Avocado Pesto

Amazing Avocado Pesto

This avocado pesto with zucchini noodles or cooked noodles is super easy and really delicious and creamy. This is a 30-minute meal you can throw together that is always a hit.

Last week, I had dinner with my dear friends, Kim and Simon and their three daughters – Cameron, Ripley and Ziggy. We enjoyed some avocado pesto in between hilarious laughing fits. I swear if I hadn’t have had such a happy childhood and amazing family I’d join this family as the fourth daughter so that Kim and Simon could be my parents and these three beautiful girls could be my sisters.

They are just hilarious. Kim had just returned from The Golden Door retreat raving about the healthy food and was excited to recreate the avocado pesto she had there. She did a pretty awesome job. We’ve decided that red pepper flakes belong in the bowl with any self-respecting avocado pesto pasta.

This avocado pesto recipe uses blanched slivered almonds instead of the ubiquitous pine nuts. I love pine nuts. But, almonds are alkaline forming, a bit healthier, and a little more forgiving on the budget. But, this avocado pesto works great with pine nuts, walnuts, cashews, or hemp seeds.

To keep the avocado pesto dairy-free, I use a combination of lemon juice and white or yellow miso paste to replicate the flavor of aged parmesan that is in so many American pesto recipes. If you’re avoiding soy, use chickpea miso paste. Red miso paste has a very different flavor profile. So, don’t use that. Save that for your miso-glazed eggplant!

I love raw or lightly steamed spiralized zucchini noodles or “zoodles” with my avocado pesto for an awesome enzyme-rich, low-carb dinner. But, this avocado pesto works great with conventional cooked pasta. I’ve provided both versions in the recipe card.

If you’re going with the zucchini noodle version and don’t have a spiralizer, use a vegetable peeler to make thick fettuccini-style noodles.

For the cooked pasta, the best gluten-free vegan pasta I’ve found is the brown-rich pasta from Tinkyada.

If you’re not vegan and eat eggs, Pastamore is a fantastic option.

Add avocado pesto into your healthy dinner rotation. It’s awesome.

LESS

Vegan Avocado Pesto Pasta

Enjoy this avocado pesto with spiralized or shaved zucchini noodles or cooked pasta. This quick easy dinner is really delicious, creamy, and always a hit.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Author Tess Masters

Ingredients

pesto:

1/3 cup (80ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups (75g) firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (70g) blanched slivered almonds
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic (2 cloves)
2 teaspoons white miso paste (or yellow or chickpea miso)
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste

pasta:

1 pack gluten-free spaghetti (or 4 medium zucchinis)

to assemble:

1 medium avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds
1/2 cup shelled hemp seeds
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus more to taste

Instructions

To make the pesto, place all of the pesto ingredients into a food processor fitted with the s blade and pulse until well combined. Tweak flavors to taste, and set aside.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, or shave the zucchinis with a vegetable peeler (for thick fettucini-style noodles) or use a spiralizer to create thin spaghetti-style noodles.
Mash the avocado and set aside. Stir the olive oil through the cooked pasta, then stir through the avocado.
To assemble, toss the pesto with the noodles and avocado, stir through the almonds, hemp seeds, lemon juice, salt, and lemon zest to taste.

Recipe Notes

Photo by Trent Lanz and styling by Alicia Buszczak

Comments

Comments 16

kate
March 26, 2013 at 10:03 am

This will absolutely be my dinner one day this week. I am always looking for ways to incorporate avocados. Love them! Thanks…I have been reading your recipes for a couple years now but this is the first time I am popping up to say hi and thanks!

Reply
1. The Blender Girl
  March 27, 2013 at 12:03 am
  
  Hey Kate, thankyou for taking the time to say HI. Yes, I love avocados too. I just can’t get enough of them. Enjoy this recipe. I can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂
  
  Reply
rachelnyc
April 22, 2013 at 3:04 am

Yum! I can’t wait to try this! Now I just need to figure out where I put my spiralizer . . . haha!

Reply
1. The Blender Girl
  April 24, 2013 at 8:04 am
  
  HA! Yes, this is YUMMY! You can make quick raw pasta with a veggie peeler or enjoy this pesto with cooked pasta.
  
  Reply
Shawna
May 14, 2013 at 12:05 pm

This sounds so good! Any idea if it could be frozen? Sounds like this recipe would make a lot.

Reply
1. The Blender Girl
  May 27, 2013 at 2:05 pm
  
  Hey Shawna,
  Yes, this recipe generously serves four people. I must admit, I have not tried freezing this recipe. It never lasts very long in our house. However, I freeze all of my other pesto recipes so it should be fine as long as you freeze it immediately to prevent any oxidation with the avocados. It may be a bit watery when you defrost it too. You could process again a tiny bit with some extra almonds etc. Enjoy 🙂
  
  Reply
MnM
May 31, 2013 at 4:05 pm

I am so madly in love with this recipe!! I’ve been eating it on rice cakes as my go to afternoon snack. Thank you thank you yet again 🙂

Reply
1. The Blender Girl
  June 2, 2013 at 12:06 am
  
  Oh YUM! That’s a fabulous way to enjoy it. I can’t get enough of this stuff either. Thanks for sharing your experience.
  
  Reply
Valerie
June 12, 2013 at 8:06 pm

Soooooo delicious! I used mine on spaghetti squash! And as a salad dressing. I could eat it every day. It’s very satisfying, which is sometimes hard to accomplish with the BodyEcology diet. Thank YOU and your creativity!

Reply
1. The Blender Girl
  June 13, 2013 at 1:06 pm
  
  Oh, I am so pleased you are enjoying this in so many different ways. I agree, it is SO delicious and satisfying, and is an absolute lifesaver on the Body Ecology or alkaline diets. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
  
  Reply
amy0223
August 6, 2013 at 1:08 pm

Wow! This looks amazing, and I can’t wait to try it. Any reason why it couldn’t be made in the Vitamix? My food processor is too small.

Reply
1. The Blender Girl
  February 22, 2014 at 4:02 pm
  
  You can absolutely make this in your Vitamix. Just only blend 1 avocado and then mash the rest and stir them through the pasta. Otherwise the sauce is just too thick.
  
  Reply
Ester
December 2, 2014 at 12:12 pm

Hello, I really like this recipe and would like to try it. What is the best way to store it, if I want it to last it a long time and for how long can I store it. Can I freeze it as well? Many thanks.

Reply
1. The Blender Girl
  December 30, 2014 at 12:12 am
  
  Ester, unfortunately, this recipe doesn’t keep very well because of the oxidation of the avocados. You can freeze it. But, it gets a bit watery. I don’t recommend it. Sorry.
  
  Reply
Clare
February 7, 2015 at 12:02 pm

I love this recipe, but I have some one allergic to almonds at home. Any good almond substitutes?

Reply
1. The Blender Girl
  February 16, 2015 at 6:02 pm
  
  You could use pine nuts. Enjoy!
  
  Reply