This creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta is an easy 15 minute dinner that is vegan, gluten-free and SO easy to make.

Prepare the pasta according to instructions While that is cooking add all the avocado pesto ingredients to food processor or blender and pulse until creamy and well combined (should be smooth and not chunky, I needed about 1/4 cup) Once pasta is ready, strain and enjoy with desired amount of avocado arugula pesto You can also add your choice of protein as well (chicken is yummy in this!)

If I had to pick two green items to eat for the rest of my life it would be avocado and arugula. Hands down my two absolute favorite green foods. Zucchini is definitely up there too but arugula and avocados, you just get me.

That is why I am OBSESSING over this Creamy Avocado Arugula Pesto. It is seriously the most flavorful and delicious pesto I have made to date.

You can use this pesto for literally anything you want but I enjoyed it with chickpea pasta and used left overs on a sandwich the next day as a little spread. It uses a lot less oil compared to most pestos because we are getting healthy fats from the avocado too.

What ingredients are in this Avocado Pesto Pasta:

  • Avocado – peeled and pitted and it should be ripe!
  • Arugula or spinach –  any leafy green. You can also use some basil.
  • Raw walnuts – also pecans or cashews would work well here
  • Pine nuts – or use pumpkin seeds or something similar
  • Garlic – fresh garlic cloves work best or use garlic powder
  • Lemon – fresh lemon juice goes a long way here
  • Extra virgin olive oil – or you can use avocado oil if you prefer too.
  • Water – or more as needed. You don’t want it to be too thick!
  • Pasta – I used gluten-free pasta but any works well here.

How to make Avocado Pesto in 5 minutes:

  1. Prepare the pasta according to instructions
  2. While that is cooking add all the avocado pesto ingredients to food processor or blender and pulse until creamy and well combined (should be smooth and not chunky, I needed about 1/4 cup)
  3. Once pasta is ready, strain and enjoy with desired amount of avocado arugula pesto
  4. You can also add your choice of protein as well (chicken is yummy in this!)

FAQs about Avocado Pesto Pasta:

  • How long does this stay good for? Since this is an avocado-based pesto, I do recommend enjoying within 1-2 days OR putting in the freezer for it to last longer. The sauce freezes well too.
  • Is this pesto really thick or is it thin? This pesto does get pretty thick and creamy so add as much water as needed to make it more liquidy if you’d like. I usually use between 6-8 tbsp per batch.
  • Can I use the walnuts or pine nuts? Feel free to use any nuts you prefer in the pesto, I just love pine nuts and walnuts for my pestos as I don’t eat many of those nuts outside pesto 😉

A few of my other favorite vegan dinner ideas:

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Creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta

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This creamy Avocado Pesto Pasta is an easy 15 minute dinner that is vegan, gluten-free and SO easy to make.

  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins

Yield: Serves 3-4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
  • 1 cup (packed) arugula
  • 1/3 cup raw walnuts
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons of water (or more as needed)
  • 1 box pasta (I used gluten-free)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the pasta according to instructions
  2. While that is cooking add all the avocado pesto ingredients to food processor or blender and pulse until creamy and well combined (should be smooth and not chunky, I needed about 1/4 cup)
  3. Once pasta is ready, strain and enjoy with desired amount of avocado arugula pesto
  4. You can also add your choice of protein as well (chicken is yummy in this!)

Notes

*I recommend eating within 1-2 days of making or freeze the sauce in airtight container for a month.

  • Author: rachel mansfield