Simple Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad

Here is my favorite creamy avocado pasta salad recipe, with tender spiral pasta, roasted chicken and bacon, hard-boiled eggs, fresh veggies, and a rich, dreamy avocado dressing made with buttermilk and lemon juice.

This pasta salad is perfect for potlucks and summer gatherings. I love making a big batch on Sunday so we have easy lunches ready for the week. Plus, that avocado dressing is so good, my kids actually ask for seconds on their veggies!

What Kind of Avocado Should I Use?

For this pasta salad, you’ll want to use ripe avocados that give slightly when you press them gently – they should feel like a tennis ball with just a bit of give. Hass avocados are your best bet since they’re creamy and have that rich, buttery flavor that makes the dressing so good. If your avocados are still firm, let them sit on the counter for a day or two until they ripen up. You can also speed things along by putting them in a paper bag with a banana or apple. Just avoid avocados that feel mushy or have dark, sunken spots, as those are past their prime and can taste bitter.

Options for Substitutions

This pasta salad is pretty forgiving when it comes to swapping ingredients:

• Spiral pasta: Any short pasta shape works great here – try penne, fusilli, or bow ties. They all hold the creamy dressing well.
• Buttermilk: No buttermilk? Mix 1/2 cup regular milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
• Avocado: While avocado gives this salad its creamy base, you can use Greek yogurt or sour cream instead if needed. The flavor will be tangier but still delicious.
• Chicken breast: Rotisserie chicken is a great time-saver, or you can use leftover grilled chicken. Turkey breast works too if that’s what you have on hand.
• Streaky bacon: Turkey bacon or even crispy prosciutto can replace regular bacon. You could also skip the bacon entirely for a lighter version.
• Dill: Fresh parsley or basil make good alternatives if dill isn’t your thing. Use the same amount and add it at the end.
• Cherry tomatoes: Regular tomatoes work fine – just dice them up. Grape tomatoes are basically the same thing and can be used interchangeably.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake people make with pasta salad is undercooking the pasta – since you’re serving it cold, you need to cook it 2 minutes longer than the package directions so it stays tender and doesn’t turn hard and chewy once it cools down.

Another common error is not rinsing the pasta with cold water after draining, which stops the cooking process and prevents the noodles from sticking together in one big clump.

Make sure your avocado dressing doesn’t turn brown by adding it to the pasta right before serving, or if you’re making it ahead, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the dressing to keep air out.

Finally, don’t skip the resting time for your chicken after baking – those 5 minutes allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, keeping it moist instead of dry when you slice it.

What to Serve With Avocado Pasta Salad?

This pasta salad is pretty hearty on its own with the chicken, bacon, and eggs, so it works great as a main dish for lunch or dinner. If you want to round out the meal, some garlic bread or dinner rolls are perfect for serving alongside, especially if you’re feeding a crowd at a potluck or barbecue. A light cucumber salad or some fresh fruit like watermelon slices make nice refreshing sides that balance out the creamy richness of the pasta. You could also serve it with some corn on the cob or grilled vegetables if you’re already firing up the grill for a summer cookout.

Storage Instructions

Store: This pasta salad keeps really well in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. The avocado dressing might darken slightly, but it’ll still taste great. I like to give it a good stir before serving since the dressing can settle at the bottom.

Make Ahead: You can prep the components separately if you want to get ahead. Cook the pasta, chicken, and bacon up to 2 days in advance and store them separately. Mix the avocado dressing fresh on the day you plan to serve it, since avocado browns over time. Toss everything together right before eating for the best texture and color.

Serve Cold: This salad is meant to be enjoyed chilled, so pull it out of the fridge about 10 minutes before serving if you want to take the chill off. If it seems a bit dry after sitting, you can stir in a splash of buttermilk or a squeeze of lemon juice to freshen it up.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 3500-3800
• Protein: 180-200 g
• Fat: 210-230 g
• Carbohydrates: 220-250 g

Ingredients

For the pasta and vegetables:

• 1.25 lb spiral pasta (I always use Barilla for the best al dente texture)
• 1.5 tbsp salt
• 10 oz cherry tomatoes (halved lengthwise)
• 1/2 red onion (thinly sliced into 1-inch strips)
• 1 celery stem
• 1/4 cup fresh dill

For the chicken and bacon:

• 18 oz chicken breast (cut into 1-inch cubes)
• 9 oz bacon (chopped into 1/2-inch pieces before frying)
• 0.75 tsp smoked paprika
• 0.75 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 2.5 tbsp olive oil (I prefer Bertolli Extra Virgin for roasting)

For the eggs:

• 6 large eggs (hard-boiled and quartered)

For the avocado dressing:

• 1 1/2 cups avocado (about 2-3 large ripe Haas avocados)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann’s for the creamiest dressing)
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh dill (finely minced for better distribution)

Step 1: Prepare All Components in Parallel

• 9 oz bacon
• 18 oz chicken breast
• 2.5 tbsp olive oil
• 0.75 tsp smoked paprika
• 0.75 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 tbsp salt

Start by preheating your oven to 220°C (430°F).

While the oven heats, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta, and simultaneously start boiling another pot of water for the eggs.

Spread the chopped bacon on a baking sheet and the flattened chicken breasts (pounded to 1.5 cm thickness and coated with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper) on another sheet.

Once the oven is ready, place both sheets in at the same time—the bacon will take about 20 minutes and the chicken about 12 minutes until it reaches 67°C (153°F) internally.

This parallel cooking saves significant time since all proteins cook simultaneously.

Step 2: Cook Pasta and Eggs

• 1.25 lb spiral pasta
• 6 large eggs

Once the pasta water is boiling, add the spiral pasta and cook for 2 minutes longer than the package instructions recommend to ensure a slightly softer texture that holds the creamy dressing better.

For the eggs, boil them for 9 minutes in the separate pot of water, then immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking.

While the pasta finishes, peel the cooled eggs and quarter them.

Drain the pasta and rinse it lightly with cool water to stop cooking, then spread it on a large sheet pan to cool faster—this prevents the warm pasta from breaking down the avocado in the dressing.

Step 3: Prepare Fresh Ingredients and Dressing Base

• 10 oz cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 celery stem
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1.5 cups avocado
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1.25 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

While everything else cooks, prep all your fresh vegetables: halve the cherry tomatoes lengthwise, thinly slice the red onion into 1-inch strips, finely mince the celery stem, and finely mince both the fresh dill portions (keeping them separate—1/4 cup roughly chopped for the dressing, 1/4 cup finely minced for texture).

I like to slice the red onion just before using it so it stays crisp and doesn’t lose its bright color.

Now blend the avocado with the buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, minced garlic cloves, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper until completely smooth.

Fold in the finely minced dill by hand at the end to preserve some texture in the dressing rather than over-blending.

Step 4: Rest Proteins and Finish Cooking

• cooked chicken from Step 1
• cooked bacon from Step 1

Remove the baked chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes—this allows the juices to redistribute and keeps the meat tender when you cut it into 1-inch cubes.

Remove the bacon from the oven at the same time.

Once the chicken has rested, cut it into the desired 1-inch cubes.

Both proteins should now be cooled enough to handle and mix into the room-temperature pasta.

Step 5: Assemble the Pasta Salad

• cooled pasta from Step 2
• cubed chicken from Step 4
• bacon pieces from Step 4
• avocado dressing from Step 3
• halved cherry tomatoes from Step 3
• sliced red onion from Step 3
• minced celery from Step 3
• quartered eggs from Step 2

In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta from Step 2 with the cubed chicken and bacon pieces from Step 4.

Pour the creamy avocado dressing over the pasta mixture and gently fold everything together until evenly coated—I find using a rubber spatula and folding from the bottom up prevents breaking the pasta and ensures even distribution without over-mixing.

Gently fold in the halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, and minced celery.

Finally, carefully fold in the quartered eggs, being gentle to avoid breaking them apart.

Step 6: Serve

Divide the creamy avocado pasta salad into serving bowls or plates.

The salad can be served immediately at room temperature or chilled for 30 minutes if you prefer it colder.

This dish is best enjoyed within a few hours of assembly while the avocado dressing is at its creamiest and brightest.

Simple Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad

Delicious Simple Creamy Avocado Pasta Salad recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 57 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 3650

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the pasta and vegetables::

• 1.25 lb spiral pasta (I always use Barilla for the best al dente texture)
• 1.5 tbsp salt
• 10 oz cherry tomatoes (halved lengthwise)
• 1/2 red onion (thinly sliced into 1-inch strips)
• 1 celery stem
• 1/4 cup fresh dill

For the chicken and bacon::

• 18 oz chicken breast (cut into 1-inch cubes)
• 9 oz bacon (chopped into 1/2-inch pieces before frying)
• 0.75 tsp smoked paprika
• 0.75 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 2.5 tbsp olive oil (I prefer Bertolli Extra Virgin for roasting)

For the eggs::

• 6 large eggs (hard-boiled and quartered)

For the avocado dressing::

• 1 1/2 cups avocado (about 2-3 large ripe Haas avocados)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann's for the creamiest dressing)
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh dill (finely minced for better distribution)

Method

 

1. Start by preheating your oven to 220°C (430°F). While the oven heats, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta, and simultaneously start boiling another pot of water for the eggs. Spread the chopped bacon on a baking sheet and the flattened chicken breasts (pounded to 1.5 cm thickness and coated with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper) on another sheet. Once the oven is ready, place both sheets in at the same time—the bacon will take about 20 minutes and the chicken about 12 minutes until it reaches 67°C (153°F) internally. This parallel cooking saves significant time since all proteins cook simultaneously.
2. Once the pasta water is boiling, add the spiral pasta and cook for 2 minutes longer than the package instructions recommend to ensure a slightly softer texture that holds the creamy dressing better. For the eggs, boil them for 9 minutes in the separate pot of water, then immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. While the pasta finishes, peel the cooled eggs and quarter them. Drain the pasta and rinse it lightly with cool water to stop cooking, then spread it on a large sheet pan to cool faster—this prevents the warm pasta from breaking down the avocado in the dressing.
3. While everything else cooks, prep all your fresh vegetables: halve the cherry tomatoes lengthwise, thinly slice the red onion into 1-inch strips, finely mince the celery stem, and finely mince both the fresh dill portions (keeping them separate—1/4 cup roughly chopped for the dressing, 1/4 cup finely minced for texture). I like to slice the red onion just before using it so it stays crisp and doesn't lose its bright color. Now blend the avocado with the buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, minced garlic cloves, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper until completely smooth. Fold in the finely minced dill by hand at the end to preserve some texture in the dressing rather than over-blending.
4. Remove the baked chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes—this allows the juices to redistribute and keeps the meat tender when you cut it into 1-inch cubes. Remove the bacon from the oven at the same time. Once the chicken has rested, cut it into the desired 1-inch cubes. Both proteins should now be cooled enough to handle and mix into the room-temperature pasta.
5. In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta from Step 2 with the cubed chicken and bacon pieces from Step 4. Pour the creamy avocado dressing over the pasta mixture and gently fold everything together until evenly coated—I find using a rubber spatula and folding from the bottom up prevents breaking the pasta and ensures even distribution without over-mixing. Gently fold in the halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, and minced celery. Finally, carefully fold in the quartered eggs, being gentle to avoid breaking them apart.
6. Divide the creamy avocado pasta salad into serving bowls or plates. The salad can be served immediately at room temperature or chilled for 30 minutes if you prefer it colder. This dish is best enjoyed within a few hours of assembly while the avocado dressing is at its creamiest and brightest.