Name: Creamy Avocado Zucchini Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 avocado (ripe); 1 clove garlic; ½ cup fresh basil leaves; 1 Tbsp lemon juice (15 mL); 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (30 mL); Water as needed; Salt and pepper to taste; 2-3 zucchinis (spiralized or cut into ¼ inch wide strips)

Zucchini Pasta With Avocado Pesto

By Sarah Bond, BS Nutrition, MS Sensory Science, Updated Aug 27, 2024

4.67 from 62 ratings

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15 minutes

Serves 2 large portions

90 Comments

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With over 50 five-star reviews, this zucchini pasta with avocado pesto is a well-tested and delicious low-carb alternative to spaghetti. Feel free to use store-bought zucchini noodles for an even quicker and simpler recipe.

This spiralized zucchini pasta is tossed in creamy basil and avocado pesto to make a deliciously low carb and gluten-free dinner!

Many families turn to pasta on busy nights. While we love wheat noodles as much as the next person, zucchini is soft enough to cut into the perfect spirals, and its neutral flavor makes it great as a pasta substitute!

This zucchini pasta is topped with a creamy avocado sauce with basil and lemon. It’s a true celebration of garden flavors. After making this so many times, I can confirm it works equally well with store-bought zoodles as it does with homemade ones.

Reader rating

★★★★★

“Just made it for my family and it was waaaaay better than I could have imagined! So delicious and creamy (not to mention healthy!)” —Namita

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Here’s what you’ll need

For The Pesto: You’ll need an avocado, garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Readers have had great success using dried basil and whole lemon slices cooked in the sauce and then removed. You might also need water to thin out the sauce.
Zucchini: Any large zucchini variety works well. These get sauteed in a bit of olive until bright green.

to make zoodles

The easiest way to make zucchini noodles is with a spiralizer. If you don’t have a vegetable spiralizer, simply cut the zucchini into ¼-inch wide strips or peel into thin “fettuccini” using a vegetable peeler.

A white spiralizer effortlessly transforms zucchini into elegant zucchini pasta spirals, with a pile of perfectly spiralized noodles resting on a pristine white surface.

let’s make zucchini pasta

Make the pesto in a food processor, adding water 1 tbsp at a time until it comes to a fluid yet thick consistency.
Prepare the zucchini noodles by sauteing them in a splash of olive oil. Drain any excess water.
Combine the noodles and sauce and then top with a bit of parmesan cheese for serving.

Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Avocado Pesto — Zucchini noodles hold a lot of water, so it can be useful at this point to sprinkle the noodles with salt and let them sit for 15 minutes to let the water drain out.

why not boil zucchini noodles?

While you would usually boil pasta, don’t go that route here! Boiling zucchini leaches out water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and B6 in the case of zucchini). Instead, saute the zucchini noodles on the stove with a touch of olive oil until they are soft.

alternative sauce options

I love this creamy avocado sauce, but here are a few other options.

Romesco is simple to make at home so if you have extra, toss it with zoodles.
Marinara can be made with fresh tomatoes or bought in-store for a quick dinner.
Traditional pesto uses a similar technique to this avocado pesto but with parmesan for creaminess.

A bowl of zucchini pasta swirled with creamy avocado sauce, garnished with a fresh basil leaf, with a fork and spoon on the side.

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Creamy Avocado Zucchini Pasta

4.67 from 62 ratings

By: Sarah Bond

Prep: 10

Cook: 5

Total: 15

Servings: large portions

With over 50 five-star reviews, this zucchini pasta with avocado pesto is a well-tested and delicious low-carb alternative to spaghetti. Feel free to use store-bought zucchini noodles for an even quicker and simpler recipe.

Ingredients

▢ 1 avocado, ripe
▢ 1 clove garlic
▢ ½ cup fresh basil leaves
▢ 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 15 mL
▢ 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 30 mL
▢ Water as needed
▢ Salt and pepper to taste
▢ 2-3 zucchinis, spiralized or cut into ¼ inch wide strips

Instructions

Pesto: In a food processor or blender, combine avocado, garlic, basil leaves and lemon juice until smooth, then mix in extra virgin olive oil. Add water, 1 Tbsp at a time, until sauce reaches a fluid yet thick consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Zucchini Noodles: Saute zoodles with a splash of olive oil over medium/high heat until slightly soft and bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain excess water.
Serve: Toss zoodles with sauce and top with parmesan cheese (you may not need all of the sauce).

Notes

Storage: Any leftovers can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat it on the stove low and slow. If the sauce is sticky or tacky, add a splash of water to bring it back together.

Make the noodles ahead of time: You can make the zucchini noodles up to 2 days in advance.

Reduce moisture: Zucchini noodles hold a lot of water, so it can be useful at this point to sprinkle the noodles with salt and let it sit for 15 minutes to let water drain out.