Vegan Avocado Pasta
This creamy vegan avocado pasta combines spaghetti or other pasta with a freshly blended avocado sauce made with lime and garlic. It’s ready in just 15 minutes – the sauce isn’t cooked but tossed directly with the hot pasta. Since the avocado sauce tastes a little like guacamole, I affectionately call the spaghetti version “Guacaghetti”.
Avocado Pasta – Does It Taste Good Warm?
When I first heard about avocado pasta, I was pretty skeptical. That changed when I tried it at Vapiano many years ago – and loved it from the very first bite. On later visits, I simply swapped the feta that came with the dish for pine nuts. Eventually, I created my own vegan version at home, and it has since become one of my favorite vegan pasta recipes.
What makes this dish special is that the avocado sauce isn’t cooked. Instead, it’s added fresh to the hot pasta and gently warmed by its heat. This gives you a warm pasta dish while preserving the fresh avocado flavor.
The avocado makes the sauce wonderfully creamy, while lime, garlic, and herbs add freshness and flavor.
What Makes the Avocado Pasta Sauce So Creamy?
The key is using ripe avocados. They should give slightly when gently pressed, but shouldn’t feel mushy. If they’re still too firm, the sauce won’t be as smooth and may also taste less flavorful.
Blending the avocados creates an especially smooth and creamy sauce. You can see just how well this works in my Moroccan avocado smoothie. You can also make the pasta without a blender, although the avocado will remain a little chunkier. The flavor is almost the same, but the texture is noticeably different.
The starchy pasta cooking water also contributes to the creamy consistency. It helps make the sauce smoother and allows it to coat the pasta more evenly.
Nutritional yeast adds a slightly cheesy, savory flavor. It complements the avocado beautifully, but you can leave it out if you prefer.
What Pasta Shapes and Toppings Go Well With Avocado Pasta?
I love this avocado sauce with spaghetti, but penne, fusilli, or other pasta shapes work just as well. Whole-wheat pasta or pasta made from legumes are also good options.
Since the avocado sauce itself is mild and creamy, I especially like toppings that add freshness, a little acidity, or some crunch:
- Tomatoes: Their mild acidity and freshness go wonderfully with avocado. I particularly like using cherry tomatoes.
- Toasted pine nuts: Add a pleasant crunch and a slightly nutty flavor.
- Spring onions (scallions): The green parts add a mild onion flavor and extra freshness.
- Vegan feta: My homemade vegan almond feta is especially delicious with this creamy avocado sauce, thanks to its salty, slightly tangy flavor.
If you like a little heat, you can also add fresh chili or chili flakes. Baby spinach or peas make lovely additions as well.
As for herbs, I prefer fresh basil or cilantro (coriander), sometimes both together. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, simply leave it out or use parsley instead.
Can You Store and Reheat Avocado Pasta?
Avocado pasta tastes best freshly prepared, when the sauce is especially creamy and the pasta is still pleasantly warm.
Over time, the avocado sauce may turn brown when exposed to air. This is caused by the avocado’s natural oxidation process and doesn’t automatically mean it has spoiled. However, the appearance and eventually the freshness of the dish will suffer.
If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate them as soon as possible.
Reheating can change the texture of the avocado sauce, so I prefer to make only as much as I plan to eat right away. Freezing the finished pasta isn’t my first choice either, as the texture may change after thawing.
Avocado Pasta – Creamy, Delicious and Ready in Just 15 Minutes
Useful equipment
- mini blender *)
Ingredients
- 250 g spaghetti or other pasta of your choice
- 2 avocados peeled and pitted
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast *)
- 6 tablespoons pasta cooking water
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh basil and/or cilantro (coriander)
- 1 pinch salt and 1 more teaspoon for the pasta cooking water
- black pepper
Optional toppings
- 1 tomato or a few cherry tomatoes chopped
- 1 stalk spring onion (scallion) the green part, thinly sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted in a dry pan without oil
- some (homemade) vegan feta
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Cook the spaghetti or other pasta in salted water according to the package instructions.
- Prepare the avocado sauce: While the pasta is cooking, add the avocados, garlic, olive oil, lime juice, nutritional yeast, and herbs to a food processor or small blender.
- Add pasta water and blend: Shortly before the pasta is ready, reserve 6 tablespoons of the cooking water and add it to the sauce ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce: Drain the pasta, return it to the still-hot pot, and immediately toss it with the avocado sauce. Don't put the pot back on a hot burner – the sauce should only be warmed by the residual heat of the pasta. If you like, stir in the chopped tomatoes as well.
- Serve: Divide the avocado pasta among plates and top with tomatoes, spring onions, toasted pine nuts, and vegan feta as desired. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- The nutritional values were calculated without the optional ingredients.
- Without a blender: Mash the avocados with a fork, finely chop or crush the garlic, and chop the herbs. Mix everything with the remaining sauce ingredients. The sauce will be a little chunkier and less creamy, but just as delicious.
I added basil, but even without the basil, it was fantastic. Great recipe thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pasta with avocado and basil! Thank you, Jess, for letting me know!
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