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.
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📝 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 the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until just turning golden brown. Blitz with the garlic clove until finely chopped.
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.
If kept in an airtight container with a layer of oil on top, the pesto will keep for 7-8 days.
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:
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📖 Recipe
Rocket Pesto
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
Nutrition
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Sisley White - Sew White says
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.
Savita says
This looks so fresh and delicious. Perfect for pesto pasta.
Alison says
This pesto is super simple and full of flavor. I love that it is vegan. The toasted pine nuts really amp up the flavor.
Toni says
This is so awesome! I love that you can freeze it and save for later!
Gina says
I love the spicy kick of arugula! It's wonderful paired with basil and makes such a healthful version of pesto!
Rita, Hodgkinson says
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.
Kate Ford says
Sorry this wasn't to your taste Rita.
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
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
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Looks absolutely amazing Kate, so fresh and delicious!
Angela x
Carlton L Barnes says
The image of the pesto with hazelnuts looks so delicious, coming back after 15 min 🙂
Pretty says
Pasta is 15 minutes, this is my kind of recipe! Never added hazelnut to pesto before, great idea.
Mandy says
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
Mina Joshi says
This looks so delicious and healthy. I hadn't realised that you could use hazelnuts in a pesto so learnt something new.
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Looks delicious. So much nicer than any pesto you get out of a jar!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
O what a beautifully flavored pesto! Yum!
Chantelle Johnston says
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
abigail says
this pesto looks amazing, ill go out shopping for ingredients tomorrow to make my own!
Abigail Alice x
Kavey at Kavey Eats says
Oh this pesto looks fab. With the uncertainty about tainted pine nuts, I really like this idea of using hazelnuts instead!
Laura @ KneadWhine says
This looks so fresh and tasty - rocket and pesto sounds like a fantastic combination.
Ceri Jones says
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!