Paraben 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 pesto skips the usual pine nuts and parmesan entirely, leaning on tiger nut flour for body and a generous pour of extra-virgin olive oil for richness — no preservatives, no additives, just real ingredients you can actually pronounce. Crisp radishes and cool cucumber slices add crunch and color, making every forkful a little more interesting than your average green salad. Because everything is made from scratch in a food processor, you stay in complete control of what goes into the bowl, which matters when you're navigating products that often hide synthetic compounds in their ingredient lists. The lemon juice does double duty here — brightening the pesto and lightly dressing the greens so nothing feels heavy or overdone. It comes together quickly and looks stunning on the table, whether you're serving it as a light lunch or alongside a bigger spread. Tear a few extra basil leaves over the top and it's genuinely hard to believe something this clean tastes this good.

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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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