Chestnut Free Basil-Pesto Arugula Salad
Bright, peppery arugula meets a vibrant homemade pesto in this salad that feels both fresh and deeply satisfying. The dressing comes together in a food processor — fragrant basil, raw garlic, lemon juice, and a drizzle of good olive oil blending into a thick, spoonable paste that clings beautifully to every leaf. The clever swap here is tiger nut flour in place of the usual pine nuts or other tree nuts, which gives the pesto a subtle body and richness without any chestnut or nut-based ingredients. Crisp radishes and cool cucumber half-moons add crunch and color, making this more than just a simple green salad. For anyone navigating chestnut allergies or broader tree nut concerns, store-bought pestos can be a minefield of ambiguous ingredients and shared-facility warnings — making a batch from scratch like this puts you fully in control. Toss it all together right before serving and finish with a pinch of flaky salt for that little pop of texture on top.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp tiger nut flour
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For the salad
- 5 oz baby arugula (about 6 cups loosely packed)
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced into half-moons
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- flaky sea salt, to taste
For serving
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the 2 cups packed basil leaves, garlic cloves, tiger nut flour, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and fine sea salt in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and the garlic is broken down.
- 2
With the processor running, stream in the 1/3 cup olive oil in a slow, steady pour until the pesto comes together into a thick, spoonable paste — it will be slightly textured, not completely smooth. Scrape down the sides and pulse once more to incorporate. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
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