• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Rhian's Recipes

  • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Me
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Meal Plan
  • Cookbook
  • Blogging Tips
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Healthy Meal Plan
  • Cookbook
  • Blogging Tips
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Recipes » Recipes

    Avocado Pesto Without A Blender (Vegan + GF)

    Last updated - July 15, 2021; Published - January 17, 2016 By Rhian Williams 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    If you'd like to eat healthier but you're having trouble finding time to make healthy food, try making this Avocado Pesto, which is easily made from scratch without even using a blender!

    Avocado Pesto Without A Blender (Vegan + GF)

    Another recipe that I accidentally created as a student with very limited cooking equipment, I really believe this is a great recipe to have up your sleeve for rushed weeknight dinners or a super easy lunch.

    This avocado pesto is honestly so quick and easy to make and you don't even need a blender! As long as they're fairly ripe, all you need to make the avocados perfectly smooth and creamy is a simple piece of cutlery: the humble fork.

    Avocado Pesto Without A Blender (Vegan + GF)

    Once you've finished mashing the avocado into a luxuriously creamy sauce, all you need to do is add a squeeze of tangy citrus, a handful of fragrant basil leaves, and a smattering of pine nuts and you're good to go!

    A little drizzle of good quality olive oil isn't a bad idea either, neither is a touch of cheesy nutritional yeast, but the sauce will taste just as good without it.

    And what's great about this super easy avocado pesto is that it's really healthy, and also highly customisable. It's oil-free, you can use whatever type of pasta you want (I used brown rice penne), and you can add whatever vegetables you want.

    For ease and convenience, I like add some frozen green peas when boiling the pasta, and you can also add greens like broccoli, spinach, or kale too. I then topped it off with some thinly sliced raw veg like peppery radishes, crunchy purple cabbage, sweet red peppers and nutty sugar snap peas.

    You can also add chickpeas for extra protein, or whatever other protein you like. Edamame would work well too I think.

    Avocado Pesto Without A Blender (Vegan + GF)

    Coming together in around 20 minutes, this makes the perfect lazy weeknight dinner. Want more no-blender recipe ideas? You might like my sweet potato hummus or my lazy falafel!

    Love pesto? Check out my:

    • Edamame Pesto
    • Creamy Pesto Pasta

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Avocado Pesto Without A Blender (Vegan + GF)

    Avocado Pesto Without A Blender (Vegan + GF)

    This Avocado Pesto is easily made from scratch without even using a blender!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: vegan avocado pasta, vegan avocado pesto
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 191kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    • 2 portions pasta of choice (gluten-free if necessary)
    • Two handfuls green peas (fresh or frozen)
    • Greens of choice e.g. broccoli, spinach, kale

    For the pesto:

    • 2 ripe avocados
    • Handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
    • Salt + pepper, to taste
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
    • 2 tablespoons pine nuts

    To serve (optional):

    • Red peppers
    • Purple cabbage
    • Radishes
    • Sugar snap peas
    • Chickpeas

    Instructions

    • Boil the pasta according to instructions on the packet (add the peas and other greens too, so you can cook them with the pasta and save energy/time/washing up)
    • Meanwhile, scoop avocado flesh out of the skins into a bowl and mash with a fork until a smooth paste forms (the riper they are the easier this will be)
    • Add the lemon juice, basil, salt + pepper and nutritional yeast, and mix well
    • Drain the pasta and peas once cooked and take off the heat
    • Add the avocado pesto, to the pan and mix well
    • Serve up and scatter over the pine nuts and fresh salad and chickpeas if you like
    Nutrition Facts
    Avocado Pesto Without A Blender (Vegan + GF)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 191
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

    « Vegan Matcha Sweet Potato Ice Cream
    Vegan Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl (GF) »
    • Share
    • Tweet

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mina

      April 28, 2018 at 10:22 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for lunch today - it's so simple and delicious!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        April 28, 2018 at 10:25 pm

        Thank you!

    2. Sabina

      May 27, 2018 at 9:00 pm

      ...reading through the recipe/blog l came across the old and insensitive cliche of 'killing two birds with one stone' - when have you done such a deed lately and why do you think killing birds with a stone is ok?
      Or that it's alright repeating such terrible words thoughtlessly?
      Please think about what you say, words have power - isn't that the reason why you're writing a blog?
      Thank you,
      Sabina

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        May 28, 2018 at 9:16 am

        Hi Sabina,
        Thank you so much for your feedback. I'm really sorry about my thoughtless use of that phrase - I wrote that post a couple of years ago when I wasn't as aware about these things. I've amended the post, thank you once again for pointing that out, it's really important for me to improve my readers' experience. Sorry again and thank you for your comment.
        Rhian

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

    Learn more.

    Popular Recipes

    Three vegan blueberry muffins with a bite taken out of one with a bowl of fresh blueberries in the background

    Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free)

    A loaf of gluten-free vegan bread with three slices next to it

    Gluten-Free Vegan Bread

    A stack of oat flour pancakes topped with desiccated coconut and syrup on a blue plate

    Oat Flour Pancakes (Vegan + GF)

    A loaf of gluten-free rice bread topped with mixed seeds with two slices next to it against a sheet of brown baking paper

    Gluten-Free Rice Bread (Vegan)

    A loaf of gluten-free vegan oat bread topped with oats with two slices on the side

    Gluten-Free Vegan Oat Bread

    Five vegan coconut flour pancakes stacked in a pile decorated with fresh raspberries and coconut flakes on a green plate against a grey background

    Vegan Coconut Flour Pancakes (Gluten-Free)

    A loaf of oat flour bread with two slices

    Oat Flour Bread (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

    A stack of gluten-free vegan protein pancakes covered in chocolate sauce with a fork sticking into it

    Gluten-Free Vegan Protein Pancakes

    Footer

    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Copyright Notice

    Newsletter

    • Subscribe for free updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Me

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 · Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework ·