Yeast Free Basil-Pesto Spinach Salad
Fresh, vibrant, and packed with bold herby flavor, this spinach salad is the kind of dish that makes you feel like you're eating well without any compromise. The star is a silky homemade pesto blended from two cups of fresh basil, garlic, lemon juice, and a golden hit of turmeric — all brought together with a generous pour of extra-virgin olive oil. Instead of traditional pine nuts, tiger nuts give the pesto a subtly sweet, nutty body while keeping the whole recipe completely free of yeast and fermented ingredients. Crisp baby spinach, cool cucumber half-moons, and paper-thin radish slices provide the perfect canvas for that deeply fragrant dressing. Because the pesto comes together in a food processor in just a couple of minutes, this is genuinely weeknight-friendly despite tasting like something you'd order at a nice café. Store-bought pesto and dressings are notorious for sneaking in yeast extracts or fermented additives, so making your own here is both the smarter and tastier call. Serve it immediately with a squeeze of lemon and a scatter of torn basil for a salad that's as beautiful on the plate as it is satisfying to eat.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ⅓ cup tiger nuts, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
For the salad
- 6 oz baby spinach (about 6 packed cups)
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced into half-moons
For serving
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
- lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the basil, tiger nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely ground and no large pieces remain.
- 2
With the processor running, stream in the olive oil in a slow, steady pour until the pesto is smooth and emulsified, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides, then add the lemon juice, salt, and turmeric. Pulse 3–4 more times until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust salt.
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