Coconut Free Basil-Pesto Radish & Cucumber Salad
Crisp cucumber rounds and paper-thin radish slices come together in a salad that's as vibrant to look at as it is to eat. The real star is the herb pesto — a blitz of fresh basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil that turns a simple vegetable bowl into something genuinely crave-worthy. Salting the vegetables first and letting them rest draws out excess moisture, so the pesto clings to every slice instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Because the sauce is built entirely from fresh herbs and good olive oil, there's no dairy, no nuts, and absolutely no coconut in any form — just clean, bright flavor from start to finish. Store-bought pestos can be a minefield of unexpected add-ins, but making it yourself in a food processor takes only minutes and puts you fully in control of what goes in. The result is a light, refreshing salad that works beautifully as a side dish or a starter, and the torn basil scattered on top makes it look like you spent far more effort than you actually did.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
For the salad
- 2 medium english cucumbers, thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 bunch radishes (about 10–12), thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
For serving
- 2 tbsp fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the cucumber rounds and sliced radishes in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, toss to coat, and let stand for 10 minutes until the vegetables release some of their liquid.
- 2
While the vegetables rest, combine the basil leaves, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and sea salt in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the herbs are roughly chopped.
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