Homemade Rocket Pesto (Arugula Pesto)

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This quick and easy Arugula / Rocket Pesto is a variation of the traditional pesto Genovese made with basil. It’s also vegan, with nutritional yeast adding the richness ordinarily contributed by the cheese. This makes a great dip, is perfect on pasta, and delicious tossed through salads too.

Looking down into a jar of bright green rocket (arugula) pesto that's sitting on a wooden board. Some rocket and cashews are scatted on the table beside the jar.Pin

Nutritional Benefits

Rocket (arugula) is one of many cruciferous vegetables that have quite a bitter flavour profile. Aside from rocket, others include kale, spinach, collard greens and watercress as examples (1).

These types of bitter veg offer an abundance of vitamins like A, C, and K (1, 2), along with essential minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium (2). Additionally, they’re rich in antioxidants and various compounds they contain may also benefit gut health (3) – all of which makes these vegetables a wonderful inclusion in your diet each day.

A close up image of a bright green bowl of rocket (arugula).Pin

Ingredients – What You’ll Need To Make This Recipe

Shiro miso and nutritional yeast may be the only things you don’t have in your pantry for this recipe. Depending on where you’re located, they shouldn’t be too difficult to come by though. I can get both of them at my local supermarket. If they’re not at yours, they can be purchased online.

All the ingredients needed to make rocket (arugula) pesto are laid out across a yellow table in various small bowls.Pin
  • Rocket / arugula – the gorgeous greens that deliver a slightly bitter taste, and an abundance of nutrients.
  • Parsley – while also a touch bitter this adds a light herbaceous and zesty flavour to the pesto.
  • Nutritional yeast – provides the cheesy, earthy flavour for this recipe.
  • Cashews – make the pesto deliciously creamy.
  • Shiro / white miso – adds sweetness to the pesto, which would traditionally be contributed by the cheese.
  • Olive oil – this can make or break your pesto so my top tip is to get a good one!
  • Garlic – Not everyone agrees with me here, but I think you can overdo the garlic in a pesto recipe. I stick to one clove so there is just a hint of pungency rather than it being the dominant flavour. If you want more feel free to add it.
  • Salt – needed to balance and enhance the flavours of the other ingredients.

The nutritional yeast and shiro miso work together to replace the flavours that would otherwise be contributed by the cheese in a traditional pesto. As such, I don’t recommend that either of them are omitted. The cashews can also be substituted with macadamias, almonds or pine nuts if preferred.

How To Make This Rocket Pesto

Like traditional pesto, this version can be whipped up in minutes. The slight spiciness of the greens is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the miso, the creaminess of the cashews and the cheesiness of the nutritional yeast. It results in a green sauce that is sweet with a mildly bitter, spicy kick.

  1. Add all ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor.
  2. Now add in half the olive oil, put the lid on the food processor and pulse until a chunky sauce is formed.
  3. Take the lid off, scrape down the sides, then replace the lid and put the food processor on the slowest speed. Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil until it’s all incorporated.
  4. Pour the pesto out into a jar, drizzle the top with a little more olive oil then pop the lid on and keep in the fridge for up to one week.
  5. Serve mixed through pasta, dolloped onto sourdough or tossed through a salad.

If the pesto is too thick for your liking drizzle in another tablespoon or two of olive oil and pulse a few times again. If you’d prefer a less chunky sauce, you can blend the ingredients on high for one minute. This will make it a pourable consistency.

Rocket (arugula) pesto is being tossed through a bowl of trofie pasta.Pin

Substitutions And Variations

Don’t have cashews? Macadamias, almonds or pine nuts also work well with this pesto. Walnuts are another option, as are Brazil nuts but they give the pesto a slightly more bitter, earthy flavour.

If you’re not dairy intolerant and want to make this a cheesy pesto. Replace the nutritional yeast and miso with the combination of 4 tablespoons of grated parmesan and 4 tablespoons of grated pecorino.

Tips For Success With This Recipe

You can control how thick and chunky this pesto is! If it’s too thick for your liking drizzle in another tablespoon or two of olive oil and pulse again. If you’d prefer a less chunky sauce, you can blend the ingredients on high for one minute. This will make it a pourable consistency.

After pulsing, you may find you need to scrape down the sides of the food processor to ensure no ingredients, remain whole.

Storing/Freezing/Make Ahead

Store the rocket pesto in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 – 10 days. This means it’s a great make-ahead sauce!

Pesto can be frozen, but I will admit I’m not a fan. I prefer it made fresh every time, as I find it does lose a little flavour and that delicious olive oil mouth feel. That said – if freeing is for you, you can either portion the pesto into ice cube trays before freezing or freeze it in a flat layer on a baking sheet. If doing the latter, I suggest breaking it up into large chunks and storing in a freezer safe bag or the pesto will get very icy. Frozen pesto should be stored for up to 6 months.

FAQ

Why is my arugula pesto bitter?

There are two possible reasons for this. One is that you may not be used to the taste of rocket (arugula), which is in fact quite bitter. If you are a rocket lover but think your pesto is still overly bitter, the other culprit can be the olive oil. As outlined in my dairy free pesto recipe – olive oil is a predominant flavour in pesto. As such, your pesto will only be as good as the olive oil you use so choose a good one!

Can I use different nuts to make the pesto?

Yes! Macadamias, almonds, or the more traditional pine nuts are great in this. Walnuts are also delicious however they don’t balance out the bitterness of the greens as well. They do produce a lovely earthy, pesto though.

More Dips & Sauces To Try

If you try this recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment, rate it, and remember to tag @wholenaturalkitchen in your pics or reels on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok!

Close up looking into a jar of rocket pesto. The jar is completely filling the screen.Pin

Homemade Rocket Pesto (Arugula Pesto)

This Arugula / Rocket Pesto is nutrient rich with a delicious sweet and peppery taste. It’s perfect in pasta, as a dip or a dressing.
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Course: Sauces
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Easy, Quick
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 162kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Food processor

Ingredients

  • 3 cups rocket / arugula (tightly packed cups)
  • ½ cup continental / flat-leaf parsley (leaves only, tightly packed)
  • ¾ cup nutritional yeast
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup cashews (see note 1)
  • 1 tsp shiro / white miso
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor.
  • Now add in half the olive oil, put the lid on the food processor and pulse until a chunky sauce is formed.
  • Take the lid off, scrape down the sides, then replace the lid and put the food processor on the slowest speed. Slowly drizzle in the remaining olive oil until it’s all incorporated.
  • Pour the pesto out into a jar, drizzle the top with a little more olive oil then pop the lid on and keep in the fridge for up to one week.
  • Serve mixed through pasta, dolloped onto sourdough or tossed through a salad.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Macadamias, almonds or pine nuts also work well with this pesto. Walnuts are another option, but they give the pesto a slightly more bitter, earthy flavour.
If the pesto is too thick for your liking drizzle in another tablespoon or two of olive oil and pulse again. If you’d prefer a less chunky sauce, you can blend the ingredients on high for one minute. This will make it a pourable consistency. After pulsing, you may find you need to scrape down the sides of the food processor to ensure no ingredients, like the rocket (arugula), remain whole.

Nutrition

Serving: 2tbsp | Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Sodium: 106mg | Potassium: 161mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 495IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg

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Gabby Campbell

Gabby is a degree qualified Naturopath/Nutritionist (BHSc Nat) with a love of all whole foods. She started her Naturopathic career in clinical practice before making the move to recipe development and online education – a result of wanting to combat the misinformation that abounds on the internet about food and health. Whole Natural Kitchen aims to transform the way you think about healthy eating by helping you embrace an abundance of nutritious foods while leaving the health fads behind. MORE ABOUT GABBY

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