Macadamia Free Basil-Pesto Arugula Salad
Bright, peppery arugula meets a vibrant homemade pesto in a salad that feels restaurant-worthy but comes together in minutes. The pesto skips the usual pine nuts entirely — tiger nut flour steps in to give the sauce body and a subtly earthy richness that blends beautifully with fresh basil, garlic, and lemon. Crisp radishes and cool cucumber slices add crunch and freshness to every forkful, while a final drizzle of olive oil and lemon keeps the whole bowl light and lively. For anyone navigating nut-free eating, store-bought pestos can be a minefield of unexpected ingredients, so blending your own from scratch is genuinely the smartest move. The food processor does most of the work, and the result is a thick, spoonable sauce with real depth of flavor. Serve it immediately after tossing so the arugula stays perky and the pesto clings to every leaf — this one is best eaten fresh and fast.
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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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