This lemon arugula pesto with walnuts takes only minutes to whip up and uses simple (but yummy) ingredients. There’s lots of baby arugula, fresh lemon juice, Parmesan and walnuts. Try this walnut pesto with pasta, on eggs or even mixed with mayo for a sandwich spread!

Overhead shot of arugula pesto in a small white bowl with a spoon dunked into it.

Hey friends!

I don’t know about you, but I love pesto and I love arugula. Arugula is so fresh and peppery and its flavour profile is so unique.

The thing is, though, that I find that the shelf life of arugula is not very long, especially when I buy one of those huge tubs.

Even if I cover the leaves with some brown paper to absorb excess moisture, it’s freshness disappears faster than cupcakes placed in front of me. Feel me? The struggle is real.

The great thing about this arugula pesto recipe (beside the incredible taste, of course) is that it’s budget friendly. It’s made with walnuts instead of pine nuts (which are more traditional for pesto). Though they’re delicious, pine nuts are considerably more expensive.

By using walnuts, you still end up with a fabulous pesto while not breaking the bank. Plus, walnuts are pretty delicious in their own right.

Ingredients Needed

Baby arugula
Walnuts
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Garlic
Lemon juice

Ingredients for a walnut and arugula pesto recipe.

How To Make Arugula Pesto

Once you make your own homemade pesto recipe, there’s no going back to store bought. It’s easy!

So, to make homemade pesto:

In a food processor, add baby arugula, salt, pepper and garlic. Process until combined. Stop to scrape the goodness off the sides of the processor with a spatula.
While the processor is going again, slowly pour in lemon juice and olive oil. Again, stop to scrape the sides of the processor.
Finally, add Parmesan cheese and walnuts and process. I like to leave a little texture here so I don’t process until completely smooth. You do whatever you like best!

Full details are in the recipe card below.

Storing

Properly store the homemade pesto in a covered storage jar in the fridge and enjoy within 5 days.

Alternatively, you can freeze the pesto. Here are a couple of ways to freeze pesto:

Pour pesto into an ice-cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, remove the cubes of pesto from the ice-cube tray. Transfer the pesto to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 4 to 5 months.
Place some wax paper on a baking tray and spoon little blobs of pesto on there. Place the baking tray into the freezer to freeze the pesto. Once frozen, transfer the pesto to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 4 to 5 months.

Whatever freezing method you use, don’t forget to label your bag with what it is and the date it was made. Thaw desired portion overnight in the refrigerator when ready to use.

Ways To Use Pesto

Use in pasta salad
Dollop some on grilled steak
Mix with mayo or Greek yogurt as a sandwich spread
Dabble over freshly baked pizza or use as a pizza base
So yummy over white fish, like cod, haddock or halibut
Enjoy with eggs

Arugula pesto in a small white bowl with a spoon dunked into it.

More Easy Recipes Using Arugula

If you make this arugula pesto recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

This recipe was originally published in November 2015 but has been updated.