Craving pesto, but don't have any nuts?? This Avocado Lemon Pesto is for you! It's light, refreshing, and full of flavor. Plus it takes about 5 minutes to make, and it's so versatile! Add it to your favorite gluten-free pasta, use it as a sauce on top of grilled chicken or steak, or for a Whole30 option - toss it with vegetables!
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🍴Ingredient Notes
- Fresh Basil - You can use fresh basil, or frozen basil! I like to store my fresh basil in the freezer so it lasts longer.
- Avocado - Avocado must be ripe for this recipe to work!
- Water - Add more as needed to blend.
- Lemon Juice - You can squeeze the lemon by hand, but it's much easier to use a handheld juicer.
- Salt - I always start with less, and more as needed!
🍴Step by Step Instructions
Step 1:
Start by adding all pesto ingredients into a high speed blender.
Step 2:
Blend on high until it becomes a smooth, creamy consistency. (Add more water if needed.)
Gluten-Free Pasta Tips
For this recipe I used Jovial Egg Tagliatelle. Jovial is one of my favorite gluten-free pasta brands! They have a huge selection of shapes, and are made with simple ingredients. (Plus they're organic!) The Whole Foods brand makes a delicious chickpea pasta that is also organic, and only has ONE ingredient – chickpeas. I also use their Mung Bean pasta a lot! It tastes great, and has a nice texture. (You can find it in my Creamy Vegan Walnut Pesto recipe.) I use it for most of my sauce recipes because it doesn’t get soggy. (Wouldn’t recommend eating it without a sauce.) A lot of the gluten-free pasta products are filled with additives and “gums” that are unnecessary. Make sure to always check the ingredients! Don’t be tricked by fancy labels!
If you're interested in making your own vegetable noodles, I highly recommend purchasing an inspiralizer. I've had mine for about five years, and it's amazing!! I use it for zucchini, broccoli, yellow squash, beets, sweet potato.. I also have two of her cookbooks! It's a fun way to sneak in extra veggies!
How to store leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an air tight glass container for 5-7 days. I typically don't mix all of the pesto with my pasta, I mix it in each time I make a bowl! If you leave the pesto on the pasta overnight, it usually gets soggy. (Especially if it's chickpea pasta or vegetable noodles.)
More pesto recipes!
After you make this Avocado Lemon Pesto, make sure to leave a comment & rate the recipe! Your feedback is helpful for me, and for anyone planning to try this recipe. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Recipe
Avocado Lemon Pesto (Nut-Free)
Equipment
- High Speed Blender
Ingredients
Pesto
- 2 Cups Fresh Basil
- 1 Cup Avocado
- 1 Cup Water
- ¼ Cup Lemon Juice If you want a little extra citrus kick, use ⅓ cup of lemon juice.
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Start by adding all pesto ingredients into a high speed blender.
- Blend on high until it becomes a smooth, creamy consistency. (Add more water if needed.)
- Pour over pasta or vegetables! Enjoy!
Notes
How to store leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in an air tight glass container for 5-7 days. I typically don't mix all of the pesto with my pasta, I mix it in each time I make a bowl! If you leave the pesto on the pasta overnight, it usually gets soggy. (Especially if it's chickpea pasta or vegetable noodles.)Nutrition
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Made this weekend, we loved it!!
Yayy!! Thanks for sharing! (: