Creamy Avocado Pasta with Garlic Shrimp
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You will love this combination of creamy avocado pasta and garlic shrimp!
I developed this Creamy Avocado Pasta recipe in an attempt to incorporate some dairy free meals into my repertoire. Unfortunately, my husband has developed a lactose intolerance and gets nervous when I make a creamy sauce. I could never cut dairy out entirely because I love cheese, but I wanted to try and create an alternative to Alfredo Sauce that my husband would feel comfortable eating without concern. This Creamy Avocado Pasta delivers, and I promise that you won’t miss the dairy one bit!
The creamy avocado and tangy lemon juice combined with the toasted cashews create a silky sauce that will satisfy even the biggest cream lover in your home. This meal is bright and fresh while still being hearty and satifying. If you’d like you can serve this as a vegan dish as well, just skip the shrimp. I promise you, it will still be delicious! This recipe is quick, and I think it will soon become a staple in your home.
TOTAL TIME
- Preparation Time – 15 minutes to prepare the sauce while cooking the shrimp and pasta
- Cooking Time – 15 minutes for the shrimp and pasta if you cook them at the same time on different burners
- Total Time – Under 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 2 whole Avocados
- Handful Fresh basil leaves
- 9 cloves Garlic (divided into 5 and 4)
- 1/4 cup Raw unsalted cashews (if you purchase roasted cashews, simply don’t toast them)
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Lemon juice, freshly squeezed if possible
- 1/8 cup Butter (about 2 tbsp)
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt plus some for the pasta water
- 400 g Raw shrimp
- 500 g Spaghetti, linguine, or any kind of long pasta (I used homemade pasta here, but also purchase De Cecco)
- 1/2 cup Pasta water, reserved
WHAT AVOCADOS SHOULD I USE?
I like Haas avocados because they tend to have more flesh and a lovely flavour. If you’re using a smaller avocado, you may want to use three for this recipe.
WHICH PASTA WORKS BEST WITH THIS MEAL?
I would suggest using a pasta that can hold up to a hearty sauce. This recipe used homemade spaghetti made with an egg based dough, but you could also use fettuccine, or a robust short pasta. I would avoid anything too fine or dainty, as the sauce would overwhelm it.
HOW CAN I TELL IF AN AVOCADO IS RIPE?
A ripe avocado will have a dark brown skin and will give when pressed lightly. An overly soft avocado is likely overripe. If you accidentally buy one that turns out to be under ripe (hard and bright green), just place it in a bowl with some bananas and leave it on the counter for a day or so to soften up.
EQUIPMENT FOR CREAMY AVOCADO PASTA
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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make Creamy Avocado Pasta.
- Braising Pan – My most used pan by far is my Le Creuset Braising Pan. It is made of heavy cast iron and coated in ceramic as all Le Creuset cast iron pans are. It’s large and deep which makes it perfect for everything from frying to making sauces. I can’t recommend it enough.
If you don’t have a Braising Pan you can use a heavy bottomed pan.
- Kitchen Aid Food Processor – I use my Kitchen Aid Food Processor whenever I need to to finely chop and puree vegetables or a sauce. It works beautifully to chop the cashews into fine mince, and then puree the avocado and basil into a beautiful smooth sauce.
If you don’t have a food processor, you could simply mash the avocadoes, crush your cashews with a mortar and pestle, and finely dice your basil. The result would be a chunkier sauce, but I’m sure it would still be delicious.
- Large Pasta Pot
- Knife
- Cutting Board
COOKING DIRECTIONS
Although this recipe cannot be made in advance, it comes together so quickly that it can easily be made on a weeknight after work. With a few simple tips, your Creamy Avocado Pasta with Garlic Shrimp will turn out perfectly the first time:
1. When heating the butter and garlic, keep your heat on medium: the point of this is to infuse the butter with garlic, not to brown the pieces, before adding the shrimp.
2. Only use the freshest seafood.
3. Make sure your avocado is ripe.
MAKE AHEAD/STORAGE
I’d suggest making this Creamy Avocado Pasta and eating it the same day. Avocado has a nasty habit of oxidizing once cut, and your sauce will turn an unappetizing shade of brown if you keep it as a leftover. Additionally, shrimp tends to get rubbery when reheated, so I try not to serve it in leftovers
FINISHED DISH
Serve and enjoy this Creamy Avocado Pasta with Garlic Shrimp!
OTHER PASTA DISHES
Penne Alla Vodka with Pancetta
Four Cheese Mac and Cheese with Pancetta
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment and rating below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cooking.with.carbs.
Creamy Avocado Pasta with Garlic Shrimp
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Large Pot for Pasta
- Heavy Bottomed Pan
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 2 Whole avocado
- 1 Handful of fresh basil leaves
- 9 cloves Garlic Divided into 2 portions (5 and 4)
- 1/4 cup Raw unsalted cashews If roasted, don't toast them
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Lemon juice Ideally freshly squeezed, if possible
- 1/8 cup Butter (about 2 tbsp)
- 1.5 tsp Kosher salt Plus extra for pasta water
- 400 g Shrimp
- 500 g Spaghetti, Linguine or other long pasta I used homemade, but also purchase De Cecco
- 1/2 cup Pasta water Reserved
Instructions
GARLIC SHRIMP
- Step 1: Place 1/8 cup of butter into a large, heavy bottomed pan on medium heat. I like to use my Le Creuset Braiser.
- Step 2: Finely mince 5 cloves of garlic.
- Step 3: Put the garlic into the pan and leave it to cook for 10 min, stirring occasionally.
- Step 4: Toss your shrimp into the butter and garlic and cook until your shrimp are pink and opaque. This will take 3-4 minutes if they are fresh, and a few more minutes if they are frozen.
- Extra Tips: Keep your heat on medium: the point of this is to infuse the butter with garlic, not to brown the garlic. If your shrimp are finished before your pasta, just remove them from the heat and set aside.
PASTA
- Step 1: Fill a large pot of water 3/4 full and place covered on high heat.
- Step 2: When your water is bowling, toss in some salt (I like using sea salt, but it’s not necessary).
- Step 3: Add your pasta and set your timer.
- Step 4: Before straining your pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Extra Tips: I always cook my pasta al dente (“to the tooth”: with a bit of chew), some brands will include two times on the box: one for al dente, and one for cooked. When trying a new brand, I always cook a minute or two under the al dente time, taste the pasta, and continue cooking if needed. Don’t rinse your pasta after cooking! Although removing the starch keeps the pasta from sticking, it’s that same starch that helps your sauce cling to your pasta.
CREAMY AVOCADO SAUCE
- Step 1: Toast your cashews in a dry pan on medium heat until they’ve browned a little. This will happen really quickly, so keep an eye on them! Take them off the heat to cool as soon as they’re done.
- Step 2: Pulse your cashews and garlic into a fine paste in your food processor. You can do this by hand, but it will be much more time consuming.
- Step 3: Cut and peel your avocados and toss them in the processor.
- Step 4: Add the basil, salt and lemon juice.
- Step 5: Puree until your sauce is smooth.
- Step 6: Add your olive oil and pulse until mixed.
- Extra Tips: You can always leave some chunks of avocado for texture, if desired, but my kids would never go for that!
CREAMY AVOCADO SAUCE WITH GARLIC SHRIMP
- When your pasta has finished cooking, toss it into the pan with your shrimp and mix it up so the pasta gets coated in buttery garlicky goodness (if you aren’t adding shrimp, just put your pasta into a large serving bowl). Add the sauce and a bit of the pasta water to loosen it up (thin it out). Mix it all together, then continue adding a bit more pasta water until the consistency is what you want.
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you for your comment Matt!
Could you use frozen avocado? Fresh goes bad way too quickly in my house.
That’s a great question, Sandra! I’ve never used frozen avocado for this recipe, but I think it will work just fine. It should still have the same taste, and the texture wouldn’t be an issue since you’re pureeing it anyways!
Thanks,
Anneke
How innovative! Avocados are my absolute favorite, and I loved that you substituted them for your husband. My husband is the same but has a mild case of lactose intolerance. However, he continues to punish himself. LOL! Cutting out dairy completely would drive me nuts, but I am glad that there are other alternatives out there! I’ll have to save this recipe for later!
I’m so glad you found this recipe, Brittany! I’m sure you’ll love it. Please let me know what you think when you make it!
Anneke 🙂
This is such a good recipe. The combinations of flavors work perfectly together and the shrimp on top is brilliant!
Yummy! This pasta looks amazing and packed with so much flavor. So excited to make this again! My hubby absolutely loved this! Can’t wait to make this again soon!
I have been meaning to try this for a while, and finally did last week when I had some friends over for dinner. It received rave reviews all-around! The flavors are incredible, and I love that it’s still so healthy and light!
I love that you used avocados and cashews to get a creamy sauce. This is such a delicious combination with the shrimp!
This delicious pasta is quickly becoming a family favorite. Thanks for the great recipe!
What a delicious recipe for the warm days of summer. I live at the beach and have the freshest shrimp available so this recipe in going on my rotation this week. Thanks so much
I could eat BOWLS of this pasta. I’ve made it before with just the avocado thinned out but the lemon juice and cashews really add another level of creaminess. So great to have a DF option.
This gets a huge YES from me! My family loves pasta and avocados, and there’s nothing better than avocado pasta. And I personally love the addition of shrimp, considering that I love meat in my foods! Thanks for the recipe!
I had no idea adding avocado to pasta could make it so rich, thick, and delicious. This dish is fantastic!
This is so creamy and flavorful. You don’t even know it is healthy! This is a perfect dish for the summer.
Avocado is such a deliciously creamy ingredient, using it as the base of a pasta sauce is super clever! I just love the combination of flavors in this dish, I could totally imagine combining this sauce and the sauteed shrimp with short pasta and serving it cold on a picnic!
This recipe for Creamy Avocado Pasta recipe made for a great meal that everyone enjoyed. I loved the textures and flavors and will be making this again! Have a great day!
Why oh why have I never made a sauce out of avocados? That is until now. We always have avocados at our house and all we do is cut them in our salad. Well, this recipe inspired me to add it to our pasta instead. It was so good. I thought Hubby was going to lick his plate. Well, he came close. He took a slice of our homemade bread and sopped up the sauce that was on plate. I’ll be making this often!!
Very brilliant using avocados 🥑 to achieve a creamy sauce. Your sauce sounds amazing and with the homemade fresh pasta and some fresh seafood exquisite! I am sure your husband was so grateful for your efforts and enjoyed this pasta so much!🙏😁🥰 Great post!🙏❤
I’m a big pasta fan myself and absolutely love the avocado sauce on this dish. What a unique and flavorful meal!