Rocket and Cashew Pesto (2024)

Published: May 10, 2020 · Modified: Dec 30, 2020 by Adrianne

Rocket and Cashew Pesto is a twist on the classic rocket pesto where we use cashew nuts instead of pine nuts. This easy pesto recipe is versatile and can be used for Rocket Pesto Pasta. Use as a dip, on fish or flat breads!

Dips and spreadsare handy recipes that have many uses. Olive Tapenade recipes are good for entertaining as you can use them as a simple topping for bruschetta and crackers. Our Easy Crostini calls for toppings galore!

Pesto is an easy recipe made in the food processor.

OurArtichoke Olive Tapenade, Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade andEasy Green Olive Tapenade are ideas where you can make the recipes to serve or use them to stir through pasta or serve on fish or chicken. For a quick snack pair with homemade pita chips!

Flat breads, pasta sauce, sandwich spreads are perfect ways to use pesto!

Use this pesto as an alternative to the Basil and Cashew Pesto in our Pesto Penne with walnut crumb.

How do you make pesto from scratch?

Making pesto from scratch is very easy. We combine all of the ingredients in our food processor, blitz to chop and combine, then add lemon juice to taste.

As the rocket leaves have a peppery, somewhat bitter taste, the pesto needs to be tasted after blitzing so we can add enough lemon juice to balance the flavours.

Pesto recipe with pine nuts

The most popular and well known version of pesto isbasil pesto.

Basil Pesto is made using fresh basil, pine nuts (which can be toasted or untoasted), garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese.

It is a unique tasting recipe and a great way to use up basil leaves!

Pesto recipe without pine nuts

Pine nuts don't always have to be used in making pestos, another type of nut can be used to create a different pesto recipe from the standard.

As we have done with this recipe, cashews are the substitute for pine-nuts, you can also use walnuts if you like!

For vegan aruguia pesto, use a substitue for the parmesan cheese.

Pesto Uses

There are many ways to serve pesto and here are a few of them:

• stirred through pasta
• dressing for a salad in the Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad
• as a pizza sauce
• spread on cooked meats and fish
• on flatbreads
• as a dip
• spread for toast

Substitute it for the cream pasta sauce in the Smoked Salmon Spaghetti for an easy weeknight dinner!

Add a little bacon and whip up theBacon Pesto Pasta for something different.

Once you make it and store it in the fridge, you will find you want to spread it on EVERYTHING!

Rocket and Cashew ingredients

We use simple, easy to find ingredients for this recipe. The photo below shows you what you need:

As you can see, the recipe calls for:

• rocket leaves
• garlic
• olive oil
• parmesan cheese
• cashews
• lemon juice

The lemon juice doesn't go into the pesto until the very end where we taste the pesto and adjust the flavour!

How to make Rocket Pesto

The photos below are step by step showing you how to make this pesto in the food processor:

1. Add rocket leaves tofood processor bowl (Photo 1)
2. Add parmesan cheese(Photo 2)
3. Garlic (Photo 3)
4. Cashews (Photo 4)

You can toast the cashews for 3-4 mins in a pan on the stove for an extra depth of flavour!

• Add olive oil(shown in photo 5)
• all ingredients ready to blitz(shown in photo 6)
• blitz for approx 10 seconds to combine (shown in photo 7)
• taste, add lemon juice, blitz again, repeat tasting and continue until pesto is fresh and balanced (shown in photo 8)

You will achieve the perfect flavour through the process of adding the lemon juice at the very end to neutralise any bitterness.

You guys know that I love my before and after shots to show you the cooking process. The photos below show you the pesto ingredients in the food processor ready to be blitzed and after the food processor has blitzed and combined (10 seconds)

Rocket and Cashew pesto recipe quick info

About the recipe:

• we only need 6 ingredients for this recipe!
• bottled lemon juice is fine!
• you can toast the cashews or leave them as it (faster)
• I use roasted unsalted cashews

FAQs about Cashew Rocket Pesto

1. this is a vegetarian recipe
2. blitz for less than 10 seconds
3. you make make the pesto ahead of time
4. the pesto will last for 1 week in the fridge
5. the recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto

Your quick questions answered

1. This is a quick and easy recipe
2. Store in the fridge in a sealed jar
3. This is a FREEZER FRIENDLY recipe
4. This is an EASY recipe

Expert tips

These tips are to help you master this recipe from the 1st time you make it:

• add all of your ingredients to the food processor and blitz at the one time
• keep the blitz time short, it will take less than 10 seconds.
• once the ingredients are blitzed, taste the pesto, then add lemon and combine to get the flavour spot on and not bitter!
• freeze this receipe ahead of timie and defrosted as needed

Use the pesto in place of a traditional tomato based pizza sauce!

Toast pita chips in the oven till brown and use the pesto as a spread for a light lunch.

Dip and spread recipes

For fuss free entertaining try these recipes:

1. Chicken Liver Pate
2. Easy Green Olive Tapenade
3. Grazing Platter (to feed a crowd)
4. Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade
5. Olive Tapenade

Or for the easiest vegetarian spaghetti try theArugula Pesto Pasta!

Enjoy!

Adrianne

📖 Recipe