This vegan pesto pasta recipe is full of bright, fresh flavors. If you’re looking for a simple weeknight dinner, you’ll love this recipe!
I love exploring new flavors and ideas, but there’s something to be said for those classic, go-to recipes you return to again and again. Pesto pasta is definitely one of those dishes. It’s easy to make, perfect for customizing, and it’s always packed with flavor. Even though it takes minutes to whip up for a weeknight dinner, it somehow always makes me feel like I’m eating a meal from a fancy Italian restaurant.
I’ve made many a pesto pasta before, and many different kinds of pestos. Below, I include a basil pesto recipe made with walnuts and vegan Parmesan, but if you want to switch things up, you can choose from parsley pesto , or kale pistachio pesto , a more classic basil pesto or a creamy cashew pea pesto for something different. If you’re pressed for time, you can also use a store-bought pesto or one from the farmer’s market, which is totally okay too. Food is supposed to work for you, not the other way around!
Notes on Ingredients
Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
For the vegan basil pesto:
- Basil – Buy fresh looking leaves without any dark spots or sliminess.
- Raw walnuts – If you like, you can toast them to bring out their flavor.
- Vegan parmesan cheese – Here’s how to make your own vegan parmesan .
- Garlic
- Lime juice – Swap with lemon for a more traditional pesto.
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
- Pepper
For the pasta and tomatoes:
- Pasta – Use any variety you like, but fusilli, rigatoni, rotini, and cavatappi are all great for “gripping” the pesto.
- Pesto – you can use store-bought or my homemade recipe! Double check your store-bought pesto that it’s vegan; most contain parmesan cheese.
- Vegan heavy cream – for added creaminess! You can use store-bought or my homemade recipe! This is a new addition to this recipe so it isn’t in the ingredient photo above.
- Pasta water – You’ll have to remember to reserve it before you drain the pasta. (Anyone else always forget to do that?!)
- Coconut oil – Olive oil will work, too.
- Grape or cherry tomatoes – Feel free to swap this with your favorite seasonal veggies.
- Salt and pepper
- Vegan parmesan – For serving with your pasta.
How to Make Vegan Pesto Pasta
Here’s a step-by-step guide to making pesto pasta:
Cook the pasta. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Cook the tomatoes. While you’re cooking the pasta, place a skillet over medium heat and melt the coconut oil. Add the tomatoes, and cook, stirring often, until they’re cooked down and burst, about 5 minutes.
Make the pesto. Add all of the pesto ingredients into a food processor or high powered blender and process until the mixture reaches your desired consistency, scraping down sides if needed. You can store any excess in a jar, and use what you need for the dish.
Finish the pasta. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the skillet with the tomatoes, then add the pesto and stir to coat. If the pesto seems too thick, you can add some of the cooking liquid. Divide into bowls or plates and garnish with vegan Parmesan.
Tips for Success
This recipe is perfect for beginning cooks, but I have a few tips to help you along the way :
- Don’t be afraid to add a lot of oil. One mistake a lot of people make with pesto is skimping on the oil. The result is a thick, paste-like mixture that doesn’t coat the pasta. For a smooth, creamy pesto, you have to be liberal with the oil!
- Customizing the texture. When processing the pesto, you can stop once all of the ingredients are finely chopped for a more rustic feel, or you can keep going until the ingredients are completely pureed. It’s up to you, but it’s good either way!
- About the nuts. I use walnuts, but cashews, pine nuts, and walnuts can all be used to make pesto, too. If you’re allergic to nuts, try using hemp seeds instead.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
If you have leftover pesto pasta, pop it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can either reheat it in the microwave until it’s warmed through, or place it in a skillet and warm it over medium heat.
Can I Freeze Pesto?
Yes, you can freeze pesto—in fact, I recommend that you do! I love keeping a variety of pestos on hand in the freezer for quick weeknight dinners. For individual portions, freeze your pesto in an ice cube tray, then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. To freeze a big batch, transfer the pesto to a freezer bag, press out the air, and freeze it flat in your freezer. When you’re ready to use it, you can either thaw the pesto in the refrigerator or place the freezer bag in a bowl of hot water until it thaws.
Ingredients
Pasta and tomatoes
- 8 ounces pasta
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 cups grape tomatoes , or cherry tomatoes, sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2-4 tablespoons vegan heavy cream , or vegan creamer , or unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese , homemade or store-bought plus more for garnish
- ½ to ¾ cup pesto , homemade – below or store-bought
- 2-4 tablespoons pasta water
Basil Pesto
- 2 ½ cups basil , stemmed and washed
- ⅓ cup walnuts , raw
- 2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil , up to 1/2 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper , adjust to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to the box or package’s directions.
- While the pasta is boiling, heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat. When hot, add in the tomatoes, stirring and sautéing until the tomatoes are cooked down and burst, about 5 minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
- While the tomatoes, are cooking down, prepare the pesto.
- Add all the ingredients into a food processor or high powered blender and press the sauce/spread button or blend until combined smoothly, scraping down sides if necessary. Pour the excess into a jar, and use ½ to ¾ cup for the dish.
- Strain the cooked pasta, saving a few tablespoons of pasta water if the pesto is too thick on the pasta. Add in the vegan heavy cream and the pasta to the pan with the tomatoes, the vegan parmesan cheese, and then pour the pesto on, stirring in. Add the pasta water if necessary.
- Taste and add more sea salt if needed. Serve with some extra vegan parmesan on the side and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t be afraid to add a lot of oil. One mistake a lot of people make with pesto is skimping on the oil. The result is a thick, paste-like mixture that doesn’t coat the pasta. For a smooth, creamy pesto, you have to be liberal with the oil!
- Customizing the texture. When processing the pesto, you can stop once all of the ingredients are finely chopped for a more rustic feel, or you can keep going until the ingredients are completely pureed. It’s up to you, but it’s good either way!
- About the nuts. I use walnuts, but cashews, pine nuts, and walnuts can all be used to make pesto, too. If you’re allergic to nuts, try using hemp seeds instead.
20 Minute Vegan Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta and tomatoes
- 8 ounces pasta
- ½ tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 cups grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2-4 tablespoons vegan heavy cream or vegan creamer , or unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese homemade or store-bought plus more for garnish
- ½ to ¾ cup pesto homemade - below or store-bought
- 2-4 tablespoons pasta water
Basil Pesto
- 2 ½ cups basil stemmed and washed
- ⅓ cup walnuts raw
- 2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil up to 1/2 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper adjust to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to the box or package’s directions.
- While the pasta is boiling, heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat. When hot, add in the tomatoes, stirring and sautéing until the tomatoes are cooked down and burst, about 5 minutes. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
- While the tomatoes, are cooking down, prepare the pesto.
- Add all the ingredients into a food processor or high powered blender and press the sauce/spread button or blend until combined smoothly, scraping down sides if necessary. Pour the excess into a jar, and use ½ to ¾ cup for the dish.
- Strain the cooked pasta, saving a few tablespoons of pasta water if the pesto is too thick on the pasta. Add in the vegan heavy cream and the pasta to the pan with the tomatoes, the vegan parmesan cheese, and then pour the pesto on, stirring in. Add the pasta water if necessary.
- Taste and add more sea salt if needed. Serve with some extra vegan parmesan on the side and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Don’t be afraid to add a lot of oil. One mistake a lot of people make with pesto is skimping on the oil. The result is a thick, paste-like mixture that doesn’t coat the pasta. For a smooth, creamy pesto, you have to be liberal with the oil!
- Customizing the texture. When processing the pesto, you can stop once all of the ingredients are finely chopped for a more rustic feel, or you can keep going until the ingredients are completely pureed. It’s up to you, but it’s good either way!
- About the nuts. I use walnuts, but cashews, pine nuts, and walnuts can all be used to make pesto, too. If you’re allergic to nuts, try using hemp seeds instead.
Nutrition
20 Minute Vegan Pesto Pasta https://jessicainthekitchen.com/20-minute-vegan-pesto-pasta/ December 8, 2021
This Green Goddess Pasta is creamy, flavorful and comes together in 30 minutes! It’s great for a quick weeknight dinner or a hot or cold lunch pasta!
Avocado dressing has been such a fave for years and I’ve used it in so many different ways. As a dip, in sandwiches, burgers and on salad, but surprisingly – I’ve never used it in pasta until now! This sauce goes incredibly well with pasta and speaking of pasta, I absolutely loved using Pasta Lensi ’s Lentil Pasta with Spinach and Basil for this recipe!
This pasta has 23g protein per 3.5 oz portion (about 2 servings) and I love it’s subtle spinach and basil flavours that pair SO well with this avocado sauce. The pasta texture was incredible, did not get mushy at all – best part, also tastes great cold. I highly recommend checking out their pasta, which you can do here .
Notes on the Ingredients
Pasta Lensi Lentil Pasta with Spinach and Basil – the star of the show! I love using gluten free pastas because they immediately up the protein of any and all pasta dishes by so much. Be sure to cook according to package directions.
Avocado – avocado gives this dressing a beautiful colour, body/thickness.
Parsley – I love the freshness that parsley adds, as well as beautiful little green flecks.
sea salt – for balancing out the flavours. You may need more or less salt depending on how salty your pasta water is.
juice of one lime or lemon – adds such a brightness and burst of flavour for the entire avocado dressing.
Tahini – I love using tahini here in place of oil for not only some good fats, but incredible flavour and emulsion of the avocado dressing.
garlic – adds great flavour to the dressing
water – for thinning out the dressing, you might not need all of it.
pasta water – don’t skip this step or replace it with regular water. The starchiness in the pasta water helps the sauce easily stick to the pasta.
How to Make Green Goddess Pasta
Boil your pasta according to package directions (I always use the lesser of the two times). Drain and set aside.
While the pasta is boiling, Blend all the green goddess ingredients together in a food processor, starting with ¼ cup of the water depending on the size of your avocado. You can add more water if you want to thin out the dressing. Enjoy!
Add your drained pasta back into the pan and add the sauce all over it. Stir to combine fully on medium low heat for about 3 minutes until all is fully heated through and coating the pasta. Add in ½ cup pasta water to thin out and fully coat the pasta. Feel free to add more pasta water in to make the sauce thinner if desired.
Serve with more veggies or additions and enjoy!
- Don’t overcook your pasta. This is especially important with gluten free pasta. Pasta Lensi pasta is actually a lot more resistant to overcooking than a lot of the gluten free pastas I have used which is great, so still ensure to follow the package directions and the timing on the lower end, since you’ll be adding the pasta into the sauce for a few minutes too.
- Don’t rinse your pasta. The extra starch will definitely help it to stick. I actually like adding it right into the sauce from the pot – like slotting it immediately over.
- Cook the final sauce and pasta on a nice slow heat, so everything comes together without burning.
- For the best colour, be sure to use a fresh green avocado.
Related Recipes
Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ large avocado
- ¼ cup parsley , finely diced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice , juice of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup tahini , stirred properly together first
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup water
- 1 box Pasta Lensi Lentil Pasta with Spinach and Basil
- ½ cup pasta water
Instructions
- Boil your pasta according to package directions (I always use the lesser of the two times). Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is boiling, Blend all the green goddess ingredients together in a food processor, starting with ¼ cup of the water depending on the size of your avocado. You can add more water if you want to thin out the dressing. Enjoy!
- Add your drained pasta back into the pan and add the sauce all over it. Stir to combine fully on medium low heat for about 3 minutes until all is fully heated through and coating the pasta. Add in ½ cup pasta water to thin out and fully coat the pasta. Feel free to add more pasta water in to make the sauce thinner if desired.
- Serve with more veggies or additions and enjoy!
