This creamy and flavorful Vegan Pea Pesto Pasta Salad is a 20 minute recipe with 10 ingredients. It's quick, versatile, and full of plant-based ingredients. If you opt not to roast the garlic and pine nuts, the sauce is completely no cook (but you still need to cook the pasta).
Green peas add a protein to this simple recipe, but you can hardly taste them amongst the other flavorful ingredients. It's a great hidden veggie recipe and a favorite for date night in my home.
Vegan Pea Pesto Pasta Salad is a great Spring and Summer recipe! I make it most frequently during these months because it is perfect for picnics, date nights enjoyed indoors or outdoors, and for making before travel and enjoying along the way and at my destination.
Eat it alone or serve it alongside one of our tasty gluten-free bread recipes, like my Simple Gluten-Free Artisan Bread, Gluten-Free Baguettes, or No Knead Gluten-Free Bread.
For an Italian-inspired dessert, try my Impossibly Authentic Dairy Free Tiramisu, Dairy Free Gelato, or Italian Hot Chocolate!
This recipe was heavily inspired by Minimalist Baker, but with our own twists and simplifications.
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How to make it (with photos)
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
You need only 10 ingredients to make pea pesto pasta salad.
- pine nuts - I like to get pine nuts from Trader Joe's, where they are affordable and not processed with gluten since I have celiac disease (sensitive to small traces of gluten). I use raw pine nuts and toast them in the skillet (optional step 1 for this recipe) when I have the time or want to make this pea pesto pasta extra special. You can also use another nut, like raw blanched almonds, to make this recipe.
- green peas - I generally use thawed frozen green peas but I also tried fresh cooked green peas. Both work great! I don't generally like green peas, but you really can't taste them in this recipe and it makes the pesto sauce super creamy and a little fluffy. If you really don't want to use peas, I recommend making my vegan pesto for the pasta salad dressing instead.
- pasta - I use gluten-free pasta, and fusilli is my favorite shape since the spirals hold the pea pesto sauce really well. Jovial brand is my favorite and tastes the most like traditional pasta.
- arugula - I really like the peppery flavor of arugula in this pasta salad recipe, but you can substitute massaged kale or spinach if you prefer.
- sun-dried tomatoes - Choose sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil for the best flavor and texture. If you can, get ones that are already julienned to save yourself time cutting them. I like Mezzetta brand sun-dried tomatoes. Fresh chopped tomatoes or pitted and halved kalamata olives make excellent substitutions.
You also need olive oil, garlic, lemon, salt, and fresh basil leaves to make this recipe.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients with quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
There are only 4 easy steps to make this easy vegan pea pesto pasta salad!
- Pine Nuts + Garlic (optional): Heat a medium skillet to medium heat. Spread 1 teaspoon of olive oil across the bottom of the skillet and add the pine nuts. Roast for for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until you notice the pine nuts beginning to brown and a nutty aroma. Then add the minced garlic and stir constantly for about 1 minute until the garlic is golden brown and fragrant. Remove the skillet from heat.Alternatively, you do not need to roast either the pine nuts or garlic. The flavor is a little less sophisticated than roasting, and the garlic is sharper. In this case, I recommend making this a day ahead so the garlic flavor melds in and is less sharp.
- Make Pasta + Pesto: Make the pasta according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, add the olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, peas, basil, lemon juice, and salt to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- Combine: Allow the pasta to cool for 5 minutes. Then combine the pasta and pesto in a large mixing bowl. Toss until the noodles are well coated.
- Add salad ingredients: Add the sun-dried tomatoes. Toss in, then add as much arugula as you like and toss to combine.
Expert Tips
Make the BEST Pea Pesto Pasta Salad on the first try with these expert tips!
Roast the garlic if eating on the same day.
While you can use fresh garlic in this recipe, I find it needs a day to "settle" into the sauce so the flavor is not so sharp. If you want to enjoy this recipe right after making it, I recommend roasting the garlic as described in the optional step 1, so that the flavor is less sharp.
Alternatively, you can use fresh garlic but decrease the amount.
Mix fresh arugula in if eating for leftovers.
The arugula that is stored in the pea pesto pasta salad will wilt a little over time. I like to add some fresh arugula when eating this recipe on the second day and beyond.
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this Vegan Pea Pesto Pasta Salad. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll answer within two business days.
Store leftover vegan pea pasta salad in and airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Allow the pasta to cool completely before storing. Do not freeze.
In this pea pesto recipe, you can replace pine nuts with blanched almonds, walnuts, or raw cashews.
Related vegan pasta recipes to consider...
Looking for more delicious pasta recipes like this pea pesto pasta salad? Check these out!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Pea Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil , plus a little more for roasting garlic
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 4 cloves garlic , minced if sautéing, otherwise whole is fine
- 1 cup green peas , cooked or thawed if frozen
- 1 heaping cup packed fresh basil leaves
- 1 lemon , juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 servings Gluten-Free pasta , I like fusilli shape
- 3 cups arugula
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
Instructions
- Pine Nuts + Garlic (optional): Heat a medium skillet to medium heat. Spread 1 teaspoon of olive oil across the bottom of the skillet and add the pine nuts. Roast for for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until you notice the pine nuts beginning to brown and a nutty aroma. Then add the minced garlic and stir constantly for about 1 minute until the garlic is golden brown and fragrant. Remove the skillet from heat.Alternatively, you do not need to roast either the pine nuts or garlic. The flavor is a little less sophisticated than roasting, and the garlic is sharper. In this case, I recommend making this a day ahead so the garlic flavor melds in and is less sharp.
- Make Pasta + Pesto: Make the pasta according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, add the olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, peas, basil, lemon juice, and salt to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- Combine: Allow the pasta to cool for 5 minutes. Then combine the pasta, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Toss until the noodles and sun-dried tomatoes are well coated with pesto.
- Arugula: Add arugula 1 cup at a time and toss gently to combine. Add as much as you like, tasting as you go. Enjoy!
Mona says
Wow this is an amazing recipe! And I usually hate peas so thank you for making them something I enjoy here. It's my boyfriend's and my favorite for an Italian dinner night when we're looking to eat healthy-ish. We've made this a couple times and it's going in the recipe tin!