Avocado pesto offers a wonderfully creamy and playful twist on traditional basil pesto. This avocado pesto recipe includes ripe avocado along with the standard basil, Parmesan, olive oil, and pine nuts (in these images, I opted for pepitas, which are also delightful). A squeeze of fresh lemon enhances and balances the flavors while helping to keep the avocado looking fresh.
You can certainly use avocado pesto with pasta. It also serves as an outstanding veggie dip and sandwich spread. More suggestions and tips for use can be found below. One important note is that avocados can brown over time, so it’s best to use it right away or store it in a jar until you’re ready to serve.
Avocado Pesto Serving Suggestions
Pasta
Experiment with this pesto on spaghetti or shapes like fusilli. If you’re a fan of saucy pasta, like I am, this recipe nicely coats 8 ounces of pasta, but you can stretch it to lightly coat 12 to 16 ounces.
Tips: Save some of the starchy cooking water and splash it in with the pesto to help loosen it. Wait until the pasta has cooled slightly to mix in the pesto. If you plan to have leftovers, keep the pesto and pasta stored separately for best results, as the color begins to brown rather quickly when exposed to air and heat.
Veggies: Grilled, roasted, or raw
This avocado pesto will elevate simple vegetables, whether you serve it as a dip, swoosh it underneath, or dollop it on top. It pairs particularly well with bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms, or artichokes.
Sandwiches or toast
Spread this pesto on crusty bread and layer it with sliced tomato and mozzarella for a delightful summer sandwich. It’s also delightful on toast topped with a fried egg for breakfast.
More Unexpected Pesto Recipes to Explore
I would love to hear how you enjoy your avocado pesto in the comments!
Avocado Pesto
Enhance your pesto’s creaminess and richness by adding ripe avocado! This fresh basil and avocado pesto recipe is fantastic on pasta, sandwiches, vegetables, and various dishes. The recipe yields about 1 ½ cups.
Instructions:
1. Toast the pepitas or pine nuts to enhance their flavor. Place them in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often (don’t leave them unattended, or they might burn), until fragrant and lightly golden on the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes. Move them to a bowl to cool.
2. To prepare the pesto, pit and halve the avocados, then scoop the flesh into the bowl of a food processor. Add the Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
3. Incorporate the toasted pepitas and basil, pulsing until they’re broken down into small pieces and the mixture is well combined. Taste, and add more salt if the flavor is not impressive yet.
4. This pesto is best when used right away, but can be stored for up to 3 days in the refrigerator (try to push out any air pockets from the mixture, as they will brown more than the rest).
Notes:
Recipe adapted from my Avocado Pesto Toast.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Simply omit the Parmesan cheese. You might enjoy topping your dish with vegan Parmesan.
How to combine your pesto with pasta: I prefer pasta with plenty of sauce, so I suggest using this pesto on 8 ounces of pasta (it can lightly coat up to 16 ounces). Reserve some starchy cooking water and splash it in along with the pesto to help loosen it and coat the noodles (I used about ¼ cup of cooking water for 8 ounces of pasta). If you expect leftovers, store the pesto and pasta separately for optimal freshness, as the color tends to brown fairly quickly once exposed to air and heat.