Pesto is our go-to sauce at the moment. We LOVE basil pesto. It’s so easy to make, herby, fresh, and creamy. We usually make this more traditional vegan pesto which calls for 1/3 cup olive oil but lately, many people have been requesting oil-free recipes. That’s where this Oil-free Avocado Pesto comes in.
And guess what? Avocado is the perfect substitute for olive oil in pesto. I suppose when we say “oil-free”, we really mean no oil added. The natural oils in the avocado add the perfect creamy textures to this pesto.
Last time we made basil pesto we added an avocado along with the olive oil because we thought it would make it extra creamy and ohhhh lawd, it sure did! It was delicious! So then we thought about completely ditching the oil and REPLACING it with avocado to see what would happen.
Well, it was a total success and that’s where this Oil-Free Avocado Pesto comes alive.
The other difference from our original pesto is a few more tablespoons of almond milk. This oil free pesto is amazing – give it a try!
Easy to make.
No added oils.
Six ingredients!
Comes together in less than 10 minutes.
Packed with antioxidants.
Creamy.
Herby.
Vegan.
Also, there’s lots of places you can use this pesto, other than just on plain pasta. You can add it to:
- Vegan Ravioli – always a great dish to have with pesto sauce!
- Vegan Pesto Pasta with Sausage and Brussels Sprouts – One of our favorite meals, and you can sub this recipe without olive oil.
- Grilled Tempeh Sliders – Pesto is the PERFECT addition to this tiny burger! If you haven’t tried red sauce with pesto, NOW is the time.
If you make this oil-free avocado pesto recipe, take a picture and tag us on Instagram @pastabased! Or, you can always leave a comment below!
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Avocado is the perfect substitute for olive oil in pesto. Make this easy vegan oil free pesto, with only six ingredients, in less than 10 minutes.
- a BIG handful of basil leaves
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/3 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
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Add all ingredients to a food processor. Process on high for 2 minutes or until creamy.
Erika
Hi, can I change the cashew with another nut?
pasta-based
Hi Erika,
Of course! Your favorite nut or seed will work just as well. We’ve done pine nuts and sunflower seeds before 🙂
Jen
Thanks for the great recipe. I am excited to try it. I was wondering if you had any idea if and how long it can be stored in the fridge for? Thanks!
Megan
Do you need to soak the cashews first?
pasta-based
Hey Megan, just straight raw cashews in this recipe. Let us know if you have other questions!