Your New Favorite All-Purpose Pesto Recipe
Bright, peppery arugula meets sweet basil and nutty Parmesan in my easy homemade arugula pesto which, by the way, goes well with practically everything. I’ve been making this same recipe for years (back to 2010 in my grad school days!), and everyone loved it. Fold spicy arugula pesto into swirled braided pesto bread, add it to your favorite pasta dishes (it’s the star of my chicken pesto pasta with mascarpone), or dollop on top of roasted veggies or seafood, like my baked pesto salmon.
In the summer, I always keep a jar on hand for quick flavor boosts throughout the week — and once you try it, I bet you will too.
Oh, and if you’re sitting on a mountain of fresh tomatoes as well (because summer!) try my Sicilian pesto alla Trapanese next! Pesto sauces don’t always have to be green. 😉
Why You’ll Love This Peppery Arugula Sauce
- Five minutes, one food processor, zero cooking.
- Complex flavor: You get the peppery bite from fresh arugula, but a balanced flavor with the addition of fresh basil. Lemon, pine nuts, and fresh Parmesan round it all out.
- Ultra-versatile: Spread on crostini, drizzle over meat, seafood, or poultry, swirl into pasta… I could go on and on!
- Freezer-friendly: Stash extras in ice-cube trays so vibrant pesto sauce is always within reach (you can add these to soup, pan sauces, whatever!)
You likely already know that different types of pesto can easily be swapped out in recipes. Toasted walnut pesto with Parmesan, homemade pesto with pistachios, and super garlicky wild ramp pesto are a few of my favorite homemade pesto recipes.
Make Pesto Like A Pro!
- Lightly toast the nuts first for a deeper, almost caramelized flavor.
- Pulse, don’t purée. Perhaps this is personal preference, but in the hundreds of batches of pesto I’ve made over the years, I prefer a bit of texture versus a smooth sauce.
- Emulsify the oil. Streaming the oil in slowly helps the sauce stay creamy instead of separating.
- Season at the end. Cheese and nuts vary in saltiness, so taste after blending and adjust.
While traditionally Italian pesto is made by pounding everything together with a mortar and pestle (the name comes from the Genoese word pestâ, meaning “to crush,”), I’m a big fan of pulsing everything in a food processor. 💁🏻♀️ Choose the method that works best for you!
Work With What You’ve Got
How many times have you gone to make a recipe only to find that you’re missing one ingredient? Yep, we’ve all been there. Here’s the thing about pesto: it’s extremely versatile.
If you run out of basil, you can use a handful of mint or parsley. Don’t have pine nuts? Walnuts, pistachios, almonds, or pecans will be just fine. And of course something like Pecorino Romano is a great substitute for Parmesan.
My only hard and fast rule is that you really should use fresh lemon juice–the packaged stuff is really not good at all.
Serving Ideas
- Toss with hot pasta, then finish with extra Parmesan shavings. In fact, you can often substitute pasta recipes with any pesto you like. Try using it in my pesto pasta with potatoes and green beans or this light, summery shrimp pasta salad.
- Spread on crusty bread alongside a bowl of jammy tomato confit, a perfect light lunch!
- Drizzle over crispy duck fat potatoes–the peppery pesto cuts the rich duck fat beautifully!
- Brush onto grilled shrimp, salmon, or chicken, just before serving.
- Swirl into creamy soups or fold into soft scrambled eggs—delicious.
If this peppery arugula pesto brightened your meal, please leave a star rating and quick review below—your feedback helps other home cooks find and love the recipe, too!
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Peppery Arugula Pesto (Ready In 5 Minutes!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups packed arugula
- ½ cup basil leaves
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp lemon zest + half a lemon juiced, about 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ – ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Pulse the ingredients. Place 2 cups packed arugula, ½ cup basil leaves, ½ cup Parmesan, ¼ cup pine nuts, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp Kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with blade attachment. Pulse until very finely chopped.
- Drizzle in the olive oil. With machine on, slowly drizzle in ½ cup of olive oil until smooth and emulsified. If pesto is too chunky, add remaining ¼ cup of olive oil. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in refrigerator until needed.
Notes
- Store leftover pesto in a fridge for up to 1 week. Use an airtight jar that’s topped with a thin layer of oil to lock in the color.
- Freeze: Spoon pesto into ice cube trays, freeze solid, then pop cubes into a zip-top bag. Use with 3 months— no need to thaw; they melt right into sauces.
- Reheating: Pesto is best served room temperature. If you must warm it, do so gently over low heat to avoid breaking the emulsion or dulling the herbs.
This was amazing! We eat a lot of pesto in our house, but I had a massive crop of arugula that I wanted to use before it went to seed in the garden. This was just the ticket. It was garlicky, peppery, and a tad bit lemony – a great change from regular pesto. We put it on homemade pizza with caramelized onions and thin sliced red potatoes. Even my pepperoni-worshiping partner ate three pieces.
So happy you love this pesto!! That peppery bite is just the best!! xo, Ari
I made this arugula pesto yesterday and it was wonderful! I had it on top of bread last night and today I had it on top of a ham sandwich. I can’t wait put mix it with some pasta. This arugula pesto has the most amazing flavors. It was so easy to make. I’m planning on making more and doing exactly what the tips say and freeze some… that is if any of it makes it to the freezer. Yum!
We are OBSESSED with this pesto and I’m so, so glad you loved it too! Bread, sandwich, or eaten plain by the spoonful, it’s just really freakin’ delicious!! xo, Ari
Holy mother of pearl this is delicious! It’s smooth, it’s a little peppery, and it knocks you down with its flavor but you just have to keep coming back for more! Can’t recommend this recipe enough. The only additional variation I added of my own is lightly toasting the pine nuts before using but I’ve done this recipe with and without toasting – still a winner either way.
YES YES YES!!! It is my favorite pesto in the whole world!!! xo, Ari
Just made a fresh batch today because I ran out and need some pesto for a recipe. It’s SO good. Just SO SO good! I use either almonds or walnuts (or sometimes cashews) instead of the pine nuts because I get a weird metal mouth reaction (boo!), but otherwise follow your impeccable instruction to amazing results! Thank you!
It truly is so flavorful! We sometimes eat it by the spoonful lol! xo, Ari