Hemp has totally gone mainstream and I love it. I add hemp seeds to oatmeal, chia pudding, smoothies, salads, baked goods—basically, anything I can because 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds contain 10 grams of plant protein and a perfect balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fats. Hemp seeds are so good for you, guys!

It used to be that if you bought hemp seeds, you were most likely buying them imported from Canada, as they weren’t allowed to be grown in the United States—hemp was actually considered a schedule I drug, alongside heroin, for a while.

Totally crazy, right? Especially considering that hemp doesn’t even contain enough THC to cause a psychoactive effect.

You can read more about the backstory on hemp in this article from Organic Insider, but the tl;dr is that now, 4 years after it became legal to grow hemp in the US, you can finally buy America-grown hemp seeds from Nutiva.

One unexpected use for hemp seeds is in pesto. Because hemp seeds are sold without the shell, when you blend them into a pesto you get a nice, creamy texture–with the added bonus of protein and all those healthy fats.

I usually make pesto to freeze for later when I get big bunches of herbs in my CSA box. I like to go easy on the oil so the pesto is on the thick side—because I most often use pesto in pasta, this allows me to thin it out with a bit of the cooking liquid from the pasta and save some calories.

Photos by Lindsey Johnson

Print Recipe

Hemp Seed Pesto 3 Ways

Three varieties of hemp seed pesto: Classic Basil, Lemon Parsley, and Balsamic Sun-Dried Tomato. Toss them with your favorite pasta, use them as a pizza sauce, or even as a sandwich spread!

Prep Time5

Total Time5

Course: Sauces

Servings:

Ingredients

Classic Basil

2 cups fresh basil leaves loosely packed
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic
2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Lemon Parsley

1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 clove garlic
1 cup parsley leaves loosely packed
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Balsamic Sun-Dried Tomato

3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes not oil-packed
1/3 cup hemp seeds
1 clove garlic
Small handful basil
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste

Instructions

For the Classic Basil and Lemon Parsley pestos, place all of the ingredients except the oil and salt in a food processor. Turn the food processor on and slowly pour the oil into the feed tube until the mixture is smooth. Add more oil if desired or thin with cooking liquid from pasta. Season to taste with salt.
For the Balsamic Sun-Dried Tomato pesto, place all of the ingredients except the salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped - you don't want this pesto to be completely smooth. Season to taste with salt.