Learn how to make arugula pesto, a zesty and peppery sauce that you can use to jazz up any dish. This paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly recipe is super easy and versatile!

A small bowl containing arugula pesto with the ingredients of arugula and slivered almonds surrounding the bowl.

Flavor boosters for the win!

I’m a big believer in prepping sauces, dips, and dressings to keep on hand in my freezer and fridge—it’s one of the keys to whipping up quick and easy meals when I don’t have time or the energy to cook. That’s why I devoted a whole “Get Set” chapter in my yellow cookbook, Ready or Not!, to all the make-ahead stuff you need to cook effortlessly anytime, from All-Purpose Stir-Fry Sauce and Green Beast Dressing to XO Sauce and Sriracha Ranch Dressing.

And while you won’t find this arugula pesto in my book, it’s an excellent example of a simple and versatile flavor booster that takes your food from ho-hum to nomtastic in no time flat.

Someone packing a measuring cup with arugula for arugula pesto.

What is arugula pesto?

Arugula pesto is my favorite peppery spin on traditional pesto! Classic basil pesto is made with basil leaves, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and pecorino cheese, crushed garlic, salt, and olive oil, but cheese ain’t paleo, pine nuts require a special trip to the grocery store, and in the wintertime, fresh basil is hard to come by. Luckily, spicy arugula and slivered almonds make tasty pinch hitters. This paleo, Whole30, and even vegan-friendly arugula pesto freezes really well, so if you plan ahead, you can pop out a cube of pesto whenever you need it!

An overhead view of the ingredients for arugula pesto in a food processor.

Ingredients

An overhead shot of the ingredients needed to make homemade arugula pesto.
  • Arugula: I like to use baby arugula in this recipe because it’s less peppery than regular arugula and it gives the pesto a bright green color.
  • Italian parsley
  • Toasted almond slivers: I prefer using toasted almond slivers in this pesto, but feel free to sub toasted walnuts or pine nuts.
  • Capers: Make sure to rinse the capers if you use salt-packed capers.
  • Garlic
  • Lemon juice
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

How to make arugula pesto

In a food processor or blender, combine the arugula, parsley, almonds, capers, and garlic cloves. (I don’t use a mortar and pestle because a food processor is so much faster!)

Someone adding slivered almonds to a food processor with arugula.

Add the lemon juice.

Someone pouring lemon juice into a measuring spoon on top of a food processor.

Pulse until finely chopped, scraping the sides down if needed.

A closeup of the ingredients for arugula pesto pulsed in a food processor.

Then, while the food processor is running, pour the olive oil through the feed tube.

Someone pouring in a stream of olive oil into a food processor.

Process until smooth (or your desired chunkiness). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

An overhead shot of the pesto in a food processor mixed together.

How to store arugula pesto

Arugula pesto can be refrigerated in an airtight container (e.g., a mason jar) for 4 days or frozen in ice cube trays for up to 6 months. I normally add a drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on the top of the pesto before refrigerating or freezing it so it won’t discolor as easily. (You won’t be sorry if you decide to double the recipe!)

A small bowl filled with arugula pesto with arugula surrounding the bowl.

How can you use arugula pesto?

Personally, I recommend that you toss a heaping spoonful of Arugula Pesto on just about anything, and it’ll make your final dish taste incredible. Try it on roasted vegetables, Pressure Cooker Crispy Potatoes, Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash, cubed roast chicken (like Weeknight Roast Chicken), Pan-Seared Salmon, Meatza, or scrambled eggs. I even have a Sheet Pan Salmon Supper recipe that uses it! You can also whisk the pesto with mayonnaise, and you’ll end up with a tasty dipping sauce for crudités! (Not paleo? You can use this fab pesto on pizza, sandwiches, or pasta.)

Still scratching your head about what to do with this Arugula Pesto?

One of my favorite no-cook meals with arugula pesto

Spiralize your favorite vegetable (e.g. zucchini, parsnip, kohlrabi, carrot, etc.) and toss the veggie noodles in a bowl.  Yep, I don’t even bother with cooking them. Then, add a dollop of Arugula Pesto…

Someone adding a spoonful of paleo and Whole30 arugula pesto into a bowl of spiralized vegetables.

…some leftover cooked protein (e.g. chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, etc.), and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and chow down!

Someone mixing together zoodles, arugula pesto, and chicken in a bowl for a paleo and Whole30 dinner.

Remember: This is just one example of what you can do with Arugula Pesto. The possibilities (pesto-bilities?) are endless!


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Arugula Pesto (Vegan, Keto, Whole30)

4.91 from 10 votes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings 16
Learn how to make arugula pesto, a zesty and peppery sauce that you can use to jazz up any dish. This paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, and vegan-friendly recipe is super easy and versatile!

Ingredients  

  • 2 cups tightly packed baby arugula
  • 1 cup tightly packed Italian parsley
  • ½ cup toasted almond slivers
  • 1 tablespoon capers rinsed and drained
  • 1 medium garlic clove
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
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Instructions 

  • In a food processor or blender, combine the arugula, parsley, almonds, capers, garlic cloves, and lemon juice. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping the sides down if needed.
  • Then, while the food processor is running, pour the olive oil through the feed tube. 
  • Process until smooth (or your desired chunkiness). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

*In the nutrition facts, 1 serving is 1 tablespoon of pesto.
Arugula pesto can be refrigerated in an airtight container (e.g., a mason jar) for 4 days or frozen in ice cube trays for up to 6 months. I normally add a drizzle a thin layer of olive oil on the top of the pesto before refrigerating or freezing it so it won’t discolor as easily. (You won’t be sorry if you decide to double the recipe!)
So what are some things you can do with this magical green awesomeness?
Personally, I recommend that you toss a heaping spoonful of Arugula Pesto on just about everything, and it’ll make your final dish taste incredible. Try it on roasted vegetables, Pressure Cooker Crispy Potatoes, cubed roast chicken (like Weeknight Roast Chicken), Pan-Seared Salmon, or scrambled eggs. You can also whisk the pesto with mayonnaise, and you’ll end up with a tasty dipping sauce for crudités! Or make a veggie noodle pesto bowl with spiralized vegetables, cooked protein, & pesto! 

Nutrition

Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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27 Comments

  1. I’m allergic to almonds (the death nut). Should I just use pine nuts or would another type of nut be cheaper maybe? I’m on a tight budget. Thanks. 🙂

  2. I made the mistake of buying Kale instead of Arugula and didn’t even discover it till I was putting the plastic box in the fridge, and all the pesto was in the freezer. Tasted just like pesto, so I guess it doesn’t much matter if you use Argula, Kale or Basil!

  3. 5 stars
    Hello!

    Just wanted to let you know that my wife and I tried this recipe the other night on our pasta. It so happens that my inlaws were there too. They like the recipe so much that they ask for the leftovers to go!

    Anyways, thanks a lot for sharing this. Excited to send the next recipe here to my wife.

    Have a great day!

  4. 5 stars
    very good! I used lime juice in place of lemon because that’s all I had. I also used pine nuts–agian, that’s what I had. Was surprised that the fresh parsley adds to the depth of flavor. It’s delicious and I will make it again!

  5. I made this with micro-arugula and micro-pea and followed of recipe. Delicious! Just be careful about salt. I added 1/4 t salt and it was just enough to make a salt pesto.

  6. 5 stars
    This was a hit. We did use it on your salmon and asparagas sheet pan dinner. The only change I made was adding 1-2 T. Parmesan as the container was just about empty. Added a nice flavor and saltiness.