Vegan Creamy Avocado Lime Pasta (Printable version)

Pasta coated with creamy avocado-lime sauce and halved cherry tomatoes for a quick, fresh meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12.3 oz dried spaghetti or linguine
02 - Salt for pasta water

→ Creamy Avocado Lime Sauce

03 - 2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
04 - 1 large lime, juiced (approximately 2 to 3 tablespoons)
05 - 2 cloves garlic, peeled
06 - 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
07 - 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
08 - 1/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk
09 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
11 - Pinch of chili flakes, optional

→ Toppings

12 - 8.8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
13 - 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, optional
14 - Fresh basil leaves for garnish

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta in a colander.
02 - While pasta cooks, combine avocados, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, basil, plant-based milk, salt, pepper, and chili flakes in a food processor or blender. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. If sauce is too thick, add additional milk or reserved pasta water to achieve desired consistency.
03 - Transfer drained pasta to a large mixing bowl. Toss with avocado-lime sauce until evenly coated. Add reserved pasta water as needed to achieve silky texture.
04 - Gently fold halved cherry tomatoes into the sauced pasta.
05 - Transfer to serving bowls immediately. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and fresh basil leaves.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce comes together in minutes without any cooking, so you're eating fresh food at its peak.
  • It's naturally creamy and satisfying without a drop of dairy, which surprises even the skeptics at your table.
  • Everything tastes bright and clean—the kind of meal you feel great about eating on a busy weeknight.
02 -
  • Overworking the avocado in the blender turns it bitter—blend just until smooth and stop, even if there are tiny flecks of avocado still visible.
  • The sauce needs that pasta water to come alive; it's the difference between something pasty and something silky that clings to every strand of pasta.
03 -
  • Choose avocados that are ripe but still slightly firm to the touch—if they're too soft, the blender will turn them into something mushy instead of creamy.
  • That reserved pasta water is liquid gold in this recipe; it's starchy and helps the sauce emulsify and coat the pasta instead of just sitting in the bowl.
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