Easy Avocado Pesto

This Easy Avocado Pesto is a delicious and healthy spin on an Italian classic that many people love! Add this to pasta, chicken, fish, quinoa, or whatever your heart desires. You’re going to love this!

Fresh Made Pesto

I have my favorite store bought pestos that I just absolutely love! The sad thing is, though, once you open them, they typically have a short shelf life. The convenience is nice, but I hate waste. That’s why I prefer to make my own whenever I can.

So when I saw someone made Avocado Pesto, I just had to invent my own! I already have an awesome recipe for Avocado Crema that my wife and I make regularly. So I figured all I needed to do was make a few tweaks and I could combine my Basil Pesto recipe with my Avocado Crema recipe. It came out so amazing!

How to Select Perfect Avocados

With so many people turning to healthier options, avocados have become an extremely popular food choice. And why not? They have so many health benefits! Unfortunately, avocados are so delicate that many people find it challenging to pick out great ones. The other problem is they don’t keep very long.  So here’s some tips to help you select the perfect avocados:

• First, I try to find 3 or 4 avocados that are at different stages of ripeness.
• If you gently press near the stem end (the skinnier end) and it bounces back, that is perfect!
• I will buy 2 that are slightly harder than that one and maybe 1 that is a little softer. Of course, eat the softer ones first!

How to Store Avocados So They Last Longer

Once you’ve bought your avocados, you now have the challenge of storing them. Avocados go from ripe to rotten super fast. If you haven’t already, it won’t take you long to come across some joke or meme online about how an avocado is hard as a rock for days, then becomes unusable overnight. So how can you store this picky fruit to make sure they are not wasted?

First, store them in the fridge to keep them from ripening too fast. I’ve purchased some pretty hard avocados and kept them in my fridge for a week or more and they were still great to use!

Another thing you can do that many do not know about is you can freeze avocados. That’s right! You can freeze avocados! And not just for a short time, either. They will last 3-6 months in the freezer.

How do you freeze avocados, you might ask? First, be sure to have ziptop freezer bags, otherwise, they won’t last that long. Next, cut the fruit in half lengthwise and remove the pit, just like you normally would. Keep the skin on. Place the halves in the ziptop freezer bag and gently squeeze out as much air as possible. Now just place the bag in the freezer and let the freezer do its thing. When you’re ready to use them, take out what you want to use and let it thaw in your refrigerator.

One last tip – never, never, never store them anywhere near bananas! They will turn to mush real quick! Bananas give off a gas that speeds up the ripening process of pretty much everything.

Easy Avocado Pesto

This Avocado Pesto truly is super easy. It takes less than 10 minutes to whip this together. I like stirring this in with my pasta. This is easily made while I’m waiting for my pasta to cook.  Here are the ingredients:

• Avocado
• Fresh Basil
• Pine Nuts
• Parmesan Cheese
• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice
• Garlic Cloves
• Salt and Pepper

Pro Tip: This is a great way to use your slightly over-ripe avocados!

Instructions

Step #1: Cut the avocado in half lengthwise, remove the pit and skin. Place the pieces in a small processor.

Step #2: Add the rest of the ingredients, and pulse a few times to break up the avocado.

Step #3: Blend until smooth, using a rubber spatula to knock down the sides during this process.

Step#4: Serve immediately or place in the fridge for up to an hour, being careful to not let it turn brown.

What Are Some Good Uses for Avocado Pesto?

• Have this over chicken and fish
• Stir it in with pasta or quinoa (quinoa needs flavor boosters and this one is my favorite!)
• Use it as a dip

Pro Recommendations

Here is my mini food processor of choice. It’s easy to use and affordable. It’s not the one I currently have, but I like this little Cuisinart one better. Check it out! They are not a sponsor, but I absolutely love this mini processor!

Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!

Sausage and Pasta with a Pesto Cheese Sauce

Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles) and Shrimp

Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Mushroom Sauce

Sauteed Bruschetta with Fresh Mozzarella

Print

Easy Avocado Pesto

Course Appetizer, Dip, Sauce

Keyword avocado, basil, pesto

Prep Time 8 minutes

Total Time 8 minutes

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

• 1 Avocado
• 1/2 cup Fresh Basil
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 2 cloves Garlic, smashed
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to a small processor or blender.

2. Pulse a few times to break the avocado up a bit. You want to do this to avoid winding up with large chunks of avocado.

3. Blend until smooth. Use a rubber spatula to knock down the sides a few times during this process.

4. Serve immediately or you can store this in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days or until it starts turning brown.

Recipe Notes

How to Select and Store Avocados

Here's some tips to help you select the perfect avocados:

• First, try to find 3 or 4 avocados that are at different stages of ripeness.
• If you gently press near the stem end (the skinnier end) and it bounces back, that is perfect!
• Buy 2 that are slightly harder than that one and maybe 1 that is a little softer. Of course, eat the softer ones first!

Store them in the fridge to keep them from ripening too fast. They'll keep for a week or more. Don't forget, you can also freeze them! Be sure to remove the pit and place in a sealed bag. They will last 3-6 months in the freezer.