Fish Free Vegan Lemon Arugula Pesto
Bright, peppery, and loaded with fresh flavor, this arugula pesto is the kind of sauce that makes you want to put it on everything. Toasted pine nuts add a warm, buttery depth, while fresh lemon juice and zest keep the whole thing lively and vibrant. Nutritional yeast steps in to deliver that savory, umami-rich quality you'd expect from a classic pesto — no dairy required, and absolutely nothing from the sea. That matters more than you might think, since many store-bought pestos and even restaurant versions sneak in anchovies or other fish-derived ingredients. Here, every single component is plant-based and easy to verify, so there's no second-guessing the label. The food processor does most of the work in minutes, and the slow drizzle of olive oil at the end gives you that luscious, spoonable consistency. Toss it with pasta, spread it on crusty bread, or dollop it over roasted vegetables — it's endlessly versatile and genuinely hard to stop eating.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 3 cups packed fresh arugula
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 2–3 minutes. Watch closely, as they can brown quickly. Transfer to a plate and let cool for 2 minutes.
- 2
Combine the toasted pine nuts, arugula, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped.
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