Creamy Avocado Pasta

Pasta, juicy cherry tomatoes, and greens are tossed in a flavorful avocado sauce in this easy creamy avocado pasta recipe. It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner!

This creamy avocado pasta is absolutely packed with flavor. While the avocado sauce might look unassuming, it’s made with cilantro, garlic, lemon, cream cheese, and serrano pepper, which means it’s creamy, tangy, herbaceous, savory, and spicy. 

The rest of the dish is a simple combination of cooked pasta, cherry tomatoes, and arugula or your favorite greens. Arugula has a nice peppery kick, but I also like spinach in this recipe, or you could use kale or Swiss chard if you want something more substantive. The cherry tomatoes add a pop of sweetness and acidity, balancing the creamy avocado sauce.

If you’re looking for an easy, flavorful, and healthy weeknight dinner, this creamy avocado pasta is it!

(Love pasta dinners? Try my Asparagus and Lemon Pasta, Pesto Pasta with Potatoes and Green Beans, and Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta next!)

What You’ll Need for Creamy Avocado Pasta

Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

For the creamy avocado sauce:

• Avocados
• Cilantro
• Hemp seeds – Hemp seeds are a great source of protein!
• Garlic
• Lemon
• Cream cheese – Use full-fat cream cheese for the creamiest sauce.
• Serrano chili – Use as much or as little as you like, according to your taste preferences.
• Black pepper
• Salt 
• Milk – Use dairy milk, plant milk, or substitute the cooking water from the pasta.
• Olive oil

For the pasta:

• Pasta – Choose any shape you like or have on hand.
• Cherry tomatoes – Grape tomatoes will also work, or you can dice a regular-sized tomato.
• Baby arugula – Or another green.
• Hemp seeds

How Do You Know if Your Avocado Is Ripe?

When shopping for avocados, look for fruit that is firm, but yields to gentle pressure. The skin should be dark green or black, and the avocado should feel heavy for its size. Avoid avocados that are soft, have brown spots on the skin, or are bruised.

If you need to ripen your avocado quickly, place it in a paper bag with a ripe banana or apple. The ethylene gas emitted by the fruit will speed up the ripening process.

How to Make Creamy Avocado Pasta

You’ll love how easy it is to make this recipe! Here’s what you’ll need to do.

Make the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, reserving 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Set aside.

Make the sauce. Add all of the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. 

Toss the pasta and sauce. Pour the avocado sauce over the cooked pasta and stir to combine. If needed, add the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce.

Finish. Toss the pasta with the tomatoes and arugula, then divide into bowls and finish with hemp seeds, black pepper, and olive oil.

Tips for Success

While this creamy avocado pasta recipe is super easy, here are a few tips and pointers to help make sure it turns out perfect.

• Adjusting the spice level. When making the avocado sauce, start with half of the serrano pepper and add more to taste. (If you’re not a fan of spicy food, you can even start with 1/4 pepper!)
• Swapping out the hemp seeds. If you can’t find hemp seeds, you can use pepitas or cashews instead.
• Make it dairy-free. You can substitute plant-based cream cheese for the regular cream cheese to make this recipe vegan.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Leftover avocado pasta will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. When you’re ready to eat, reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of milk or water, or warm it up in the microwave.

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

Yes, this recipe can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat as directed above.