Creamy Avocado Pasta Sauce
Delicious pasta, lemon, fresh basil, and avocados come together to create this sophisticated yet simple to prepare Creamy Avocado Pasta Sauce. Skip your traditional sauce and give this vibrant avocado sauce recipe a try! Add shredded chicken (or not), delicious either way.
What is one thing my whole house can agree on when it comes to food? Pasta!! Pasta graces more tables come dinner time than just about any other pantry staple . Did you know that the average American, eats 51 pounds of pasta each year? I'm willing to bet that both of my kids eat way more than that!
Avocados are a nutritional powerhouse! Pairing avocado with pasta is not only smart, but it's also fork after fork of creamy deliciousness! . Making Avocado Pasta Sauce is easy. And the pasta sauce is no-cook. Just give it a whirl in your blender or food processor.
By the time the water is boiling for the pasta, you have just about made your sauce! If you have leftover chicken or want to pick up a rotisserie chicken, adding shredded chicken to this pasta is delicious!
Ingredients Needed to make Avocado Pasta Sauce
- Fresh Ingredients - avocado, basil, lemon, jalapenos, garlic paste/garlic & Parmesan cheese
- Pantry staples - Avocado/olive oil, S&P, red pepper flakes, pasta
Variations
- You can choose to add some shredded chicken to the sauce or enjoy it meatless.
- Add some crispy pancetta or bacon.
- Make it really spicy by adding extra jalapeno or cayenne pepper, or make it tame.
- This avocado sauce works on the thicker side or on the looser side. Just add additional pasta water.
- FYI: Photo 1 and 3 here (as well as the spoonful of sauce in the last photo) were made without oil, I just added additional pasta water. Photo 2 uses avocado oil.
- Use any pasta shape you enjoy.
Tip: Don't forget to save some pasta water for the sauce! Scoop out at least a cup of pasta water (carefully) before draining your pasta. That way you won't forget.
This Creamy Avocado Basil Lemon Chicken Pasta is so good! It's like wiggle in your chair while you eat with happiness good! My husband was not into the idea of this the first time I made it at all and then just kept saying over and over how he couldn't believe how much he likes it (score one for me!!).
This is seriously one of my favorite pasta dishes, the Creamy Avocado Sauce mingling with the pasta and shredded chicken, mmm! It's a beautiful combination!
Remember when making pasta, listen to Gordon Ramsey and other pasta experts. Salt your water with kosher salt until it tastes like sea water, it makes the best tasting pasta that way.
I hope this Avocado Pasta makes you as happy as it does my family & me!! XO Colleen
Recipe originally posted August, 2017. Updated January, 2026.
Avocado Recipes You Will Love
Avocado Lemon Pasta & Chicken
Ingredients
- ¾ pound Linguini
- 2 TBS garlic paste or 2 big cloves garlic finley minced (or turned into paste)
- ½ jalapeno cut into chunks up to a whole jalapeno
- ⅓ cup fresh basil more to taste
- 2 avocados large avocados, skins and pit removed.
- Juice of 1 lemon more or less to taste
- ½ cup pasta water up to 1 cup depending on if you use oil or not
- ¼ cup avocado or olive oil Optional, you can actually leave this out of you wish
- Kosher salt & pepper to taste, but don't be shy
- Garnish Ideas fresh basil leaves, grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese, lemon wedge or zest, red pepper flakes
- 8 oz Shredded chicken optional add in, I almost always add some in.
Instructions
- In your food processor or power blender, pulse garlic, jalapeno, basil, avocado and lemon juice until almost smooth.
- Drizzle in oil and pulse until smooth.
- Add in hot pasta water until sauce reaches the consistency you enjoy (¼ cup to ½ cup). If omitting the oil, add in additional pasta water.
- Season with S&P. Taste and adjust.
- Toss with shredded chicken (if you are using it).
- Toss sauce and pasta (with or without shredded chicken) in a bowl until evenly coated, portion out the pasta and then garnish with grated Parmesan, Romano or Asiago cheese & lemon zest. If you want more spice, sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
Notes
The sauce is meant to be enjoyed fresh since the avocado will discolor.
I hope to try it very soon!
This recipe has everything I love, especially during summer. I would love to make it! And I now know to salt my water so it tastes like the sea!
I think that the recipe looks fantastic. I look forward to trying it in the future!
I may be the only person on Earth who doesn't like avacodos, but when they are just a part of an overall recipe, I don't mind eating them.
That recipe looks super delicious!!
I think this recipe looks delicious and I can't wait to try it. I think even my pick y two year old would eat this!
I've made this recipe twice and we love it. I did skip the jalapenos and used crushed red pepper flakes as a finish. After I added the sauce to the pasta in the pan, I removed it from the heat and added Romano and mixed. Again I added more just before serving.
We have this as a main course with a Caprese salad with a warm Balsamic reduction and warm crusty Italian bread This is a wonderful recipe with a fresh garden taste and still a bit of zip. I'll make a small plate as an appetizer for my next dinner party. It'a very easy recipe and the sauce can be made hours ahead. Thanks for posting it.
Wonderful to hear. This is a favorite of my daughter and mine as well!
Loved it! Used cayenne pepper as did not have jalapeño.
Perfect!
I made this tonight with spaghetti squash. I used pickled jalapeno and added some lime along with the lemon and cooked the chicken in lemon pepper and garlic. I added a little 1/2 & 1/2 to the avocado sauce since I didn't have pasta water. I wilted some fresh spinach and added some cherry tomatoes as well and garnished it with fresh parmesan cheese. My husband loved it! This was a surprise, because he was not thrilled when I told him what I was making. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for the great recipe!
That's awesome Summer and sounds amazing!!