Chef John’s Almond Arugula Pesto

There’s no way a large handful of arugula mentioned in the video can be measured as 1/2 cup listed in the recipe. Maybe the recipe should read at least 2 cups. Edit: I think it should be 4 oz Arugula – which technically in some cases 1/2 cup could be considered 4 ounces… but in this case weight is much different than volume. A bucket of cotton balls is not going to weigh the same as the same bucket filled with golf balls. Just saying. I made this recipe, adding basil to supplement since I didnt have enough arugula. It was tasty but I wont be doing this recipe again, even with the adjusted amounts.

Great way to use up too much arugula from farmer’s market. Nice change from basil pesto.

Delicious! Very garlicky. I added a little salt to the mixture in the blender and added some cracked pepper. Enjoyed this with pasta.

I stumbled on this recipe trying to find a way to use up an oversupply of arugula. Made it almost verbatim and it was outstanding. Instead of 4 large cloves of garlics, I used two which made it very garlicky in our household where we love garlic. I guess it depends on how big your cloves are. Brilliant recipe. You would swear there was parmesan, basil and lemon juice in it.

I used this with spiralled zucchini and it is to die for. The lack of dairy is interesting and appreciated.

This is excellent!! Although I think the garlic needs to backed off by at least one clove of garlic.

I made it with 2 cups basil without parboiling, 2 small garlic cloves and added juice of half a lemon. It was delicious!

Wonderful! I used sunflower seeds and slivered almonds, fresh basil from my garden. It was super good!!

Love it! Had tons of arugula leftover in my garden, made this recipe, loved it so I used most of the arugula still left. I added jalapeno peppers (3 with seeds included) to my recipe which was updated for 16 servings. I also used brazil nuts instead of almonds, great! Family loved it also. Thanks for this recipe.

This pesto is so easy to make. I didn’t have arugula leaves so I used basil leaves instead. I also added a little black pepper, cilantro and red pepper flakes for additional flavor. You can’t go wrong with this recipe!

Really good. I used a little less olive oil but used a mixture of regular olive oil and some Trader Joe’s basil olive oil. I also added a little pasta water to thin it out & served the sauce over TJ’s whole wheat spaghetti.

This smells great! I’m using it in a recipe later, but I will add the rest to a freezer tray and once frozen, my “cubes” of pesto will go in a freezer bag for future use.

Very tasty! But best of all, a cinch to make!This recipe was easy to put together with ingredients I always have on hand. I boiled the arugula in a double boiler. When the arugula was done I pulled out the insert and put it in an ice bath for a minute or two. Then I transferred the arugula to a strainer and pressed it with a fork to remove the excess water. In the end it was still quite soggy and I had to wring out the arugula with my bare hands. This is probably easier and much more efficient in the long run. I used prepared minced garlic and cut back the quantity a bit for fear of it being too garlicky. I used about 3 tsp, which I take to be the equivalent of 3 cloves. I didn’t find it too overpowering and will probably make it with the full amount next time. A dash or two of salt is definitely needed since this recipe does not include parmesan cheese, as many other pesto recipes do. My picky twin toddlers were reaching their fingers into the bowl and licking the rubber scraper when I finished making this! Yum!

Quick, easy and now my favorite arugula recipe. We’ve had this on burgers, steak and pasta. Full of flavor, although I’ve been hit in the face with a shovel before and despite the chef’s claim it isn’t quite a “hit you in the face with a shovel” sauce. Very potent though.