Vegan Avocado Pesto Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes | No-Cheese Vegan Pesto Pasta Recipe
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 Servings
 
Ingredients
For avocado pesto:
  • Avocado - 1, ripe & soft
  • Italian basil leaves - 2 cups
  • Olive oil - ¼ cup
  • Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves
  • Walnut - 8 to 10
  • Salt & pepper to taste
For pesto pasta:
  • Penne pasta - 2 cups
  • Extra-virgin olive oil - 3 tbsp
  • Cherry tomatoes - 1 cup
  • Red chilli flakes - 1-2 tsp or as per taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
How to make avocado basil pesto
  1. Take an appropriately ripe avocado which is soft all over, cut it in half lengthwise and separate the halves. Discard the seed and peel the skin off.
  2. Cut the avocado into small chunks and set aside.
  3. Wash and roughly chop the fresh basil leaves. Roughly chop the walnuts.
  4. In a blender jar, add avocado pieces, basil leaves, garlic cloves, chopped walnuts and half of the extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
  5. Start blending until the ingredients are processed to transform to a smooth & thick semi-liquid mixture of vibrant green color.
  6. Now slowly pour the remaining olive oil to adjust the consistency as per your liking and blend again.
  7. Your avocado basil pesto is ready! Now we will make the pasta and prepare other ingredients.
How to make pesto pasta
  1. Boil 4 cups of water in a large saucepan and add a couple of tablespoons of salt to it.
  2. When the water starts to boil, add 2 cups of penne pasta to the saucepan. Cook the pasta on medium flame until they are soft but not mushy i.e. al dente. This would take about 12 to 14 minutes on medium-low flame.
  3. Pour the cooked pasta along with the cooking water in a colander placed inside your kitchen sink allowing all the water to drain out.
  4. Leave the pasta in the colander while you prepare the remaining ingredient.
  5. Wash the cherry tomatoes and drain out all the water. Cut each cherry tomato into half.
  6. Heat a non-stick frying pan and once the pan is warm, add a tablespoon of olive oil to it.
  7. Add the cut cherry tomatoes, preferably cut side down and let them cook on low for 5 minutes.
  8. After 5 minutes, give them a stir, let them cook for another 2 minutes and then take them out in a bowl.
  9. Add two more tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan and let it warm up. Now add the cooked & drained pasta to the pan and sauté them for just a couple of minutes.**
  10. Now transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl. Add half of the prepared avocado pesto to the pasta.
  11. Using a spatula start mixing the avocado pesto with pasta. Each pasta should be coated with the pesto.
  12. Add more pesto if you like your pasta to be on the saucier side. You may not need the full quantity of prepared pesto; just use as much as you feel like.
  13. Drop in the sautéed cherry tomatoes and sprinkle red chilli flakes to the pesto pasta and give a final mix. Taste the pesto pasta and adjust seasoning by adding little more salt & pepper if needed.
  14. Your avocado pesto pasta is ready! Serve it on a plate, drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the pasta, pair it with your favorite wine and enjoy!
Notes
**Pro tip: This step is optional and I do it out of my personal preference. I feel that quickly sautéing the boiled pasta in olive oil gives the pasta a crunchier texture which I like more than boiled texture. You can skip this step completely.
Recipe by Flavor Quotient at https://flavorquotient.com/2025/07/vegan-avocado-pesto-pasta/