BHA & BHT Free Spinach & Avocado Pesto

Total time10 min

Prep time10 min

Cook time0 min

5.0

(23)

Bright, creamy, and loaded with fresh greens, this blended pesto is the kind of sauce that makes you want to put it on absolutely everything. Ripe avocado gives it a luxuriously smooth body while baby spinach and fresh basil pack in layers of herby, vegetal flavor that no jarred sauce can touch. The lemon juice does double duty here — it brightens the whole mixture and helps slow the natural oxidation that avocado is notorious for, and pressing plastic wrap directly onto the surface before sealing keeps it looking vibrant even after a day in the fridge. For anyone navigating preservative-free eating, store-bought pestos and condiments are often a minefield of synthetic additives, so blending your own from whole ingredients is genuinely the cleanest path forward. Garlic and a hint of fresh ginger (if you choose to add it) give the sauce a subtle warmth that makes it feel a little more complex than your average herb blend. Drizzle it over pasta, swipe it onto toast, or use it as a dip — the consistency is easy to dial in with a splash of water until it's exactly where you want it.

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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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