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!
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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!
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!
Recipe
Arugula Pesto
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
Recommended Equipment
- Food Processor
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.
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