Poor Man’s Garlic Scape Pesto Recipe
Looking for a garlic scape recipe? This easy garlic scape pesto uses simple ingredients and can be used as a spread, dip, sauce, and more.
Every June here in Northern Michigan, garlic scapes start curling and suddenly there’s a window of time where it feels like you either use them… or end up with a pile in the fridge wondering what happened.
This simple garlic scape pesto became one of those recipes that happened because I had garlic, cashews in the pantry, and no desire to use expensive nuts to make pesto.
It’s fresh, garlicky without being overpowering, and one of my favorite ways to preserve a little bit of early summer.
Great tossed with pasta, spread on sandwiches, mixed into roasted vegetables, stirred into soup, or used as a dip.
It’s mighty delicious and easy!
Lemon juice is from Costco, Cashews from Aldi, Scapes from my back yard and the olive oil in the photo is from Mercola, but I generally have EVOO from Azure Standard, both tastes great for me.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Garlic Scapes cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces (use your scissors to make it easy)
- 1 Cup Cashews
- 1/2 to 1 Cup Olive Oil (Or a bit more)
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (from a jar or squeeze one yourself)
- S&P to Taste
Click HERE to see what Food Processor I use
Directions:
- In a food processor place your garlic scapes, cashews and lemon juice and give it a few pulses.
- Next turn it on to low or high and drizzle in the olive oil until desired consistency is reached. This will take about 2-3 minutes and feel free to add in more olive oil or lemon juice. Don’t be afraid! Scraping down when necessary, add in the S&P when it’s turned off and give a quick pulse or two to stir in.
- Place in a dish with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. This could also be frozen for a later use, but the consistency is not quite the same.
- Eat with triscuits, pita chips or tortilla chips!
- Use as a dip, sauce for pasta, sandwiches and more
Click Image to Print
RESOURCES
Best Salt around- Redmond’s Real Salt!
Azure Standard for bulk ingredients
Another Garlic Scape Recipes
What Are Garlic Scapes?
Garlic scapes are the flower stalk produced by hardneck garlic. They appear in early summer and grow up from the center of the plant before curling into their signature loop.
Removing the scape helps encourage the plant to put more energy into growing a larger bulb underground instead of making flowers.
And the bonus? You get an extra harvest.
Scapes taste milder than garlic cloves with a fresh green flavor that works beautifully in pestos, soups, stir fries, eggs, and compound butter.
Why I Always Harvest Garlic Scapes
Harvesting scapes feels like the first real sign that garlic season is moving along.
For me, it’s also one of those reminders that growing food often gives more than one harvest. First the scapes, then the bulbs, and if cured properly, garlic can last months afterward.
Even a small garlic patch can produce enough scapes for fresh eating and enough bulbs to carry into winter.
Other Ways to Use Garlic Scapes
If pesto isn’t your thing, try:
- Chop and sauté like green onions
- Blend into salad dressing
- Add to scrambled eggs
- Mix into sourdough dough
- Stir into mashed potatoes
- Pickle them for later
- Freeze chopped portions for winter cooking
From the Archives: Growing Garlic
If you want to grow your own garlic this year, I put together a free guide to help.
Inside you’ll learn:
✔ When to plant garlic
✔ Hardneck vs softneck garlic
✔ Soil preparation and spacing
✔ When to harvest
✔ Curing and storing for long-term use
→ Get the free Growing Garlic guide
Garlic is one of those crops that gives long after planting day—and garlic scape season might just become one of your favorite harvests too.
