up to two weeks.
Nasturtium Pesto
Nasturtiums are often seen as an ornamental flower in the garden, and sometimes even as a weed with how prolific it is, but it's actually a highly nutritious leafy green that can be turned into pesto!
Ingredients
- 4 cups packed nasturtium leaves
- 2 cups packed nasturtium flowers
- 1 1/2 cups olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups walnuts
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Pick a basket full of fresh, healthy leaves and flowers without any blemishes. If your plants aren’t blooming yet, using only the leaves is fine too.
- Thoroughly wash and dry the leaves and flowers; tear larger leaves in half.
- Add the leaves, flowers, garlic, olive oil, walnuts, and Parmesan to a blender or food processor. I like my pesto extra nutty and extra cheesy, so I use the full 1 1/2 cups for each ingredient.
- Blend all the ingredients until the mixture is smooth.
- Ladle the pesto into small jars, refrigerate, and enjoy! It should keep for up to two weeks.
Notes
Nasturtiums are highly beneficial in the garden for being natural aphid traps, so you’ll want to make sure you’re not harvesting a colony of aphids along with them!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
32Serving Size:
1 tablespoonAmount Per Serving: Calories: 138Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 64mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
This post updated from an article that originally appeared on January 15, 2013.
42 Comments
Carol
September 15, 2022 at 9:48 amThis recipe looks delicious! Can I include the stems though? They have the same peppery flavour as the flowers and leaves!!
Karl
October 8, 2022 at 8:03 pmI just made this recipe with stems and all. When I stir fry nasturtium I always use the last 15 or so centimetres of the stem. Pods as well. It all got grinded up for the pesto and is delicious
Thanks for the recipe. Yet another use for nasturtiums!
Susan Roseman
September 12, 2022 at 2:39 pmJust made and it’s Fabulous!!!
I did not have walnuts so I used macadamia nuts for the first time in any pesto. I highly recommend.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
NH-Dorcas
July 12, 2022 at 4:52 pmPhenomenal! I recommend adding 1-2 TBS of lemon juice to brighten the flavor/add a little acidity to balance the oil & cheese – she’s right: use the full 1 1/2 C. walnuts and parmesan. And a pinch/plus of salt to taste. BEAUTIFUL, too! Use it as a pistou for soups.
Barbara
December 29, 2021 at 12:19 pmIs this pesto something I might process in a water bath to be given to people as Christmas gifts?
amaury blow
July 19, 2022 at 4:20 amI doubt it – I find water bathing does not do well for pestos – what I do, do, is freeze it and as such it will be good for 6months +
mtn lady
August 11, 2017 at 5:24 pmSo hoping Linda or someone will reply to my question about pickling the pods with the chewy tough covering on the bigger pods! Remove it or not? I note other comments are months and even years ago! Also that I posted on the WRONG recipe, though both are related to nasturtiums recipes! I don’t have time to check this posting constantly, but would love an answer before I attempt the pickling, Nothing worse than putting a lot time & ingredients in something to learn you goofed it up!
mtn lady
August 10, 2017 at 5:16 pmI am so happy to have easily found both of your nasturtium recipes as I have a hanging pot of yellow and orange ones and searched for a way to preserve the fresh pods. I knew they were called ‘Poor Man’s Capers’. After eating several of the very small seed pods, I realized they are actually a tiny bit sweet before the zing hits your nose! I love them! I have noticed though, as they get bigger even though still light green, the outer covering gets tough & chewy and can be peeled off. Has anyone else noticed this? And is it an issue? Perhaps the brining helps and the vinegar? Now that I’ve found your recipes, I need to get picking!
mtn lady in VT
Linda from Garden Betty
August 15, 2017 at 7:07 amHi, the outer covering is not an issue when making poor man’s capers. Just follow that recipe as-is, I think you’ll enjoy it!
LaLa Ortiz
April 17, 2017 at 9:49 pmI’ve always tossed these flowers and leaves into my salads. I love the sweet peppery flavor. I had no idea that they’s make a good pesto.
Kaitlin Barnett
March 14, 2017 at 3:02 pmHow amazing! I can’t eat dairy and don’t like cheese much, can the parmesan be replaced with something or just ommitted?
Linda from Garden Betty
March 22, 2017 at 6:57 amYou can omit the cheese entirely. In essence, you’d be making a nasturtium pistou (which is just nasturtium leaves/flowers, garlic, and olive oil pounded together). The nuts are optional as well but add a nice texture in my opinion.
Kayla McCormick
October 30, 2022 at 2:13 pmI use nutritional yeast in place of dairy cheese
Ola
May 16, 2023 at 6:31 pmOmitted is fine.
Walktallpilates
May 27, 2015 at 1:09 pmI made this last year, it was wonderful, and an amazing colour!
Looks like we’ll be having huge nasturtiums again this summer so I,ll be doing it again. Thankyou! 🙂
Linda Ly
May 29, 2015 at 8:26 pmEnjoy! 🙂
Karina
January 24, 2015 at 3:02 pmohhhhh, what a great idea. I love my nasturtium to keep my apple trees happy (and sometimes the chickens) but had no idea what to do with it other than eating it in salad…. brilliant!!!
Linda Ly
January 24, 2015 at 6:26 pmThis is one of my favorite pestos. I love the peppery flavor compared to a typical (sweeter) basil pesto. Enjoy!
Walktallpilates
May 27, 2015 at 1:09 pmIt is such a good idea isnt it? 🙂
Isis Loran
February 22, 2014 at 1:28 pmI had NO idea you could eat the leaves. I’ve eaten the peppery flowers before, what another exciting way to eat them this year!
Di
March 15, 2014 at 7:44 amAlso when they go to seed, those are tasty as well.
Linda Ly
March 15, 2014 at 7:59 pmI pickle the pods: http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/01/poor-mans-capers-pickled-nasturtium-pods/
AnavonneAgain
November 16, 2013 at 2:10 pmCan’t wait to try this next year MT@theGardenBetty:You can make pesto out of almost anything green. Nasturtium Pesto http://t.co/m958QR5m7w
theGardenBetty
November 16, 2013 at 10:02 amYou can make pesto out of almost anything green… including these “weeds”! Nasturtium Pesto http://t.co/cpwgmoR0gR #gardenchat #recipe
walktallpilates
November 5, 2013 at 7:05 amtried this and it was fantastic, thankyou!
Nancy G
September 27, 2013 at 9:35 amLove this one. I also blend basil and nasturtiums and make batches for the freezer – with or without garlic and cheese. And using all varieties of nuts and seeds. It makes for a great savory breakfast muffin. Nancy
Rachel
September 12, 2013 at 12:42 amHi Garden Betty,
I am a school teacher from beautiful New Zealand and I just wanted to share with you that my children at school have now successfully made – and gobbled up – large quantities of nasturtium pesto from your recipie! Nastutium grow like a weed here too and we have grown them in our school vegetable garden as companion plants.I’m looking forward to pickling the pods at some stage and since we’re growing carrots we’ll be blending a carrot salsa at some stage too! Thanks for your inspiration! Rachel
Catherine Higgins
July 31, 2013 at 6:35 amexcellent. I’ll be making this very soon.
missy winkworth
July 23, 2013 at 10:16 ami just made a batch of this because my nasturtiums are overthrowing my tomatoes! after i scraped almost all of the pesto out of the blender, i threw in some of last nights leftover chicken. i am currently enjoying a chicken-pesto-lettuce-wrap… and it is delicious! thank you garden betty!
Lydia Ann
May 20, 2013 at 3:19 pmThis sounds great! I am growing tons of Nasturtiums in among my curcurbits (cucumbers, melon, squash, etc.) because I’ve read that they will deter cucumber beetles, so I should have lots flowers and leaves to use! Thanks so much!
theGardenBetty
April 17, 2013 at 7:40 pmMade a jar of nasturtium pesto today with my backyard nasturtiums. Might be my best batch yet…! http://t.co/yXFrGuLJgH #gardenchat #recipe
Linda Ly
January 27, 2013 at 7:08 pmThanks Nancy! My nasturtiums grow wild year-round, except for fall, so I’m always harvesting a different part of the plant each season depending on when they’re blooming or seeding. 🙂
Nancy
January 27, 2013 at 9:22 amI just discovered your recipe for pesto. How cool is that?? I have nasturtiums that grow wild spring to summer and always felt I wasted them! Now, I have poor mans’ capers and pesto to look forward to! Great blog…love it.
I live in Costa Mesa, so it is fun to see someone else in CA.
Nancy
http://wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com
Toes and Tomatoes: AZ Gardening and Eating Local
January 27, 2013 at 5:18 amWhat to do with all those nasturtiums? Look no further! Thanks Garden Betty http://www.gardenbetty.com/2013/01/nasturtium-pesto/
Jun Iguchi
January 18, 2013 at 9:23 amJun Iguchi liked this on Facebook.
Michael J. Bissanti
January 16, 2013 at 8:38 amMichael J. Bissanti liked this on Facebook.
Jeff Wright
January 16, 2013 at 6:47 amWould never have thought of doing this, thank you!
Linda Ly
January 16, 2013 at 6:12 pmEnjoy!
Kieran Creevy
January 15, 2013 at 7:09 amKieran Creevy liked this on Facebook.
Aagaard Farms
January 15, 2013 at 7:09 amAagaard Farms liked this on Facebook.
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