Ginger Free Vegan Arugula Pesto
Peppery arugula takes center stage here, blending with toasted pine nuts, garlic, and a splash of bright lemon juice into a sauce that's bold, fresh, and deeply satisfying. Nutritional yeast steps in for traditional parmesan, delivering that savory, umami-rich depth without any dairy — and it works beautifully. Every single ingredient in this recipe is naturally free of ginger, so there's no label-scanning or substitution stress involved; it's just clean, simple cooking from the start. Toasting the pine nuts first is a small step that pays off big, adding a warm nuttiness that makes the finished pesto taste far more complex than the ingredient list suggests. The food processor does most of the heavy lifting, and the whole thing comes together in minutes. Toss it with pasta, spread it on flatbread, or spoon it over roasted vegetables — this pesto is versatile enough to become a weeknight staple you'll keep coming back to.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 2 cups packed fresh arugula
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- 1
Toast the pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 2–3 minutes. Watch closely, as they can brown quickly. Transfer immediately to a plate to cool.
- 2
Combine the arugula, toasted pine nuts, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and the garlic is broken down.
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