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Bright and delicious, this Avocado Pesto Pasta is packed with fresh Herbs, creamy Avocado, and Nutritional Yeast for a totally healthy & plant-based sauce!
Fun Fact: I actually didn’t like Pesto as a kid. Thank goodness your tastebuds change over time though; nowadays, I’m totally obsessed with this herby green sauce.
This Avocado Pesto Pesta is just as creamy, cheese, and delicious as it’s non-vegan variants, but it’s both Dairy Free and Oil Free! How did I do it, you ask? Well, let’s find out…
First, we’ll make our Pesto creamy by using a ripe Avocado (and a splash of Vegetable Broth) instead of Oil! The healthy fats and fiber in the Avocado help to make this Pesto nice and luscious, while the Veggie Broth helps to thin things out.
Most Pesto is made with Parmesan Cheese, but Nutritional Yeast is a great plant-based alternative. It has a deep umami-like flavor that’s very similar to cheese — I use it in a lot of recipes on the blog, but I particularly love it with Pasta. It’s available in most grocery stores, but you can also purchase it online.
I love my Pesto with a nice kick of citrus, so I used both Lemon Juice and Lemon Zest in this recipe. I also added some fresh Garlic and Red Chili Flakes, because I think almost everything is better with a hint of spice 😉
I think that’s pretty much it….oh yeah! I also like to add a small handful of fresh Parsley in addition to Basil; I find it helps to round out the flavor profile of the Pesto even more. If you don’t have any on hand, Cilantro also works great here!
Another thing I love about Pesto is that it’s so dang easy to make and comes together in no time flat. Simply add everything to your Food Processor or Blender while your pasta cooks, mix, and you’re all set! It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner and comes together in less than 20 minutes. Plus it’s green, so you feel extra healthy eating it, ya know? 😉
A Few Final Thoughts:
- I like my Pesto to be slightly chunky, but if you are looking for a smoother texture you can make this Pesto in a high-speed blender instead of a Food Processor.
- This Avocado Pesto sauce can be made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer to save on time, but it will darken after a few hours as the Avocado oxidizes.
- If you’re looking for more easy Pasta recipes, you’ll also love this Pasta with Garlic Sauce, this Lentil Bolognese, and this Instant Pot Penne Puttanesca!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
PrintAvocado Pesto Pasta
Bright and delicious, this Avocado Pesto Pasta is packed with fresh Herbs, creamy Avocado, and Nutritional Yeast for a totally healthy & plant-based sauce!
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 10 Minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 oz Pasta of Choice
- Flesh of 1 large Avocado
- 3 oz Fresh Basil, de-stemmed
- ½ bunch Parsley, de-stemmed
- 3–5 cloves of Garlic
- ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast
- Juice + Zest of 1 Lemon
- ¼ tsp Red Chili Flakes (Optional)
- ¼ cup Vegetable Broth, plus more to preference
- ½ tsp Salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your Pasta according to the package instructions.
- In the meantime, combine all of the Pesto ingredients in a Food Processor and process until evenly incorporated. If you’d like your Pesto to be thinner, add additional Vegetable Broth in 2 tbsp increments as necessary.
- Drain the pasta, then return to the Pot and toss over low heat with the Pesto until warmed. Serve as desired. Store any leftover sauce in the fridge for up to one week, or it can be frozen for up to one month!
Notes
- Use Gluten-Free Pasta, if necessary. I like this one made from Chickpeas!
- I like my Pesto chunky, but if you are looking for a smoother texture you can make this Pesto in a high-speed blender instead!
Keywords: avocado pesto, healthy pesto recipe, avocado, quick, easy, vegan pesto
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Made this with spaghetti squash, sun-dried tomato, and soy curls. It was really yummy and creamy. A great way to use up extra avocados too.
★★★★★
Sounds awesome!
quick question how long can this be kept good for? like if i have leftovers
Leftover sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to one week, or it can be frozen for up to one month. Keep in mind it will oxidize and darken. Avocado is notorious for that!
I love this recipe. The sauce is so good!
★★★★★
Thank you, Ginny!
I’ve made this recipe and it’s delicious!! I’ve git so much basil and parsley in my garden I’d like to make this and freeze it. Does it freeze well?
★★★★★
Glad you liked it! You can freeze the pesto, but there may be some oxidizing by the avocado.
Can you sub the nutritional yeast and veggie broth with EVOO?
You can use EVOO instead of Vegetable Broth, but I would still use Nutritional Yeast for that “cheesy” flavor
I can’t wait to try this! If I don’t have a food processor, can I use a blender? Thank you!
Yes, you can!
Really good, easy, tastes super fresh! I paired with explore cuisine black bean spaghetti and it came out well.
★★★★★
Yum!
This was so good. I’ve never thought about putting avocado in my pasta before!
★★★★★
It’s a game changer!
This sounds awesome, Caitlin! I never thought to add parsley to pesto, I need to give that a try! And I so feel you on the green thing- I used to think even artificially green colored things were good for me when I was kid-HA!
Ha, that’s so funny! The Parsley is different, but I love the flavor it adds 🙂
This looks so amazing!!! Love your photos !!! I was going to make pasta tonight !!! What a great surprise when I saw this recipe in my email !!! Thank you so much !!!
★★★★★
Thank you, Patti!