This arugula pesto is packed full of healthy greens, healthy fats and bright flavors. It makes a great sauce for pasta, topping for bread or baked perfectly with crispy potatoes. Make this vegan with nutritional yeast!
Looking for another vegan sauce? Try vegan basil pesto, cashew cream, or vegan cashew queso next!
Table of Contents
Arugula pesto is bright, fresh and affordable and a recipe I’ve been excited to share for a while! We’ve been obsessed with arugula lately and I’m always looking for new ways to serve it. If you have a lot of arugula, make this recipe arugula walnut pesto (it calls for 5 cups!) it’s packed with a ton of greens and fiber!
Benefits of arugula
Arugula has a bright and peppery taste to it and is a great source of antioxidants. It’s also full of vital nutrients including calcium potassium, folate, and vitamins K, C and E. Using this arugula pesto is like having a salad without having a salad!
Are you an arugula lover? This salmon arugula salad is filled with this pepper green, avocados, and goat cheese.
Arugula pesto ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card below for measurements and the printable recipe.
- Garlic
- Arugula
- Walnuts
- Lemon
- Nutritional yeast (vegan) or parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Avocado oil
- Water (to adjust consistency if needed)
How to make arugula pesto
- Start by roasting the walnuts over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until warm and fragrant. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate to cool completely.
- While the walnuts are cooling, add the garlic to the bowl of a food processor and blend to break up the garlic.
- Add the walnuts to the food processor and blend again until they’re broken down into very small pieces, 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add the rest of the ingredients, except the avocado oil and water and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until the arugula is broken down. It will seem like a lot of arugula, but it blends well and reduces in volume. Scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed.
- With the food processor on medium speed, slowly add the avocado oil. It will becomes much thinner and start to look like pesto.
- If it’s too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time to thin it out.
Can you freeze arugula pesto?
Divide it evenly into ice cube trays then freeze for two hours. Once it’s solid, transfer the cubes to a plastic bag. Thaw in the fridge and enjoy!
How to store pesto in the fridge: store in an air tight container for up to 5 days. Follow the freezer instructions above if you don’t plan to use it within 5 days.
How to use arugula pesto
- Dip for veggies
- Spread on top of crostini
- Tossed with your favorite pasta like this 3 ingredient cauliflower gnocchi
- Used in this easy pesto chicken recipe
- Roasted with veggies like these pesto roasted potatoes
- Smothered on a sandwich
- Use it as a pizza topping instead of traditional sauce
One more pesto recipe: Fresh basil vegan pesto
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment with your review!
Arugula Pesto
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Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup walnuts
- 5 cups arugula packed (5 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast could use parm
- Juice from 1 medium lemon about 1/4 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup avocado oil could use light tasting olive oil
- Water as needed to thin out the consistency
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until warm and fragrant. Remove from the heat and transfer to a plate to cool completely.
- While the walnuts are cooling, add the garlic to the bowl of a food processor and blend to break up the garlic.
- When the walnuts are cool, add them to the food processor and blend again until they’re broken down into very small pieces, 1-2 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, except the avocado oil and water and blend on high for 1-2 minutes until the arugula is broken down. It will seem like a lot of arugula, but it blends well and reduces in volume.Scrape down the sides of the food processor as needed.
- With the food processor on medium speed, slowly add the avocado oil. It will becomes much thinner and start to look like pesto.
- If it’s too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time to thin it out.
Notes
Equipment
- Food Processor
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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