Chicken Free Basil-Pesto Arugula Salad

Total time15 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time0 min

4.6

(7)

This vibrant salad is a celebration of fresh, bold flavors — peppery arugula, crisp radishes, and cool cucumber all brought together by a deeply herby homemade pesto that steals the show. The pesto itself is the real star here, built from two full cups of packed basil, bright lemon juice, and garlic, with tiger nut flour standing in as the base instead of the usual pine nuts or parmesan, giving it a subtly nutty, earthy richness. It comes together in a food processor in just a few pulses, resulting in a thick, spoonable paste that clings beautifully to every leaf. Because every component is plant-based and built from scratch, there's no need to scrutinize labels or worry about hidden animal proteins sneaking into your bowl. The lemon-dressed arugula keeps things light and lively, while the pesto adds enough body and depth to make this feel like a proper, satisfying dish rather than a side salad afterthought. A scatter of torn fresh basil over the top right before serving pushes the herbal fragrance over the edge in the best possible way. It's the kind of recipe that looks impressive, tastes even better, and comes together with almost no effort.

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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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