Creamy Avocado Pasta is a quick pasta recipe made with ripe avocado, fresh spinach (or basil), garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. The avocado creates a creamy sauce without heavy cream, and the recipe is naturally vegan and dairy-free.
You can cook the pasta on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, then toss it with the fresh avocado sauce for an easy lunch or weeknight dinner.
My daughter has always loved avocados. I often serve them in avocado paratha (Indian avocado flatbread), avocado toast with everything bagel seasoning, avocado banana smoothie, or simply seasoned with salt and pepper.
This avocado pasta is sometimes called "guacamole pasta" because the sauce uses fresh avocado, garlic, lemon juice, and herbs.
While the pasta cooks on the stovetop or Instant Pot, you can whip up the creamy avocado sauce and mix it together. The result is a creamy, fresh, and incredibly satisfying meal!
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Ingredients
- Pasta: I used penne, but you can use spaghetti, macaroni, shells, or your favorite pasta. For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free pasta.
- Avocado: Use a ripe avocado for a smooth and creamy sauce. I have used 1 Hass Avocado.
- Garlic: Garlic adds a great flavor to the dish, so don't skip it.
- Spinach (Optional): I used baby spinach in this avocado pesto sauce, but you can use any fresh herbs like basil, or cilantro for a variation.
- Lemon juice (or Lime juice): Lemon juice is added to add tanginess and to prevent the browning of avocado sauce, so don't miss it. You may also use lime juice instead of lemon.
How to Make Creamy Avocado Pasta
To Cook Pasta
Stovetop Pot Method
- In a large pot, bring the 2-3 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the salt.
- Add the 2 to 2 ½ cups of dry pasta (about 8 oz) to the water, and stir a few times to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions (about 10-12 minutes), occasionally stirring, until al dente or softer according to the desired texture.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain the excess water and keep it aside.
Instant Pot Method
- Add 2 to 2 ½ cups of dry penne pasta (about 8 oz), 2 cups water, and salt to the Instant Pot. Most of the pasta should be covered in water. If it is not, add some more water.
- Furthermore, close the lid on the pot. Pressure Cook (high pressure) for 4 minutes. Note: I am using penne pasta in this recipe which has 10 minutes for cooking on the stovetop. So to cook on Instant Pot - Divide the cooking time by half and minus one for al dente pasta. So it's 4 minutes, for softer pasta, do 5 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot beeps, wait 5 minutes, then Quick Release the remaining pressure. Open the lid and drain any excess water, if needed.
To Prepare Avocado Sauce for Pasta
- Put 1 large avocado pulp, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup baby spinach, salt, black pepper to taste, and ¼ cup water (or reserved pasta water) into a food processor and blend until smooth. Start with ¼ cup of water and then add more as needed to get the desired consistency.
- Avocado spinach pasta sauce is ready. **Note: You can also add some Parmesan cheese if desired.
Assemble the Pasta
- Add the avocado sauce to the al dente cooked pasta and toss until evenly coated with the dressing.
Instant Pot Avocado Pesto Pasta is ready.
Lastly, sprinkle some red chili flakes, grated parmesan cheese, if desired, and Serve it immediately or chill for an hour. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Creamy Avocado Pasta?
- You or your kid can enjoy a large bowl of avocado pesto pasta and call it a meal.
- You can also add some fresh veggies, make it a healthy pasta salad, and enjoy it with Dominos style stuffed garlic bread.
- For extra protein, add some crispy air fryer tofu (which I make in the air fryer).
Variations
- Greek Yogurt: You can add 2 tablespoons of full-fat Greek yogurt while making the sauce for extra protein.
- Cheese: You can also add Parmesan cheese while making the avocado cream sauce. For Vegan, use vegan parmesan cheese.
- Vegetables: To make it healthier, add fresh vegetables such as boiled sweet corn, green peas, bell peppers, instant pot steamed broccoli, air fryer roasted zucchini, air fryer roasted mushrooms, or cherry tomatoes to this dish.
- Greens: Instead of spinach, you can replace it with kale, parsley, basil, or cilantro. You can also omit the greens if you would like.
- Garlic: You can use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
- Pasta Variety: Use any kind of your favorite pasta, like spaghetti, macaroni, shell pasta, or rotini.
- Low-carb option: Replace pasta with zucchini pasta with avocado sauce (zoodles) or spaghetti squash.
Tips to Make the Best Avocado Pesto Pasta
- Use ripe avocados, as they help to blend easily and make a rich and creamy sauce.
- Cook the pasta al dente, so the texture of the pasta is firm, not mushy, when toasted with the avocado dressing.
- The consistency of avocado pesto sauce should not be too thick while mixing up the pasta, otherwise, the pasta will turn dry when eaten later. You can add some reserved pasta water or milk to make it creamy.
- Do not reheat the pasta, the flavor of the avocado changes when heated.
- Generally, the time to cook pasta in an Instant Pot is half the suggested time on the pasta box, minus one for al dente pasta.
Storage Suggestions
Make-Ahead: You can boil the pasta, prepare the avocado sauce a day before, and store it in an airtight container. When you are ready to serve, toss everything well.
Storage: Avocado sauce is best served fresh because it can brown and change flavor over time. If needed, refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and use within 24 hours. Also, I was not too fond of the taste of the leftover pasta.
Recipe FAQs
Follow the same steps as the avocado pasta recipe. Add roasted cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet corn, green peas, and avocado chunks. Mix well and serve the avocado pasta salad immediately.
I have used baby spinach, but you can use other greens, such as basil, kale, and parsley, or omit them if you like.
Yes. The basic recipe is vegan and nut-free. Parmesan is optional; use vegan Parmesan if desired.
Yes, you can freeze the leftover avocado pesto pasta sauce in freezer-safe Ziploc or airtight containers for up to 1 month.
Do not skip adding lemon juice while making the pasta sauce, as this will help delay the pasta's oxidation process. You can also squeeze some lemon juice after you toss the pasta with the sauce.
Also, explore more American recipes for inspiration for your next family dinner.
Creamy Avocado Pasta
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
For Cooking Pasta:
- 8 oz penne pasta i used semolina pasta (about 2-2.5 cups) or any pasta
- 2 cups water
- salt to taste
For Avocado Sauce:
- 1 large avocado ripened
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup baby spinach (or basil), optional
- crushed black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil optional
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt adjust to taste
- ¼ cup water or as needed
Garnish
Instructions
How to Cook Pasta:
- Stovetop Pot Method: In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the salt. Add the pasta to the water, stir a few times to prevent the pasta from sticking together.Cook the pasta according to the package instructions (about 10-12 minutes) stirring occasionally, until al dente or softer according to the desired texture. Once the pasta is cooked, drain excess water and keep it aside.
- Instant Pot Method: Add dry pasta, water, salt to the Instant Pot. Most of the pasta should be covered in the water. If it is not, add some more water.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.Note: Using penne pasta in this recipe which has 10 minutes for cooking on stovetop. So to cook on Instant Pot - Divide the cook time by half and minus one for al dente pasta. So its 4 minutes. For softer pasta do 5 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, wait for 5 minutes and Quick Release the remaining pressure manually. Then open the lid, drain if there is any extra water.
Prepare Avocado Sauce for Pasta:
- Put the avocado, lemon juice, oil, garlic, spinach, salt, pepper, water into a food processor and blend until smooth.Start with ¼ cup of water and then add more as needed to get the desired consistency.Avocado spinach pasta sauce is ready. **Note: You can also add some parmesan cheese if desired.
Assemble:
- Add the avocado pasta sauce to the instant pot insert, and then toss until evenly coated. This avocado pesto pasta is best served within 2-3 hours it is made, as it uses avocados which will turn a brownish color.
- Sprinkle over some chilli flakes and top with parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Variations
- Greek Yogurt: You can also add 2 tablespoons of full-fat greek yogurt while making sauce for extra protein.
- Cheese: You can also add Parmesan cheese while making the avocado cream sauce. For Vegan, use vegan parmesan cheese.
- Vegetables: To make it healthier, add fresh vegetables such as boiled sweet corn, steamed broccoli, green peas, zucchini, bell peppers, roasted mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes to this dish.
- Greens: Instead of spinach, you can replace it with kale, parsley, basil, or cilantro. You can also omit the greens if you would like.
- Garlic: You can use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
- Pasta Variety: Use any kind of your favorite pasta like spaghetti, macaroni, shell, or rotini.
Tips to Make the Best Avocado Pesto Pasta
- Use ripe avocadoes as it helps to blend easily and makes a rich and creamy sauce.
- Cook the pasta al dente, so the texture of the pasta is firm, not mushy when toasted with the avocado dressing.
- The consistency of avocado pesto sauce should not be too thick while mixing up the pasta, else, the pasta will turn dry when eaten later. You can also add some reserved pasta water or some milk to make it creamy.
- Do not reheat the pasta, the flavor of the avocado changes when heated.
- Generally, the time to cook pasta in an Instant Pot is half the suggested time on the pasta box, minus one for al dente pasta.
- Also, ensure you have enough water to cover most of the pasta underwater. Depending on the shape and size of the pasta, you may need more or fewer liquids. BURN ALERT? If your instant pot has shown BURN in the past, add ½ cup of extra water while making the pasta.
Nutrition
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wings called bdubs
Fresh, creamy, and family-friendly recipe that makes healthy eating fun, easy, and delicious daily.
Grace Ava
That sounds absolutely mouthwatering. This recipe sounds like the perfect blend of healthy and comforting! I love how it sneaks in spinach without sacrificing flavor—such a clever way to get those greens in. The idea of adding fresh summer veggies for an avocado pasta salad twist makes it even more tempting!