Seeds Free Spinach & Avocado Pesto
Most pesto recipes lean on pine nuts for their creamy body, but this version skips seeds and nuts entirely and still delivers a sauce that's impossibly rich and smooth. The secret is ripe avocado, which brings that luscious, velvety texture while baby spinach and fresh basil layer in bright, herby flavor. A hit of lemon juice keeps everything tasting vibrant and also helps slow the browning that avocado-based sauces are prone to — along with the plastic-wrap-on-surface trick at the end, your pesto stays gorgeous in the fridge. Garlic and optional fresh ginger give it a little edge that makes it feel more complex than the short ingredient list suggests. Everything comes together in a blender or food processor in just a few pulses, so it's genuinely weeknight-friendly. Spoon it over pasta, swirl it into grain bowls, spread it on toast, or use it as a dip — the consistency is easy to dial in with a splash of water until it's exactly what you need.
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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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