Why You’ll Love This Avocado Pesto Chickpea Pasta

• It’s unbelievably quick. From fridge to fork in about 20 minutes, making it the ultimate solution for busy evenings when time is not on your side.
• The creaminess is next-level—without any cream. The ripe avocado does all the heavy lifting, creating a luxuriously smooth sauce that clings to every strand of pasta in the most satisfying way.
• It’s packed with plant-powered goodness. Between the healthy fats from the avocado, the fibre and protein from the chickpeas, and the fresh burst of herbs, this dish truly fuels you from the inside out.
• It’s a fantastic way to use up herbs. Got a basil plant that’s threatening to take over your windowsill? This recipe is its destiny. You can really go wild with the fresh greens.

Ingredients & Tools

• 400 g pasta of choice (linguine, spaghetti, or fusilli work wonderfully)
• 2 large, ripe avocados
• 50 g fresh basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
• 1 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 50 g grated Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast for a vegan option)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Optional: A handful of pine nuts or walnuts, a pinch of chilli flakes

Tools: A large pot for pasta, a colander, a food processor or high-speed blender.

The beauty here is in the quality of a few key players. A perfectly ripe avocado is non-negotiable—it should yield gently to a soft press. And that fresh basil? It makes all the difference, giving the sauce its signature bright, aromatic punch.

Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes

Before You Start: Tips & Ingredient Notes

• Avocado readiness is key. You want it to be soft but not mushy or brown inside. If it’s underripe, the sauce won’t be creamy. If it’s overripe, the flavour can be a bit off.
• Don’t skimp on the acid. The lemon juice is crucial for two reasons: it adds a wonderful zing that cuts through the richness, and it helps keep the avocado sauce a beautiful, bright green by slowing down oxidation.
• Reserve that pasta water! I’ll say it again in the steps because it’s that important. The starchy, salty water is your secret weapon for thinning the sauce to the perfect silky consistency.
• To blend or to process? A food processor will give you a slightly more textured pesto, which is lovely. A high-speed blender will make it ultrasmooth and creamy. Both are great—it just depends on your preference.

How to Make Avocado Pesto Chickpea Pasta

Serving Suggestions

Complementary Dishes

• A simple arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette — The peppery bite of the arugula provides a fantastic textural and flavour contrast to the rich, creamy pasta.
• Garlic bread or grissini — Because is it even a pasta night without something to sop up every last bit of sauce? It’s a classic for a reason.
• Roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine — Their sweet, burst-in-your-mouth quality adds a lovely pop of colour and acidity that complements the dish beautifully.

Drinks

• A crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio — The high acidity and citrus notes in these wines will slice through the creaminess of the avocado pesto perfectly.
• A light, citrusy pale ale — For a beer option, something with a grapefruit or lemon zest character will be incredibly refreshing alongside the herbal notes.
• Sparkling water with lemon and mint — The ultimate non-alcoholic pairing that cleanses the palate and highlights the fresh ingredients.

Something Sweet

• Lemon sorbet — It’s the perfect palate-cleansing finale—light, zingy, and incredibly refreshing after a creamy meal.
• Almond biscotti for dipping — A little crunch and a hint of sweetness that doesn’t feel too heavy, especially with a cup of espresso.
• Fresh berries with a dollop of mascarpone — Simple, elegant, and the sweet-tart berries are a lovely way to end the meal on a bright note.

Top Mistakes to Avoid

• Mistake: Using underripe or overripe avocados. This is the foundation of your sauce! An underripe avocado won’t blend smoothly, and an overripe one can have off flavours and a brown tinge.
• Mistake: Forgetting to reserve the pasta water. I’ve messed this up before too, and you end up with a thick, pasty sauce that just sits on top of the noodles instead of coating them. The starchy water is essential for emulsification.
• Mistake: Over-blending the sauce and it gets warm. If you run your blender or processor for too long, the friction can heat up the sauce, potentially making the avocado taste a bit bitter and accelerating browning. Blend just until smooth.
• Mistake: Letting the finished pasta sit for too long. This dish is best enjoyed immediately. The avocado sauce will start to oxidize and lose its vibrant colour over time, so it’s a true “serve right away” situation.

Expert Tips

• Tip: Toast your nuts. If you’re adding pine nuts or walnuts, toast them in a dry pan for a few minutes until golden and fragrant. This deepens their flavour immensely and adds a wonderful complexity to the pesto.
• Tip: Make it a one-pot wonder. For an even easier cleanup, you can add the rinsed chickpeas directly to the pasta pot for the last minute of cooking to warm them through, then drain everything together.
• Tip: Get creative with your greens. While basil is classic, don’t be afraid to use a mix! A handful of spinach or arugula blended in is a great way to add extra nutrients and a slightly different flavour profile.
• Tip: Prep ahead (kind of). You can measure out all your sauce ingredients ahead of time, but wait to blend until the pasta is almost ready. This ensures maximum freshness and colour.

FAQs

Can I make this avocado pesto pasta ahead of time?
Honestly, this is one recipe I don’t recommend making too far in advance. The avocado sauce will start to turn brown due to oxidation, even with the lemon juice. The best approach is to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to blend the moment your pasta is about to finish cooking. If you absolutely must have leftovers, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce in the container to limit air exposure, and it might keep its colour for a few hours in the fridge, but the texture can change.

Is there a substitute for the Parmesan cheese to make it vegan?
Absolutely! Nutritional yeast is your best friend here. It provides that same savoury, slightly cheesy flavour that Parmesan does. Start with about 3 tablespoons and adjust to your taste. You could also use a store-bought vegan Parmesan alternative, or even a tablespoon of white miso paste for a deep, umami kick.

My sauce is too thick. What can I do?
No worries, this is an easy fix! The solution is almost always more of that glorious reserved pasta water. Just add it a tablespoon at a time, tossing the pasta continuously, until it reaches that perfect, silky consistency. If you’ve run out of pasta water, warm tap water will work in a pinch, but the starchy water is definitely preferred for helping the sauce cling.

Can I use a different bean instead of chickpeas?
You can experiment, for sure! Cannellini beans would be a great substitute—they’re similarly mild and creamy when blended. I’d stick with a white bean to maintain the lovely green colour of the sauce. Something like black beans would work flavour-wise but would turn the sauce a rather murky colour.

How can I add protein to this dish?
This dish already has a nice protein boost from the chickpeas, but you can easily add more. Grilled chicken breast or shrimp tossed in at the end would be fantastic. For a plant-based option, some pan-fried tofu cubes or tempeh crumbles would be delicious stirred through just before serving.