Is Arugula Bitter?
Arugula is a popular leafy green to add to salads, pasta, pizza, and more due to its nutrient content and its unique flavor! But while some people love arugula, others find it has a bitter taste — this can put some people off.
So, is arugula really bitter? Arugula can have a bitter taste, whether mild or strong. This is due to a compound found naturally in the plant, which is supposed to protect the plant from being eaten by bugs and pests. How bitter arugula tastes will depend on the plant itself, but almost all arugula will have a bitter note to it.
If this isn’t something you are a fan of, keep reading to find out more about why arugula is bitter and how you can remove some of the bitterness.
What Is Arugula?
Arugula is popularly used in salads and as a topping on pizza and pasta, but instead of being a salad leaf, it is a part of the mustard green and cabbage family.
This is why arugula has a peppery bite to it, which is why it is so popular! Other names for arugula include “rocket” and “rucola,” depending on where you are in the world.
Arugula can be served fresh and raw, and it can be cooked down too. It is a versatile addition to many different meals!
What Does Arugula Taste Like?
Arugula, coming from the mustard green family, has a peppery, spicy flavor with some tartness and bitterness.
Other than this peppery flavor, it does have a green freshness — this makes it a great addition to salads, and a pop of fresh flavor on pizza and pasta.
When arugula is cooked, it has a similar flavor to cooked spinach, just with slightly more bite to it, but with no bitterness.
How long the leaves are left to grow does determine the flavor of the leaves, with older arugula leaves having a stronger and more peppery flavor than baby arugula.
Why Is Arugula Bitter?
Whether you like the bitterness of arugula or not, it is there for a good reason.
The main reason why arugula is bitter is that it contains a natural compound called glucosinolate, which works as a defense mechanism to protect the plant against bugs and pests.
However, there are a few other factors that can contribute to the bitterness of the arugula.
Age
Arugula becomes more bitter the longer it is left to grow, so harvesting arugula leaves while they are still small and young does help reduce the bitterness of the leaves. So, the age of the leaves does determine how bitter the leaves might be.
Weather
Weather can also have an effect on how bitter arugula leaves are. Arugula grows best when the days are warm and the nights are cooler. Having the temperature be too high could cause arugula to grow flowers and be more bitter.
Genetics
Some arugula plants are more bitter than others, and some strains are milder. Make sure to research the arugula strain you are planting or bringing home before making a decision!
Is Baby Arugula Less Bitter?
Like we said earlier, arugula grows more flavorful (and bitter) as it grows older.
Baby arugula is less bitter, as it is not left to develop for long enough to develop a stronger bitterness. The small, young leaves will still have good flavor, but just with less bitterness.
A baby arugula leaf will be under 3 inches long, so if you are looking in a grocery store or harvesting your own, make sure to look for smaller leaves to avoid some bitterness.
How To Make Arugula Less Bitter
If you love the flavor of arugula and the nutrients it offers, but want to avoid the bitterness, there are some great ways that you can reduce the bitterness and still get to enjoy all that arugula has to offer!
Blanching
Blanching is one of the best ways to remove some of the bitterness from arugula, and it allows you to still have firm, tasty arugula to enjoy.
Here is how to blanch arugula:
- Place a pot of water on the stove and allow it to come to a boil.
- While the water is coming to a boil, make an ice bath in a suitable bowl using cold water and ice cubes. Set this aside.
- Once the water in the pot is boiling, submerge the arugula in the boiling water for 20 seconds.
- Remove the arugula from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place it straight into the ice bath.
- Leave the arugula in the ice bath for up to 2 minutes.
- Remove the arugula from the ice bath and gently pat it dry with a paper towel.
The blanching process will remove most of the bitterness, and you will still be able to use it in your salads and other cooking.
Marinate The Arugula
If you do not want to blanch the arugula, you could marinate it with some ingredients that can help to lessen the intensity of the bitterness.
The best marinade to use for this is a simple combination of olive oil and lemon juice. This combines all of the flavors together instead of letting the bitterness from the arugula be overwhelming.
The arugula will become slightly wilted once it has been left to marinate, but it will hold great flavor and be perfect for sauces, pestos, and pasta.
Sauté Arugula
Sautéing and simmering arugula can also help to reduce the bitterness, and it also offers a great way to add some flavor to the arugula too.
For sautéing, you can add some garlic and onion to the arugula to blend some great flavors and aromas together, and it does reduce the bitterness.
You can be quite creative with what you sauté and simmer arugula with, and it will be ideal to add to a meal this way.
Cook It In A Meal
If you do not want to sauté or simmer arugula on its own, or want to create a one-pot meal, you can add arugula to soups and sauces and cook it down with the rest of the ingredients.
You likely won’t notice the bitterness at all once you have cooked the arugula down with other ingredients!
Make Pesto
Arugula can be used to make pesto — this is a great way to enjoy the flavor and strength of arugula, but with the bitterness cut out by the other ingredients such as olive oil, garlic, cheese, and walnuts.
This can be used as a dressing for salads, as pasta sauce, and as a delicious, bitter-free dip for so many different foods!
Make sure to remove the stems first before making an arugula pesto, to further reduce bitterness.
What Is The Best Way To Store Arugula?
Whether you have harvested some arugula from your vegetable garden, or have bought some fresh from the store, knowing how to store arugula properly will help you get the best of it.
To store arugula, wrap the leaves loosely in a paper towel, then place them into an open plastic bag, finally laying the bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge.
If the arugula is sold in a sealed plastic bag, then leave it in this unopened bag. Storing arugula this way will keep it fresh for up to two days if opened, and up to five days if the packet is unopened.
Do not wash arugula until you are ready to cook or eat it, as it will decline in quality quite quickly if washed and placed back in the fridge. We typically do not recommend freezing arugula.
Final Thoughts
Arugula definitely has some bitterness to it, as it contains a natural compound that helps to protect it against pests and bugs.
Older arugula leaves also take on more of a bitter flavor, so eating younger arugula leaves does help if you are not a fan of the bitterness.
There are multiple ways you can reduce the bitter flavor of arugula, such as blanching it, marinating it, cooking it, or sautéing it with garlic and onions.
Arugula has so much to offer thanks to its peppery taste and nutrient content, so if you do not like the bitterness that it often has, use one of the above techniques to make it more palatable for you!
Related Questions
Now that we’ve learned all about arugula, what it tastes like, and why it might be bitter, plus how to lessen its bitterness, here are some additional questions we thought you might have.
Can you eat arugula raw?
You can eat arugula raw — it can be incredibly delicious when eaten fresh and raw. It makes a great raw topping for pizza, pasta, wraps, sandwiches, and more.
Is raw spinach bitter?
Spinach is most commonly cooked, but it can be eaten raw as well. Raw spinach has a slightly sweet, mild flavor that can have some bitterness to it.
There are three different types of spinach most commonly available, and all three have varying tastes to them when raw.
Is arugula a green?
Arugula is very popularly used as a salad green, but it isn’t actually lettuce — it is more closely related to cabbage and mustard.
However, it can be enjoyed in a variety of ways, such as cooked like a vegetable, eaten in a salad like a green, and even used in a smoothie. There are so many ways to enjoy it!
