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wooden spoon scooping out a serving of fresh arugula pesto from a white serving bowl on a wooden cutting board

Arugula Pesto

5 from 1 vote
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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Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings: 12 (2 tablespoons per serving)
Author: Molly Thompson

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.
    walnuts and garlic blended in the food processor
  • 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.
    arugula pesto ingredients blended in the food processor
  • With the food processor on medium speed, slowly add the avocado oil. It will becomes much thinner and start to look like pesto.
    arugula pesto in the bowl of a food processor
  • If it's too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time to thin it out.

Recipe Equipment

Food Processor

Notes

How to store: transfer the pesto to a jar with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
How to freeze: pour the pesto into ice cube trays and freeze for 2 hours. Once they're solid cubes, transfer them to a ziplock bag to save room. Thaw in the fridge as needed!
 

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.1g | Protein: 1.9g | Fat: 10.9g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 101mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @What_mollymade or tag #WhatMollyMade so I can see it and feature you!