If you’ve not tried Garlic Scape Pesto, put this on your list! Find garlic scapes at your local farmer’s market, farm stand, or Co-Op during mid Spring to early Summer. Their season is short so grab them while you can! Make with pine nuts, walnuts or almonds, this tasty scape recipe takes only 15 minutes to whip up in a food processor. *For a dairy free Garlic Scape Pesto, try my Vegan Garlic Scape Pesto.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recipe Review: “Perfect use for my garlic scapes!! I could literally eat this with a spoon! (And I did, when my bread ran out 😆). Thank you!!” ~ Julie
Garlic Scape Pesto for Your Garlic Scapes
I had never tried garlic scape pesto until these beautiful curly scapes showed up in a CSA share. I’d had garlic scapes before, roasted, on pizza, in hummus and other delicious dishes, yet I had just not made pesto with them. It was time to try something new… it blew my socks off!
It’s so quick to whirl this garlic scape recipe up, enjoy it, and/or pop it in your freezer for a delicious summertime treat in the middle of winter.
This Recipe Is
- a condiment that’s loud and bold in flavor
- quick to whip up in a food processor
- versatile and delicious
If you make homemade condiments and love the bold flavor of garlic, you’ll enjoy this fun and delicious scape pesto.
What is a Garlic Scape?
A garlic scape is the flower stalk of a hardneck garlic plant. It tastes like garlic, only spicier and bolder. The stem (or scape) of the growing garlic is removed so that the remaining energy goes towards the development of the bulb, or head of garlic, which is good because this helps the plant develop plump, full flavored garlic cloves. So until the garlic harvest later in the season, we feast on scapes!
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How to Make Garlic Scape Pesto
The flavor of this pesto? It’s spicy, creamy and gives any special dish that WOW factor! Garlic scape pesto is a loud condiment, so a little goes a long way.
Freezer tip: I typically put pesto in a Mason jar and freeze it, but pesto can also be spooned into ice-cube trays to freeze, then used later when smaller portions are needed. Also, garlic scapes can be blanched and frozen if preserving them whole or diced is preferred.
Traci’s Tips
- How to Choose Garlic Scapes: Look for garlic scapes at farmer’s markets or local Co-Ops. I tend to prefer smaller scapes as they’re tender and milder in flavor.
- They should be bright green with a firm, yet flexible bottom stem.
- Younger scapes are generally more tender and have a milder flavor, while older scapes can become tougher with a stronger, more pungent and bitter taste.
- Sub those Pine Nuts: Unless purchased in bulk, the cost of pine nuts can be quite high. Feel free to substitute lightly toasted walnuts or almonds – they’re delicious in this pesto!
Ways to Enjoy Garlic Scape Pesto
- Grilled Veggie Sandwich with Pesto Mayo
- Sourdough Pizza
- Gluten Free Sourdough Pizza
- Flatbread Veggie Pizza
- Creamy Farro with Pesto, Asparagus and Peas
- Fresh Marinara Walnut Sauce
- Gluten Free Pizza Crust
- Pesto Spinach Whipped Ricotta Dip
- Broccoli Fritatta
- Spinach Mushroom Pesto Ricotta Lasagna
15-Minute Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 (154 grams) Garlic Scapes size of scapes vary, use weight for accurate measurement
- 1/3 cup (44 grams) Pine Nuts *see notes for substitutes
- 1/3 cup (38 grams) Parmesan Asiago or Parmesan dice or shredded **see note
- 1/2 Lemon juiced
- 1/8 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- A few grinds of Pepper
- 1/3 cup (70 grams) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Trim the garlic scapes by cutting just below the bulb and also if the end of the stem seems woody, trim that too (like asparagus). Discard the bulb and end of stem, then set the remaining scape aside (the curly part).
- In a food processor, add the scapes, twirling them around the center so that they all fit. Add the pine nuts, cheese, juice of the lemon and salt and pepper. Process by pulsing until the mixture begins to break down. Scrape the bowl down.
- With the processor running, slowly add all the olive oil. Continue to process until all the ingredients are incorporated and broken down, about one minute.
- Store in a covered container or lidded jar in the fridge and enjoy within a week. Also, you can freeze the pesto in a jar or in an ice-cube tray. Once frozen, in the ice-cube tray, remove and place in a zip top bag in the freezer.
It’s scape season! I made this recipe last year and tripled it. Delicious! Ready to go again this year and freeze.
Love hearing this Laurie!! Thank you for your note and star rating. Hooray for Scape season!
Tasty. I didn’t have cheese or lemon juice. I used toasted walnuts, a handful of basil, Tspn of ACV and a Tbsp nutritional yeast.
Sounds good to me, Kay! Thank you for sharing your tips and giving the pesto a go!
Forgot to leave a star rating!!
All I can say is fantastic!!
Best news ever, Robert! Thank youuu for stopping by!
Very tasty. I used pine nuts and on a second batch pine nuts and lightly toasted walnuts. I almost prefer the walnut pine nut combo for depth of flavor.
Hi David! Thank you for your note and tip! I’ll try the walnut pine nut combo.
I used sliced almonds, since that’s what I had. Delicious! No ‘bite’ to this recipe, used Blendtec to make a smooth and creamy pesto. Used with pasta, grape tomatoes, some red onion and chicken. Homegrown, so I’ll be freezing a lot this year!
Hi Barb! Thank you for your note! Love that creamy pesto approach, your pasta sounds delicious! Hooray for homegrown garlic (and scapes)!
Perfect use for my garlic scapes!! I could literally eat this with a spoon! (And I did, when my bread ran out 😆). Thank you!!
Yayyy! SO glad to read your note, Julie! Thank you for giving the recipe a go! (I’m all in for the spoon approach!).
I came home from a trip and found all these scapes in the garden waiting for me. I made this recipe and licked the spoon. Wow! I can’t wait to put it on some pasta. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Hi Sue! Wow, what a wonderful thing to come home to! Thank you for your note… pasta is a perfect application!
Yes this is my frist time ever doing scapes and not quit sure do y[u just use the top of the scape above the bubls or the bottom part to
Hi Linda! Cut just below the bulb (discard the bulb). Trim the end and any woody part (like asparagus) and discard. Sometimes scapes are woody, depending on age of the scape. Put the remaining piece into the food processor for processing. I hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
Love my scape pesto. Just harvested 46 scapes and more to come! I can eat it right off the spoon. Usually freeze in large cocktail size ice cube trays. Just finished last years frozen harvest.
Hii Kathy! Hooray for 46 scapes! That’s super exciting. I can hardly wait till mine are ready (it’s still in the low 60s where I live). Thank you for your note and tip about cocktail size ice cube trays!
Harvested the scapes and made 2 batches of pesto. It is so good and spicy. This is my new go to recipes to process my scapes.
Hi Pam! Thank you for your note and giving the pesto a go! SO happy you’re enjoying those spicy scapes!
I’ve had garlic scapes before and loved them. They were a long single stalk that curled around. I ordered some this week from a farmers market and I’m not sure what I got. This time I received bunches that looked like ultra thin ribbon-like floppy green onion stalks with 4 or 5 long leaves/stems attached and the bulbs/roots chopped off. I went ahead and used them and the pesto tastes great and garlicky.
That’s amazing Ess.. so glad they worked for you! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go!
Delicious! Love the addition of lemon, it really brightens the flavor. I only had 5 scapes so I made half the recipe.I added some basil as well. Freezing it future use in my Chicken Pesto Chili.
Love that half batch approach! Thank you for your note, Eva!
I only had enough scapes from my garden to make 1/3 of this recipe. I wish I had more!! Wow!! The flavour is amazing.
SO excited, Barb! Thank you for your note, star rating, and giving the pesto a go. Garden scapes are the best! It’s almost time to plant garlic for next year (more scapes)! Hooray!
I used almonds because that’s what I had. It was delicious. A slightly bitter tang.
Hi Sally! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go. I love almonds in this recipe too!
This was absolutely delicious! I mixed it into zucchini noodles and cherry tomatoes as they were sautéing and it took it to the next level. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Heather! Thank you for your note on IG and FIVE star review here! I love your tip about mixing the pesto with zucchini noodles! SO yumm!
I made this and didn’t really like it. Tasted kind of bitter. I followed the recipe exactly.
Hi Joe! Some scapes, depending on variety and age, can throw bitter notes. I’m sorry it didn’t work for you.
This is an excellent recipe. I didn’t want to make the pesto with basil since I’ll have a lot of that later in the season. I made it from scapes from my garden. I used walnuts and froze the pesto in 1/4 cup size servings. Had some with linguine last night. Delish!
Yes to walnuts and garden scapes, Janet! But with linguine? Heaven!
The flavor and color was so bright and fresh. Really enjoyed this recipe and glad that it gave me a way to use the garlic scapes from my garden. In future, I might halve the amount of scape called for in the recipe, or use the listed amount and double everything else. We used 154 grams of scape and it was insanely spicy for me (tongue went into some serious 4-alarm fire mode). But my co-hort was ok. Funny how the spice level hits people differently. Thanks for the recipe – it’s a keeper for us!
Hi MK! Thank you for your note and giving the pesto a go! I love that you made this from your garden scapes! On spicy things… I *hear* you. Scapes are loud for sure. Something to consider for next time is to reduce the amount of scapes and add basil or arugula to balance or town down the spicy.
I made this recipe with scapes from my garlic garden. Delicious with fettuccine,!
Mmmmmm perfection with fettuccine! Thank you for your note Gail! Hooray!
I was given a whole bag of frozen garlic scapes today. Would you still use 10 scapes if they were frozen?
Hi Mary! Thank you for your note. What a fantastic gift! I’ve not tried using frozen scapes before, but I would suspect you’d include the same amount in the recipe. If you give it a go, will you keep us posted?
I used dry curd cottage cheese instead of Parmesan. It tasted great!!
Can the nuts, all kinds, be eliminated from this recipe? Thank you for a reply.
Hi Arlene! Yes… just be sure to reduce the oil. Drizzle it in the processor, and add to taste/consistency!
Try sunflower or safflower hearts instead! Good choice for nut allergies!
Finally! A great recipe to use all the scapes in the garden! This is awesome and use it primarily on pasta!
SO happy to hear Christina! Oh my, it’s soooo good on pasta :D
Im so sorry for leaving a comment like this but i cant figure out how else to leave a comment and i apologize, i have been reading different articlea and alot of them say adding the cheese and lemon then freezing is not a good idea is your recipie ok for freezing with the cheese and lemon in it? I have about 20 pounds of scapes that im doing different things with but i love pesto so i will more then likely b making alot of this and just wanted to be sure before i did it thanks in advance
Hi Brian! Thank you for your note. I’ve been freezing this recipe for years without issue. I simply thaw it in the fridge overnight and use it as needed.
This definitely has a very strong garlic flavor – and my family and I enjoy a lot of garlic. I had to add more cheese and oil and in the end. So yummy!
SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the pesto, Karens! A bit more cheese and oil sounds good to me! :D
Seriously, Traci, this stuff is so addicting.
I keep making homemade french bread, which I then turn into garlic toast, which in turn gets smothered with garlic scape pesto. I can’t stop! So good. Thank-you!
SO happy to hear Kelly! Garlic Scape Pesto on toast? SO yum!!
Incredible pesto–I made several large batches and froze them–they thaw just beautifully. GREAT for having with pasta dishes or just spread on fresh warm bread in the winter!
Ahhhh yes! Fresh warm bread is the best, Beryl! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the pesto.
It has a different texture than basil pesto but the flavor was good. I added chopped walnuts!
SO happy to hear, Jimmy! Thank you for your note.
Deliciosi! I made this garlic scape pesto the first time exactly as described and so the second time I blanched the garlic scapes before adding them and I love it even more! Blanching seems to cut the harshness of the garlic. Yum!
Thank you so much Blanca, for your note and giving the recipe a go! Blanching sounds like a great idea, thank you for sharing!
I used wet walnuts, the ice cream topping. I rinsed the syrup from them and add to pesto. The sweetness balances any sharpness from the garlic. Also I slow roast the scapes.
Hi Shelly! Such a great idea to slow roast the scapes! Thank you for sharing – and I love that savory sweet approach :D
Ok! This recipe is spot on, easy and delicious! I doubled it (had lots of scapes) and subbed Manchego for the parm AND added some Cascade Mushroom Mix to bump the umami and mellow the loud. Fantastic.
I really wish I had roasted or sautéed the scapes first. This isn’t just spicy; it’s SHARP. I’ve added arugula, more cheese, more lemon juice…nothing is cutting the sharpness.
Hi Lisa! Does sautéing or roasting cut the spicy? A little goes a long way with this pesto… I’m sorry it didn’t work for you.
can i freeze this in ice cube trays and then take out as i need ?
never mind , i see now that it is written in your comments that it is freezer friendly
Why would you discard the flower? I cut the fibrous tail 1″ above the flower.
Hi Chris! I discard it because. In my experience, it’s tough.
This sounds like a wonderful recipe. I have pine nuts in my freezer. Can I use them straight from the freezer or do I need to do something to them before using them in the recipe?
Hi Carol! That’s great! Let the nuts thaw so that they incorporate more easily into the pesto. I hope you enjoy the pesto!
Very good idea. Just made it and served it atop crostini. Looking at other ideas, I’m thinking of adding it to a bit of mayo for use as a sandwich spread or potato salad dressing. Thanks for the recipe
Hi Mark! On crostini – how delicious! Yes to potato salad – I love that too!
Love the fact that you added metric to the measurements! This recipe was easy to follow, and made a delicious pesto. I used walnuts because apparently pine nuts are in high demand in this era of COVID-19- it’s still delicious! I made potato salad using the pesto.
Hi Maria! Thank you for your note and rating! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the pesto… Yes to walnuts – since I shot this recipe, the price of pine nuts has skyrocketed, so I don’t use them in anything, for now. Your potato salad sounds amazing! :D
something like arugula might be a start.
That’s a great idea!
This is SO DELICIOUS!!
We can’t get enough of this, perfect recipe.
When I first made it my husband didn’t want to leave the house as he “would be too far from the scape pesto”!
:D I felt the same way but he said it best.
Hii Jennifer! Thank you for your note… and I absolutely looove garlic scapes too! I LOL about your husbands comment!! What’s your favorite way to enjoy it?
I try to make pesto from my scapes every year and freeze it to have on hand all winter. I did a triple batch of your recipe tonight! I just love it on toasted baguette, pasta, wonderful on sandwiches!
That’s amazing Michelle! I’m SO with you on having it on hand through winter. Such a bright spot in the freezer! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go!
Make this every season! Vacuum seal/freezei n portions and have it all winter. Had it fresh tonight on Burgers…. with mozzarella- so good! I had 190 scapes this year… have eaten some… given away quite a bit….
So happy to hear Misty! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note! (those burgers tho!).
So happy to hear Misty! What a haul of scapes! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note!
I made a double batch. Have used it in a flatbread, on pasta, on pizza and in a salad dressing. We froze a portion to enjoy in the winter. I will be making it again with next year’s crop of garlic.
Omg! This is amazing! Just made a triple batch
Oh now there’s a stocked freezer! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note, Koty! So happy to read it.
I just made it and it sure smells good. I didn’t quite have enough scapes but did have small amount of basil leaves in freezer so made up the amount needed. I have frozen it in ice cube trays like you suggested. It’s going to be great baked with salmon.
Hi Lynn! Hooray for having garlic scape pesto on hand, and in small batches! Well done on the basil too. I just whipped up a triple batch and am freezing almost all of it… it’s going on cauliflower steaks tonight! I hope you enjoy the pesto!
I have some baby purple queen bokchoy coming up in my garden. I wonder how it would be as a pesto? Should I blanch it?? I figured if kale works, do you blanch the kale? I just picked the scapes off my homegrown garlic! Can’t wait to try!!
Hi Debra! I’m not sure about bokchoy, but kale works beautifully in pesto. No need to blanch! Let us know how you like the garlic scape pesto! Home grown too – wow!
I made this pesto last year and loved it (especially pulling it out of the freezer in the dead of our New England winter)! Now I’m using up my garlic scapes and have a question about the recipe: when do you add the lemon juice? It’s listed in the ingredients, but I don’t see it added anywhere in the instructions. Thanks!
Hey Lisa! Thank you for your note! I added some lemon as I updated this to brighten the pesto. Add with all the ingredients.. I’ve corrected the recipe. Hooray for Summer freezer food in the middle of winter! SO happy you enjoy the recipe!
I’m making this recipe right now. The 1/2 lemon juiced is not mentioned in the instructions. Not an issue for me, but you might want to add it. Looking forward to this on crusty Italian Bread.
Thank you so much Anita! I appreciate your note! :D On crusty bread? Yes please!!
I’d love to take some of those scapes off your hands, Renee! I hope you enjoy the recipe! :D
I made this last year and took it to a party. It was a hit. Thanks for another great recipe Traci. Enjoy the time with your family and come home safe!
Hooray! Love hearing this Heide! Thank you for sharing and note :D .
Thank you for introducing me to Garlic Scape Pesto. I made this last year and loved it .. and just last week picked up fresh scapes from the Haliburton (Ontario) Farmers Market. Couldn’t wait to make it again .. which I did on Wednesday and enjoyed last night with zucchini noodles and fresh grape tomatoes .. delicious!!
So happy to hear this Karin and thank you for your note! Zucchini noodles and fresh grape tomatoes sounds amazing! I’ll have to give it a go!