Creamy Avocado Pasta

Name: Creamy Avocado Pasta
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 18 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400 g spaghetti or linguine; 2 ripe avocados (about 400 g); 30 g basil leaves; 2 garlic cloves; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more for the pasta water; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 120 ml reserved pasta cooking water; Optional: 30 g toasted pine nuts or walnuts, nutritional yeast or grated parmesan

This is a dinner you can make in the time the pasta takes. The sauce is blended raw while the water boils, then tossed through the drained pasta off the heat.

The critical rule: never return the pan to the flame after the sauce goes in. Heat is what turns avocado sauce dull and bitter.

MyAvocadoTree Editorial TeamPublished 4 September 2026Updated 4 September 2026

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Bowl of spaghetti coated in pale green avocado sauce with basil and cracked pepper

Prep

8 min

Cook

10 min

Total

18 min

Servings

Difficulty

Easy

Cuisine

Italian

Vegan
Vegetarian

Ingredients

Instructions

1
Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook the pasta to the packet timing, minus one minute.
2
While it cooks, blend the avocado, basil, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper into a thick, smooth sauce.
3
Scoop out 120 ml of the starchy cooking water before draining. This is what makes the sauce cling.
4
Drain the pasta and return it to the empty pan, off the heat.
5
Add the sauce and 80 ml of the reserved water and toss hard for 30 seconds, adding more water until every strand is coated. Serve immediately with nuts or cheese on top.

Recipe tips

Off the heat, always. Cooked avocado sauce goes grey-green and picks up a bitter edge within a couple of minutes on the flame.
The starchy pasta water is not optional — plain water makes the sauce slide off instead of clinging.
Blanch the basil for 10 seconds and shock it in ice water if you want a brighter green that holds through the meal.
This does not reheat. Make what you will eat.

Nutrition (approximate)

Estimated per serving from the ingredient quantities above. Treat these as a guide, not a measurement — ripeness, brands and portioning all shift the numbers.

Calories: 610 kcal
Protein: 15 g
Carbs: 78 g
Fat: 27 g
Fibre: 11 g

Storage

Eat immediately. Leftovers can be eaten cold as a pasta salad the next day with extra lemon, but reheating ruins the sauce.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my avocado pasta turn brown?

Either it was heated after the sauce went in, or it sat too long before serving. Toss off the heat and eat straight away.

Can I make the sauce ahead?

Up to four hours, refrigerated with film pressed onto the surface. Bring it to room temperature before tossing or it cools the pasta.

Is this vegan?

As written, yes. Nutritional yeast gives a savoury finish if you want something in place of parmesan.

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