Don't toss those tops! Carrot greens are just as edible as carrots themselves, and they're delicious in this tangy chimichurri sauce, pesto, and more.
Today, we’re making chimichurri out of carrot greens! I don’t know who ever spread the idea that vibrant carrot tops should be tossed. They’re edible and delicious, so let’s start using them!
This carrot tops recipe comes with a cute little backstory. A few years ago, Jack and I spent some time in Argentina, where I fell in love with chimichurri sauce. Upon returning home, I couldn’t find a recipe that tasted just like the bright, smoky chimichurri we had there. But recently, we learned that one of our friends in Austin is Argentinian! He kindly called his mother for her chimichurri recipe, and it was, of course, just right.
This recipe is a slight spin on hers. I used carrot greens instead of the traditional parsley, and I added less water and oil to make a thicker, dip-able sauce. It’s not at all authentic, but it’s delicious nonetheless.
How to Use Carrot Greens
Before we get to the sauce, let’s talk carrot tops! They have a lightly sweet, earthy flavor that’s like a cross between carrots and parsley, and they’re delicious raw or cooked. This recipe uses most of the tops from one small bunch of carrots, or half the tops from a large bunch. That means you’ll have leftovers! Aside from this chimichurri sauce, here are a few of my favorite ways to use carrot greens:
- Pulse them into carrot top pesto in a food processor. Make a nut-free pesto by swapping sunflower seeds or pepitas for pine nuts!
- Dice them and toss them into a salad.
- Sprinkle them over roasted veggies like carrots, butternut squash, or cauliflower. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and a little Parmesan cheese to take this over the top!
- Use them to garnish soups like my Many-Veggie Soup, Carrot Ginger Soup, or Butternut Squash Soup.
- Mince them and sprinkle them over a grain bowl, like the Carrot Ginger Grain Bowl on page 93 of The Love and Lemons Cookbook.
- Stir them into the Stem and Scrap Tzatziki on page 302 of Love and Lemons Every Day.
- Simmer any extras into vegetable stock! Find my Scrap Stock Recipe on page 106 of Love and Lemons Every Day.
Carrot Greens Tips
Ready to cook? Here are my best tips for working with carrot greens in the kitchen:
- Clip them off right away. In order to keep the carrot leaves (and the carrots!) fresh, you need to store them separately. As soon as you get a bunch of carrots with bright green tops, clip off the greens. Wrap them up and store them in the crisper drawer in your fridge until you’re ready to use them, or freeze them to make vegetable stock.
- Wash and dry them well. It’s no secret that carrots grow in dirt, so wash the leaves well! You’ll also want to dry them with a kitchen towel or salad spinner before chopping them – if they’re too wet, they’ll clump together and be soggy.
- Get rid of the tough stems, unless you’re making stock. Carrot greens’ thick stems can add delicious flavor to vegetable stock, but they’re too tough to use in salads, bowls, or sauces like this chimichurri. I like to use the tender leaves in carrot top recipes right away and freeze the stems to simmer into stock later on.
Chimichurri with Carrot Tops Recipe
This chimichurri sauce is so simple to make! First, wash your greens well, and chop them as finely as you can. Then, mix them with spices, olive oil, and white wine vinegar. That’s it! I love to serve this sauce with roasted carrots as a starter or side dish, but it’s also fantastic with grilled veggies, crusty bread, or any cooked protein.
If this chimichurri is too oily or vinegary for you, dilute it with 1/4-1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Mix well, and spoon it over whatever you’re eating, rather than serving it as a dip.
Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the sauce will keep for up to 4 days. It will thicken in the fridge, so allow it to come to room temperature before serving!
More Favorite “Scrap” Recipes
If you love this carrot tops recipe, try experimenting with other common veggie scraps! Here are a few recipes to get you started:
- Broccoli Rice
- Cauliflower Rice
- Beet Salad with Pistachio Beet Green Gremolata, page 127 of Love and Lemons Every Day
- Leek and Radish Green Tart, page 181 of Love and Lemons Every Day
Carrot Greens Chimichurri
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped carrot greens
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the carrot greens, oregano, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir in the vinegar and olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings.
I love chimichurris but never did this. because I’ve never bought carrots with their greens – always the ones in a bag. I need to fix the fundamental problem here. Love that you use up everything and there is no food wastage
What a great spin on chimichurri. My husband and I met in Argentina while studying abroad so all-things Argentina hold a special place in my heart. And we love chimichurri, especially with empanadas!
I like this recipe SO MUCH that even though I have never had chimichurri before in my life, I am going to make it one day. Do you think I can substitute carrot green with baby kale?
Anyway, I love the idea of not wasting any food. This is such a brilliant idea 🙂
thanks Pang :). Yep, I’ve done it with kale before – just chop it up really fine.
Brillant! I play a game with myself and then gloat when I use everything up in my refrigerator and make a yummy meal. Using carrot tops takes that to a whole new level. And, chimichurri is one of my favorites. Thanks so much!
I play that game too 🙂
Well tell me I am crazy and I am,, but I have been using carrots greens for Years!!!!!!!
I never ever throw anything away that I can use and I use almost everything you can think of!!
ha, nope, you’re the smart one – I don’t know why the rest of us (or many of us) grew up not knowing you should eat them!
What an amazing idea? I’ve been trying to be much better about throwing away greens especially since I discovered that beet greens are amazing several months ago. Can’t wait to try this!
i have never made chimichurri before – you just inspired me..now somebody please give me a bread to dip this in.
I just got into using carrot greens last summer. Love it! I really enjoy them atop pesto on sandwiches, and I bet this chimichurri would take that to the next level. Love that top photo!
This is such a great idea! I’ve never thought about using carrot greens like this but it’s so clever and I bet it’s really tasty too!
what a fantastic idea! i have a great book called ‘vegetable literacy’ and it talks all about carrot tops. will have to try this!
sara
fourthandolive.com
love vegetable literacy… I’ll have to go back and read the part about the carrot tops 🙂
Fabulous use of carrot tops!
Smart lady!
I love using the often-discarded greens from veggies, especially root veggies, but have never used the ones from carrots. I have to give this a try!
PS: sorry if this is a duplicate comment. I posted one just now and got an error from my browser. Please delete if they both went through 🙂
So clever! And pretty. I don’t get too excited about roasted carrots but I do like the sound of this spin on my beloved chimichurri.
It is really so interesting to see all of the pestos you make with spare vegetables greens. What a cool eBook idea that could be! 😉 Chimichurri is hands-down my favorite sauce, and although I normally use cilantro, I’d be really interested to see how it tastes with these carrot greens thrown in!
Ha, thanks! That would be a fun idea, for sure :).
This would also be great as half cilantro (or whatever fresh herb), half carrot greens – I meant to write that note in the recipe.
How long would you estimate this could keep in the fridge (if made in a quantity capable for jarring)? In the example of sundried tomatoes: I imagine since everything is being preserved in olive oil and vinegar, it would be just fine in a jar in the fridge; Would anyone agree (or disagree)? The fade in color doesn’t bother me any, the flavor and quality of the herbs will still be there. Similar to herb salad dressings, etc.
Any guidance appreciated. Thank you!
I love finding recipes that use the WHOLE piece of produce. I’ve always heard carrot greens are good and you can use them, just never have. But I definitely will try this recipe – I love chimichurri and the season for grilling is coming soon and this would be great on a big plate of grilled veggies!!
thank you so much for this recipe! i spent a summer abroad in buenos aires, and have not been able to track down a chimichurri recipe that lives up to my memories. i will definitely have to give this a try- the original and the carrot greens version (which is a genius twist). provecho!
yum! I love a good chimichurri, but i also love that you made it with the carrot greens! I always feel so guilty about throwing greens away.
p.s. i won’t complain if all you do is post pesto.
Thanks 🙂 I just love pesto so many ways, it’s endless!
I love chimichurri! This recipe looks perfect!
I’ve been so intrigued by chimichurri, I need to give this a try!
So yummy and flavorful 👍👍😋
I’ve made this recipe a few times! It’s really so flavorful and lasts forever in the fridge. I make this anytime i buy a bunch of nice carrots from the farmers market!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Bravo this is really a good site !