Artificial Food Coloring Free Spinach & Avocado Pesto
That vivid green color comes entirely from real food — baby spinach, ripe avocado, and fresh basil — with zero dyes, additives, or artificial anything in sight. For anyone navigating labels and ingredient lists, this kind of recipe is a genuine relief: every single component is a whole, recognizable ingredient you can feel good about. The avocado gives the pesto a luxuriously creamy body without any dairy, while the lemon juice keeps things bright and helps slow browning once it's jarred. A little garlic and optional fresh ginger add just enough depth to make this feel like something you'd order at a restaurant rather than whip up in five minutes at home. You blend it all together in a food processor, drizzle in olive oil until it's silky smooth, and thin it out with water until it falls off a spoon in that perfect, saucy way. It's endlessly versatile — toss it with pasta, spread it on toast, swirl it into grain bowls, or use it as a dip — and knowing exactly what's in it makes every bite that much better.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 2 cups packed baby spinach
- 1 ripe avocado, pitted and scooped
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2–4 tbsp water, as needed to thin
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Add the baby spinach, avocado, basil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and ginger (if using) to the bowl of a food processor or blender.
- 2
Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is roughly broken down and no large pieces remain.
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