Vegan Arugula Pesto

This is the best vegan arugula pesto! It's quick and easy to make in just a few minutes and this sauce has the most incredible flavour. Made with oranges, pine nuts and arugula this healthy dip is made with just 5 ingredients.

Why you will love this recipe:

• The flavour! This is the best arugula pesto recipe. The combination of the tart arugula plus the sweet mandarine orange blend perfectly. 
• It's so easy to make and just takes a few minutes to put this dip together. 
• You only need five ingredients to make it!
• It's so versatile. Use this dairy free pesto as a dip, a dressing, or a topping for meat or fish dishes. 
• It's a healthy pesto that's naturally dairy free, gluten free, paleo, Whole30 and vegan! 
• Can't have pine nuts? No worries, use cashews instead.
• It's made with no garlic, no cheese, no nutritional yeast, no dairy and is low in calories.

Taste and texture:

This pesto has such a unique flavour. It is slightly sweet from the orange, and never bitter or tart.

Key ingredients and substitutions:

• Arugula - fresh arugula gives this pesto such a unique fresh flavour and a gorgeous bright green colour.
• Oranges - to add just the perfect amount of sweetness and citrus to this recipe. You can use any type of oranges that you like for this recipe including navel oranges or mandarine oranges.  
• Pine nuts - the base of any great pesto! I recommend using raw pine nuts, not roasted pine nuts to make this pesto. If you can't have pine nuts you can use raw cashews instead.

How to make: 

Step one:

First, add all the ingredients to your food processor or high speed blender (such as a Vitamix blender).

Step two:

Then blend everything well until its smooth and the texture you like. 

Tips and variations: 

• Instead of avocado oil you could use olive oil.
• You can use any type of oranges that you like for this pesto including navel oranges or mandarine oranges.
• Instead of pine nuts you could use raw cashews.
• If you tolerate dairy add a bit of parmesan cheese to give this dip even more flavour! 
• Feel free to make a double or triple batch if you are serving a crowd or want more leftovers. 
• For even more flavour add 1-2 cloves of garlic.

How to use:

You can use this pesto as a dip or dressing. I love eating as a dip with raw vegetables like carrots and celery. If you aren't vegan, it is great as a topping for meat or seafood dishes such as grilled chicken or grilled fish. 

This pesto sauce also makes a delicious pasta sauce, sauce for pizza, pasta salad or potato salad.

How to store:

Store this pesto in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 7 days. 

Nutrition:

This pesto recipe is so healthy! Each serving has approximately 53 calories, 1 gram of protein, 1 gram of carbs, and only 0.5 grams of sugar.

Frequently asked questions: 

Other recipes you will love:

• Vegan Buffalo Sauce
• Mango Habanero Salsa
• Dairy Free Caesar Dressing
• Walnut Dressing
• Vegan Spinach and Artichoke Dip

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