Lupin Free Basil-Pesto Arugula Salad

Total time15 min

Prep time15 min

Cook time0 min

4.6

(7)

Bright, peppery arugula meets a vibrant homemade pesto in a salad that feels both fresh and deeply satisfying. The dressing is the real star here — blitzed together from packed basil leaves, raw garlic, lemon juice, and a drizzle of good olive oil, it comes out thick, spoonable, and intensely fragrant. The clever swap that makes this pesto work is tiger nut flour in place of the pine nuts or other legume-based thickeners you might find elsewhere, keeping it completely free from lupin without sacrificing that rich, cohesive texture. Crisp radishes and cool cucumber half-moons add crunch and color against the tender greens, making every forkful interesting. A final hit of flaky sea salt and torn fresh basil ties the whole bowl together in a way that feels restaurant-worthy but genuinely simple to pull off at home. This is the kind of salad that converts people who think salads are boring — serve it immediately while the arugula still has its bite.

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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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