Vegan Avocado Pesto Pasta

Creamy Vegan Avocado Pesto Pasta is a delicious oil-free alternative to traditional pesto. The no-cook sauce comes together quickly with only 6 ingredients and a food processor. You'll have dinner on the table in the amount if time it takes to boil water and cook a box of noodles.

Avocado is a versatile ingredient starring in everything from tomato avocado toast to avocado salad dressing to vegan guacamole salad.

The first time I tried it with pasta was when I made the avocado pesto recipe from the book Chloe's Kitchen back in 2012. And while I enjoy Chef Chloe's recipe, I can never eat very much of it because it's quite rich.

Over the years I've tried many vegan pasta recipes featuring avocado and basil, and I finally came up with this Vegan Avocado Pesto Pasta that I absolutely love and make quite frequently. And it's a nice change of pace from my usual vegan basil pesto sauce.

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Ingredients
• Variations
• Instructions
• Serving suggestions
• Storing
• More vegan avocado recipes
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Ingredients

• Pasta: Any shape can be used. Here I used gluten-free penne. (Or skip the pasta and serve the avocado pesto with zucchini noodles.)
• Fresh garlic
• Ripe avocado
• Fresh basil leaves
• Lemon juice
• Hemp seeds: For a nutty flavor. If you don't need to make this dish nut-free, you can substitute an equal amount of pine nuts or walnuts.
• Nutritional yeast: This seasoning provides a savory, cheesy flavor. I love it in vegan macaroni and cheese, rosemary and thyme tofu, and on popcorn. I recommend Anthony's Premium Nutritional Yeast Flakes.

Variations

• Add veggies: Just before the pasta is done cooking, add your favorite vegetables to the pot such as broccoli or cauliflower florets or sliced asparagus. Drain the pasta and vegetables together and toss with the avocado sauce.
• Make it spicy: Sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes over the pasta when serving for a little kick.
• Skip the basil: Try making the sauce with fresh spinach, arugula, or kale in place of basil. Or try a combination of fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and oregano.
• Add a protein: For a more filling meal, I like to top my bowl of avocado pesto pasta with some smoky fried chickpeas or vegan walnut meat.

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete ingredients, measurements, and instructions.

Instructions

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package instructions.
• Meanwhile prepare the sauce in a food processor by blending the ingredients together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Do not overprocess. You should still be able to see flecks of basil in the sauce.
• Toss the cooked and drained pasta with the pesto.
• Top with halved or quartered cherry tomatoes, if desired, and serve.

Serving suggestions

Vegan Avocado Pesto Pasta is a complete meal on its own. But it's also wonderful with chickpea and spinach salad or mixed greens with oil-free green goddess dressing.

For entertaining, try some starters like walnut stuffed mushrooms and pumpkin hummus dip with crackers and veggies.

And can't go wrong with garlic bread, air fried seasoned baby carrots, and roasted jalapeño cauliflower on the side.

Storing

While best enjoyed immediately, this pasta can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Leftovers are best enjoyed at room temperature. 

More vegan avocado recipes

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