Vegan Pesto Pasta (Oil-free, Nut-free)
Try this delicious oil and nut-free vegan pesto pasta made with creamy avocado. Easy to make and ready to enjoy in a matter of minutes!
This vegan pesto pasta can become a tasty new addition to your quick and easy meals. Not only is it dairy-free, but itās made without oil, pine nuts and parmesan. It’s also naturally gluten-free!
The vegan pesto sauce will use creamy avocado instead of oil, nutritional yeast instead of parmesan and hemp seeds instead of pine nuts. This recipe is also healthier and much more affordable than the traditional.
What is pesto?
Pesto or pesto alla genovese is a bright green sauce that originated in Genoa, Italy. Itās traditionally made by crushing and mixing fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and olive oil with a mortar and pestle.
The modern way of making this sauce involves using a food processor or blender.
How to Make Vegan Pesto Pasta with Avocados
(scroll to the end for detailed measurements in the printable recipe card)
1. Rinse basil and parsley and lightly pat dry. Remove the leaves from stems. I prefer a bit more texture in my pesto so I removed only the tougher parts of the basil and parsley stems.
2. Add the herbs along with the avocado, garlic, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt and pepper to the food processor and pulse until the ingredients start to mix together.
If you will be using a blender, you might have to add a few tablespoons of water to make it easier to blend.
3. Stop and scrape down the side of the bowl, then run the food processor once more until the pesto gets to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
4. To serve, add the avocado pesto to a large bowl then add cooked pasta with 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta water. Toss the pasta gently until evenly coated, then serve immediately.
Which pasta shape is best for pesto?
Pesto can be good with most pasta shapes. It can cling well to the twists of fusilli and rotini. It also works well in shapes that can scoop and hold the sauce, such as penne.
The pasta shape I used is called Elicoidali which is similar to rigatoni. But if all you have is spaghetti then go for it!
Recipe Substitutions
Basil
Basil can be substituted with other fresh herbs in pesto such as cilantro or more parsley. You could also use some healthy greens such as spinach, kale, arugula or broccoli.
Hemp seeds
Hemp seeds can be replaced with sunflower or pumpkin seeds to keep your vegan pesto nut-free. But, if youāre okay with nuts, pine nuts are traditionally used in the dish.
However, they can be expensive so feel free to use other nuts such as cashews, walnuts, or pecans.
Lightly toast the nuts before using to enhance the flavor even more, then ground in the food processor before adding the remaining ingredients.
Avocado
Thereās not really an oil-free substitute for avocado. It adds the creaminess to this pesto recipe. Plus it’s a healthy addition.
If youāre not opposed to using oil then you can add 3 to 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil while the other ingredients are blending.
Nutritional yeast
You can use a store-bought vegan parmesan as a substitute for nutritional yeast, but itāll likely be more expensive.
Many brands also use nutritional yeast. It helps to give avocado pesto that cheesy flavor without dairy.
Lemon juice
Lemon juice provides acidity to the sauce to help enhance the cheesy flavor. It also helps to slow the browning of the avocado. If you donāt have lemon juice, you can substitute it with lime juice or apple cider vinegar.
Pesto Recipe Variations
- Sun-dried Tomato Pesto – made by blending together sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, basil and nuts.
- Kale Pesto – made with garlic, kale, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and hemp seeds.
- Spinach – a blend of spinach, pine nuts, basil, vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, lemon juice, pepper, salt, and garlic.
- Arugula – combines arugula, garlic, walnuts, salt, and vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.
Can avocado pesto be stored for later?
In general, itās not recommended to store avocado pesto. At best, it will only last a day or two.
Similar to guacamole, it quickly becomes brown and develops an off taste and smell. This recipe tastes best when made fresh right before eating.
Other ways to use this sauce
This oil-free pesto can be used in a variety of other ways beyond pasta. You can serve it on pizza, a spread on your sandwich, or mix into dips and salad dressings.
More Nut-free Vegan Pasta Recipes
- Vodka Sauce Pasta
- Coconut Cream Pasta (Gluten-free)
- Oil-free Vegan One Pot Pasta
- Vegan Puttanesca (Gluten-free)
- Vegan Mac and Cheese
Vegan Pesto Pasta (Oil-free, Nut-free)
Baking Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements and measuring spoons.
Ingredients
Vegan Pesto Sauce
- Ā½ avocado, (or a whole Hass avocado)
- 1 bunch (30 g) fresh basil
- 1 bunch (30 g) fresh parsley, (or more basil)
- Ā¼ cup (40 g) hemp seeds
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp (8 g) nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoon (10 ml) lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Pasta
- 6 oz (170 g) pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.6 oz (170 g) pasta of your choice
- Rinse basil and parsley and lightly pat dry. Remove the leaves from stems. I prefer a bit more texture in my pesto so I removed only the tougher parts of the basil and parsley stems.1 bunch (30 g) fresh basil ,1 bunch (30 g) fresh parsley
- Add the herbs along with the avocado, garlic, hemp seeds, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt and pepper to the food processor and pulse until the ingredients start to mix together. If you are using a blender to make pesto, you might have to add a few tablespoons of water to make it easier to blend.Ā½ avocado ,Ā¼ cup (40 g) hemp seeds ,2 cloves garlic ,2 tbsp (8 g) nutritional yeast ,2 teaspoon (10 ml) lemon juice ,Salt and pepper to taste
- Stop and scrape down the side of the bowl, then run the food processor once more until the sauce gets to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- To serve, add the vegan pesto to a large bowl then add cooked pasta with 2 to 3 tablespoons of pasta water. Toss the pasta gently until evenly coated, then serve immediately.
Notes
- Get more info in the post sections below:
- Recipe Substitutions
- Can avocado pesto be stored for later?
- Pesto Recipe Variations
Great!
Thanks š
I really liked the flavor of this pesto, but I’m only giving it 4 stars because once it was heated with my pasta, it lost a lot of that flavor. When I make this again, I’m going to add extra basil and garlic so that it retains the flavor once warm. I did like eating it raw though and it’d be perfect for a pasta salad.
Thanks so much for your feedback Liz!