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    Home » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Side Dishes » Rocket Pesto

    Rocket Pesto

    Published: Feb 14, 2017 · Modified: Mar 24, 2022 by Kate Ford · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Rocket Pesto
    JUMP TO RECIPE JUMP TO VIDEO
    Pinterest Pin for Rocket Pesto

    This easy rocket pesto is fresh, lemony and delicious - a great way to use up surplus rocket, and a lovely homemade gift from the kitchen.

    🍴Why you will love this recipe

    This simple homemade pesto is a winner – a fresh, lemony pesto with a pine nut crunch.  Rocket has a lovely peppery flavour, and is combined with sweet and fragrant basil for a traditional pesto edge.

    Rocket is available all year round in supermarkets, but you could substitute in any seasonal green leaves or fresh herbs - watercress, spinach, kale, basil or parsley or a combination of any of those would work really well too.  

    This peppery pesto makes such a great easy pasta supper, is delicious in toasted sandwiches or drizzled over soups, or perks up a basic vinaigrette for a delicious salad dressing.

    Jump to:
    • 🍴Why you will love this recipe
    • 📝 What you need
    • 👩🏽‍🍳 How to make your Rocket Pesto
    • 🔪 Top Tips & FAQs
    • 🍽 If you liked that...
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments and Reviews
    Ingredients for Rocket Pesto

    📝 What you need

    Rocket is easy to find in supermarkets, but you could substitute in any seasonal green leaves or fresh herbs - kale, watercress, spinach, basil or parsley or a combination of any of those would work really well.  Rocket is so easy to grow, and this pesto is a great way to use up a glut from the veg patch.

    Pine Nuts give a sweet nutty base to this pesto. Toasting them really brings out their flavour and aroma.

    Basil adds a sweet and fragrant edge to the pesto, a great complement to the peppery rocket.

    Vegan 'Parmesan' Even if you're not a vegan cheese fan, it is almost impossible to tell the difference from the 'real thing' when blitzed into this pesto. I like Violife Prosociano but the nut-based Oh, Grate! by I Am Nut OK is really excellent too.

    👩🏽‍🍳 How to make your Rocket Pesto

    For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page 👇🏼.

    toast pine nuts

    Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until just turning golden brown. Blitz with the garlic clove until finely chopped.

    blitz ingredients

    Add the olive oil, lemon juice and vegan parmesan and blitz again, then finally add the rocket and basil, season well and blitz.

    🔪 Top Tips & FAQs

    Don't over-blitz the rocket pesto - it is nice when it is a bit chunky, so just pulse a few times at each stage.

    Use any herbs you have to hand to add flavour and variation - parsley, basil and thyme are particularly good in pesto.

    Homemade Rocket Pesto
    How long will my rocket pesto keep in the fridge?

    If kept in an airtight container with a layer of oil on top, the pesto will keep for 7-8 days.

    Can I freeze my rocket pesto?

    Yes - homemade pesto freezes really well. I freeze it in ice cube trays, then once frozen transfer to a bag or airtight box. It is then really easy to stir a cube through a quick pasta supper or pop into a soup.

    🍽 If you liked that...

    .... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:

    • Vegan Pesto Recipe
      Vegan Pesto
    • Spring Greens
      Stir-fried Spring Greens with spring onions
    • Dough Balls
      Dough Balls with garlic and herbs
    • Pangrattato
      Pangrattato with sun-dried tomato and lemon

    Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.

    📖 Recipe

    Rocket Pesto Recipe

    Rocket Pesto

    Kate Ford | The Veg Space
    This easy rocket pesto is fresh, lemony and delicious - a great way to use up surplus rocket, and a lovely homemade gift from the kitchen.
    4.75 from 12 votes
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    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 5 minutes mins
    Course Sauces
    Cuisine British
    Servings 15 servings
    Calories 87 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 40 g pine nuts
    • 1 garlic clove or 1 teaspoon garlic purée/ready-chopped garlic
    • 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 lemon
    • 25 g vegan parmesan or 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
    • 50 g rocket
    • 20 g fresh basil
    • ½ teaspoon salt and grinding of black pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Meanwhile heat a small, dry frying pan and toast the pine nuts until starting to turn golden brown.
    • In a blender or mini-chopper, blitz the nuts with the garlic clove until finely chopped.
    • Add the olive oil, juice of the lemon and the vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast). Blitz again.
    • Finally, add the rocket, basil, salt and black pepper and blitz again.
    • Store in a jar in the fridge, with an extra slug of olive oil to cover the top to keep the rocket pesto fresh.

    Video

    Notes

    Don't over-blitz the rocket pesto - it is nice when it is a bit chunky, so just pulse a few times at each stage.
    Use any herbs you have to hand to add flavour and variation - parsley, basil and thyme are particularly good in pesto.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 87kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 107mgPotassium: 45mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 165IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was! Mention @thevegspace or #thevegspace
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    Vegan in 15 by Kate Ford

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    About Kate Ford

    Hi! I'm Kate, vegan home cook and blogger behind The Veg Space and author of Vegan in 15. I'm passionate about creating easy vegan recipes that even a first-time cook can follow.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sisley White - Sew White says

      March 24, 2022 at 2:03 pm

      This is my idae of heaven on a plate. You really can't beat homemade pesto and this is tastes so good. Pass me a spoon and I'll eat it straight away.

      Reply
    2. Savita says

      March 24, 2022 at 1:46 pm

      This looks so fresh and delicious. Perfect for pesto pasta.

      Reply
    3. Alison says

      March 24, 2022 at 1:25 pm

      This pesto is super simple and full of flavor. I love that it is vegan. The toasted pine nuts really amp up the flavor.

      Reply
    4. Toni says

      March 24, 2022 at 1:02 pm

      This is so awesome! I love that you can freeze it and save for later!

      Reply
    5. Gina says

      March 24, 2022 at 12:10 pm

      I love the spicy kick of arugula! It's wonderful paired with basil and makes such a healthful version of pesto!

      Reply
    6. Rita, Hodgkinson says

      April 14, 2021 at 12:59 pm

      I found this to taste extremely bitter due to the strong flavour of the rocket and the toasted hazelnuts. Unfortunately I had to throw it all away as I just couldn't eat it. I tried adding greek yoghurt to take the bitterness away which helped slightly. Very disappointed.

      Reply
      • Kate Ford says

        April 14, 2021 at 7:48 pm

        Sorry this wasn't to your taste Rita.

        Reply
    7. Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says

      February 20, 2017 at 8:44 pm

      Oh this looks so good! I love the simplicity of it but with pesto you really do not need many more ingredients, it is perfect as it is. This is a must try! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x

      Reply
    8. Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says

      February 20, 2017 at 2:17 pm

      Looks absolutely amazing Kate, so fresh and delicious!
      Angela x

      Reply
    9. Carlton L Barnes says

      February 18, 2017 at 9:07 am

      The image of the pesto with hazelnuts looks so delicious, coming back after 15 min 🙂

      Reply
    10. Pretty says

      February 15, 2017 at 8:26 pm

      Pasta is 15 minutes, this is my kind of recipe! Never added hazelnut to pesto before, great idea.

      Reply
    11. Mandy says

      February 15, 2017 at 5:25 pm

      What a gorgeous looking meal Kate - I love the seemingly endless types of pesto that can be made. I have your book and love it - so exciting!!! #CookBlogShare

      Reply
    12. Mina Joshi says

      February 15, 2017 at 1:56 pm

      This looks so delicious and healthy. I hadn't realised that you could use hazelnuts in a pesto so learnt something new.

      Reply
    13. Jacqui Bellefontaine says

      February 15, 2017 at 1:35 pm

      Looks delicious. So much nicer than any pesto you get out of a jar!

      Reply
    14. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

      February 15, 2017 at 10:57 am

      O what a beautifully flavored pesto! Yum!

      Reply
    15. Chantelle Johnston says

      February 15, 2017 at 10:34 am

      I love rocket and this recipe sounds delicious. I will be giving it a go very soon.... my meal plan for next week is coming along nicely #CookBlogShare

      Reply
    16. abigail says

      February 14, 2017 at 9:36 pm

      this pesto looks amazing, ill go out shopping for ingredients tomorrow to make my own!

      Abigail Alice x

      Reply
    17. Kavey at Kavey Eats says

      February 14, 2017 at 9:28 pm

      Oh this pesto looks fab. With the uncertainty about tainted pine nuts, I really like this idea of using hazelnuts instead!

      Reply
    18. Laura @ KneadWhine says

      February 14, 2017 at 9:21 pm

      This looks so fresh and tasty - rocket and pesto sounds like a fantastic combination.

      Reply
    19. Ceri Jones says

      February 14, 2017 at 5:45 pm

      I did parsley and hazelnut pesto last week - must be the season for hazelnut pestos! Love the idea of using rocket - its my favourite leaf! Lovely supper idea!

      Reply
    4.75 from 12 votes (1 rating without comment)

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