Avocado Pasta Salad
Updated Apr 30, 2026
Simple avocado pasta salad with a blended avocado basil dressing, corn, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. Easy to make ahead and holds up well in the fridge.
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Avocado pasta salad with tomato and corn is so good!
Most pasta salads get creaminess from mayo, and I have nothing against that, but this avocado pasta salad gets it a different way. Half an avocado goes into the blender with basil, lemon, garlic, and olive oil, and the result is a smooth, creamy dressing that coats the pasta just as a mayo-based one would. It’s seriously soo good, maybe better.
The other half of the avocado gets diced and folded in with the cherry tomatoes, corn, spinach, and red onion, so there is creaminess from the dressing and actual pieces of avocado throughout. I’ve made this simple avocado pasta salad for dinner, with Air Fryer Salmon, and packed the leftovers for lunch the next day.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Avocado Pasta Salad Ingredients
- Avocado: You’ll need one avocado for this recipe. Half goes in the salad, and the other half goes in the dressing. Use a ripe avocado so it blends into the dressing more easily and has a rich, creamy flavor. Read my tips on how to dice an avocado.
- Pasta: I use rotini, but you can use any short pasta like fusilli, penne, or rigatoni. You can also use whole-grain pasta or gluten-free pasta. Heavily salt the boiling water before you add the pasta for more flavor, then cook it al dente for the best texture. This helps the pasta stay firm, not mushy, when you toss it with the dressing. And make sure not to rinse the pasta after cooking! Rinsing washes off the starch that helps the dressing cling to it. Just drain, then toss with everything else while it’s still hot.
- Veggies: My go-to add-ins are halved cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, thinly sliced red onion, and frozen corn. I toss the tomatoes and onion with the spinach and avocado, then add the frozen corn to the pasta in the last few minutes of cooking to warm it up. You can add almost anything to this avocado pasta salad! Try any color onion, broccoli florets, peas, olives, cucumbers, artichoke hearts, diced bell peppers, or chopped celery. Whatever you add, cut it into small, even pieces so you can have a little bit of everything in each bite.
- Avocado pasta salad dressing: Combine more avocado with fresh basil, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender. No need to mince the garlic, the food processor will do that for you!
How to Make Avocado Pasta Salad
Avocado Pasta Salad Recipe
Easy avocado pasta salad with a creamy avocado basil dressing, corn, tomatoes, and spinach. No mayo and ready in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Pasta Salad
- 8 ounces rotini pasta or any short pasta
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ½ avocado diced
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
Avocado Basil Dressing
- ½ avocado diced
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente, adding the frozen corn during the last 3–4 minutes of cooking. Drain and let cool completely.
- In a large bowl, add the cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, diced avocado, and red onion.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the avocado, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Add the cooled pasta and corn to the bowl with the vegetables. Pour the dressing on top and toss gently until evenly coated.
- Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Equipment
Notes
My Top Tip: Don’t rinse the pasta after it’s done cooking. Rinsing the pasta makes it slippery and washes off the starch that helps the dressing cling to it. Instead of rinsing, toss the pasta with the other ingredients and the dressing while it’s still hot. This way, it’ll absorb the dressing well, and none will pool at the bottom of the bowl.
Storage: Store leftover avocado pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll last for up to 2 days, but because of the oxidation of the avocado, I recommend consuming it within 24 hours of making it.
I updated this recipe in April 2026, but if you like the original version, you can still find it here:
Ingredients
12 ounces rotini pasta or other short-cut pasta
1 avocado, peeled, stoned, and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
Fresh basil for serving
Dressing
2 avocados, peeled and cored
1 cup baby spinach
½ cup almond milk
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions but reduce cooking time by 2 minutes so pasta is al dente; drain well. You can thaw the frozen corn in the pasta cooking water in the last 3–4 minutes of cooking time.
To make the avocado dressing, combine the avocados, spinach, almond milk, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic to a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper. With the motor running, add olive oil slowly until dressing is emulsified, smooth and creamy.
In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the dressing, tomatoes, corn, and avocados. Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.
Ingredients
12 ounces rotini pasta or other short-cut pasta
1 avocado, peeled, stoned, and chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
Fresh basil for serving
Dressing
2 avocados, peeled and cored
1 cup baby spinach
½ cup almond milk
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions but reduce cooking time by 2 minutes so pasta is al dente; drain well. You can thaw the frozen corn in the pasta cooking water in the last 3–4 minutes of cooking time.
To make the avocado dressing, combine the avocados, spinach, almond milk, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic to a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper. With the motor running, add olive oil slowly until dressing is emulsified, smooth and creamy.
In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the dressing, tomatoes, corn, and avocados. Garnish with fresh basil and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups, Calories: 473kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15g, Sodium: 311mg, Potassium: 682mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1126IU, Vitamin C: 34mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Recipe Variations
- Add cheese: ¼ cup of crumbled feta or fresh mozzarella would be so good in this avocado pasta salad!
- Boost the protein: Add ½ cup of plant-based protein like roasted chickpeas, white beans, or lentils. One cup of chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced grilled chicken tenders, or air fryer shrimp is also yummy.
- Finish with a crunch: Top the pasta salad with as much or as little as you want of sunflower seeds, toasted pine nuts, or crushed pita chips.
Recipe Tips
- Add the olive oil to the dressing slowly. A slow drizzle gives it time to emulsify and get wonderfully creamy.
- If you’re making this ahead, keep the dressing separate. The dressing will soften the spinach fairly quickly once they’re combined. The pasta, corn, tomatoes, and onion can sit dressed for a couple of hours, but add the spinach and diced avocado right before serving if you want them to hold up better.
Serving Ideas
- Burgers: This avocado pasta salad goes really well with Ground Chicken Burgers, Ground Beef Burgers, or Chickpea Burgers!
- Grilled protein: I often pair this with something simple off the grill. Try it with grilled chicken skewers, grilled salmon, or grilled shrimp.
FAQs
My
avocado pasta salad dressing is too thick. What should I do?
avocado pasta salad dressing is too thick. What should I do?
If it feels too thick, gradually add a splash of water until you reach the desired consistency. It should be creamy, but pourable.
My avocado pasta salad looks dry after refrigerating. How can I refresh it?
Pasta salad tends to absorb dressings, especially creamy ones like this avocado dressing. To refresh it, stir in a little extra olive oil or add a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.
Comments
This is a Great Salad. Thank You. I am vegan and do not eat oil. I omitted it. Nobody missed it.
Thank you! That’s great!
Delicious. I used spinach and arugula in the dressing. Added extra lemon juice and used lemon flavored olive oil. I also quartered the tomatoes and added extra with a can of white beans and a half red onion chopped. Used basil parsley and cilantro to finish.
Thank you! That sounds lovely!
Amazing! i did it with a spinach pesto I already had in the fridge, super tasty with the mix of cherry tomates, avocado and corn!
thank you!
Yay! Love that idea! So glad you enjoyed it!
I loved it. I did add a little plain yogurt to the dressing. I didnt have any almond milk. The pasta salad was great. I also added some olives and salmon to my leftovers..family loved it.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe and I think the dressing substitute you made works perfect. Thanks so much!
My son would like to take this for his school lunch. Will it turn black within 5 hours after making it?
No, 5 hours it totally fine!
Delicious!!!!!! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!
Yay! So happy to hear you liked the recipe!!!