This fresh purslane pesto is made with purslane, a leafy plant that brings a slightly tangy, even lemony flavor to the pesto. And it’s ready in less than 15 minutes.

Purslane is technically a weed, and something every forager feels lucky to come by. It is great in so many recipes, and due to its growing popularity, you can find it at some farmers markets and specialty grocery stores.

Green pesto in a glass ramekin.

🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Quick and easy to make – This super quick fresh pesto only takes 15 minutes to put together.
  • Versatile – Pesto is a versatile thing to have on hand. You can use it as a pasta sauce, as a spread, as a dipping sauce… The list is endless. I love this version in my avocado pesto pasta. The extra moisture from the purslane is perfect for that recipe.
  • Easy to freeze and use later – Freeze it in small portions so that you can remove and defrost small amounts as and when needed. The easiest way to do this is to use an ice cube tray.
  • Unique taste and flavor – Purslane has a great taste similar to watercress and will make a pesto unlike anything else you’ve ever tried! For more traditional pesto than this purslane pesto, try this garlic basil pesto.
  • Uses a nutritious ingredient that would otherwise be discarded – While purslane is technically a weed, but gold to any forager. It is really nutritious and packed with vitamins. You can also try this easy sautéed purslane or purslane soup!

🧾 Ingredients In This Recipe

Purslane, olive oil, parmesan, garlic, and other labeled ingredients to make purslane pesto.
  • Purslane leaves – Some small stems in the mix are okay. The medium and large stems have a slimy texture so I don’t recommend eating those.
  • Garlic – Use fresh cloves. You can substitute with minced if needed.
  • Pine nuts – Pinenuts are traditional in pesto but you could also use another type of nut like walnuts or pistachios.
  • Olive oil – Olive oil is the star of pesto so make sure it is high-quality. You can’t really substitute this because the taste of the olive oil is crucial to the taste of the overall pesto.
  • Parmesan – You can use pre-grated Parmesan or grate it yourself. I like to grate myself because the cheese is usually better quality.
  • Salt & pepper – season to your preference.

Foraging tip

Wild purslane may be safe to eat, but take great care if you’re foraging it yourself, as it’s likely to have pesticides or other chemicals on it out in the wild. To be safe, purchase from the farmers market or supermarket, or grow it at home.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

Trimming a long stem of purslane over a food processor bowl filled with purslane leaves.
  • Start by trimming the purslane. The tops taste the best, so remove all the large and medium stems and keep the leaves, tops, and thin stems.
  • You can taste the different parts to assess which ones you want to keep.
Pouring pin nuts from a metal measuring cup into a metal pan on a cooktop.
  • Next, toast pine nuts over medium heat. Keep your eye on them to make sure they don’t burn.
  • Quarter or roughly chop the garlic. You need to do this with a knife – if you put it in the food processor whole it will not break down properly.
Pouring olive oil into the top of a food processor with green pesto in the bowl.
  • Put the purslane, garlic, pine nuts, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in the food processor.
  • With the food processor on, slowly add the olive oil to the mixture.
Pesto in the bowl of a food processor with a topping of grated parmesan.
  • Finely grate the parmesan into a medium-sized bowl. The parmesan is salty, so we won’t add additional salt until the end.
  • Mix it into the pesto.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

✅ Pro Tip

Freeze your pesto in ice cube trays. Pack each tray with pesto mixture, and freeze so you have little pesto cubes. Once frozen, remove the frozen cubes and store them in your freezer in an airtight container/bag. Defrost as needed.

green pesto in a glass ramekin.

✅ Pro Tip

I got my purslane at a farmer’s market and now I grow it in my garden. If you are growing in the garden, make sure to pinch off or pull it before flowering so it doesn’t spread too much, as it will take over the garden!

Pesto pasta in a white pasta bowl and topped with parmesan.

If this purslane has made you hungry for a good forage, check out these other purslane recipes and other foraging specialties.

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Vibrant green pesto in a glass ramekin.

Purslane Pesto

5 from 4 votes
This fresh purslane pesto uses a leafy plant that's technically a weed, but tastes great in this easy recipe. Ready in 15 minutes!
Author: Candice Walker
Print Recipe Save
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American, Italian
Calories: 413

Ingredients

  • 5 oz. purslane leaves stems removed, some small stems OK
  • 3 cloves garlic Rough chopped
  • ½ cup toasted pine nuts
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup parmesan grated
  • ¼ tsp pepper to taste
  • salt to taste

Equipment

Instructions

  1. To trim the purslane, know that the tops taste the best, so remove all the large and medium stems and keep the leaves, tops, and thin stems. Taste the different parts to see which ones you want to keep.
  2. Quarter or roughly chop the garlic (if you put it in the food processor whole they will not break down)
  3. Toast pine nuts over medium heat. Keep your eye on them to make sure they don't burn.
  4. Put the purslane, garlic, pine nuts, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in the food processor.
  5. With the food processor on, slowly add the olive oil.
  6. Finely grate the parmesan into a medium sized bowl. The parmesan is salty so we don't add salt until the end.
  7. Add the contents of the food processor to the parmesan.
  8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

You can toast the pine nuts on the stove in a fry pan or in the oven on a baking sheet. See blog post for detailed instructions.
Pesto is perfectly good to freeze. If you’ve made a lot of pesto, it’s a good idea to freeze it in small portions so that you can remove and defrost small amounts as and when needed. The easiest way to do this is to use an ice cube tray. Pack each tray with some of the pesto mixture, and freeze so that you have little pesto cubes. Then. remove the frozen cubes and store in an airtight container/bag in your freezer, and defrost as needed.
Nutrition facts calculated using spinach because purslane was not an option.

Nutrition

Calories413kcalCarbohydrates5gProtein8gFat42gSaturated Fat7gPolyunsaturated Fat9gMonounsaturated Fat24gCholesterol9mgSodium230mgPotassium321mgFiber1gSugar1gVitamin A3426IUVitamin C11mgCalcium191mgIron2mg

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8 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made the Purslane Pesto today! Love it! I only had 4 oz of purslane so I added one oz of basil to create the 5 oz recipe requirement. I’m allergic to dairy so I used ground sunflower seeds instead of the Parmesan. It probably changed the flavor a bit, but it worked well. I think nutritional yeast would also work. It’s a lovely recipe and I would make again, but make sure I had enough purslane next time! 🙂

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I weeded the garden and noticed the purselane was still young and tender. My yield was the perfect amount to try it for the first time along with gnocchi I was already planning to make. We feel so resourceful. 🙂

    Reply
5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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