Avocado Salad

Avocado salad is creamy, crunchy, and refreshing, and it's all you need for a quick lunch or light dinner during the hot summer months.

Creamy avocado, ripe and juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, tangy red onion, and fresh parsley meld together to perfection to create a tasty, nutritious, and fulfilling summer salad.

We keep this recipe simple, so you can make it without running to the store. However, please take this as a guideline and customize it with your favorite add-ins.

For example, some good add-ins we tried are:

• crispy air fryer chickpeas
• spicy roasted chickpeas
• drained and rinsed canned chickpeas
• black olives or Kalamata olives
• air fryer croutons
• oven baked croutons
• diced bell pepper
• pasta (fusilli, rotini, farfalle)
• chopped lettuce
• arugula

When it comes to the dressing, we like to use extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic or red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper, without mixing the ingredients into a vinaigrette.

Avocado

You'll need ripe avocados.

How to choose ripe avocado at the store?

First: look for the stem. It's generally better if the avocado has it still on. This way, it will stay fresh for longer after buying it.

Second: look at the color. Ripe avocados are generally darker than unripe ones. So try to find ones with a dark green, almost black color.

Third: avoid shiny ones. Ripe avocadoes generally have a dull, matte peel. Shiny avocados usually are unripe.

Fourth: avoid indentations or bruise spots. If you see evident bruises that are soft to the touch, that's not good. I wouldn't recommend buying those, even if they are on offer. There's not much you can do with bruised, overripe avocado.

Fifth: feel it. If the avocado yields to firm, gentle pressure, you know it's ready to eat. To feel the avocado, pick it up in the palm of your hand, and apply gentle pressure with the whole hand. Do not squeeze with your fingertips as you might damage the avocado.

If the avocado feels mushy, it could be overripe. However, if the avocado feels hard (it does not yield to gentle pressure), you can still buy it and let it ripe at home for a couple of days. To speed up ripening, put the avocado in a paper bag with an apple or banana for a couple of days.

Tomato

Use ripe tomatoes that are firm to the touch. We recommend most tomato varieties to make this avocado salad recipe, from cherry tomatoes to grape tomatoes, from Heirloom tomatoes to Yellow Cherry or San Marzano tomatoes.

We recommend mixing two or more varieties to have different textures and colors in the salad.

Cucumber

You can use English cucumber, American garden cucumber, or Persian cucumber. We like to keep the peel on, but you can peel it if you prefer or remove only part of the peel.

Onion

We recommend red onion for an avocado salad. It reminds us of guacamole, and its sharp, slightly spicy flavor melds perfectly with avocado's creamy and mellow taste.

Slice it as thin as you can, then if you like a milder flavor, soak it in cold water for ten minutes before using it in the salad. You can substitute scallions, shallots, or spring onions for the red onion.

Also, if you are more of a garlic fan, you can substitute a crushed garlic clove for the onion or add both.

Olive oil

Extra-virgin olive oil would be the best choice to add a fruity flavor and tie together the other ingredients.

Lemon

Lemon juice adds a fresh, vibrant kick to the salad; however, don't add too much of it because it can make the meal too acidic. Fresh lime juice would also work, especially if combined with fresh cilantro.

You can replace it with balsamic vinegar for a sweeter taste or red wine vinegar.

Fresh herbs

Our herb of choice for this salad is flat-leaf parsley. It's fresh, easy to find, and everyone loves it. As a second choice, we have chopped fresh basil, which has a rounder flavor than parsley and fits perfectly with tomatoes and avocado.

We can also recommend chives, dill, and cilantro, although not everyone likes that, so double-check with your peeps before adding it in.

Salt and Pepper

To taste great, avocados and tomatoes require a good pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

Our avocado cucumber and tomato salad is delicious as is. However, if you feel like turning it into a more substantial main, then you can add one or more of:

• crispy air fryer chickpeas
• spicy roasted chickpeas
• drained and rinsed canned chickpeas
• black olives or Kalamata olives
• air fryer croutons
• oven baked croutons
• diced bell pepper
• chopped lettuce
• arugula
• corn
• pasta (fusilli, rotini, farfalle)

Important before you start! If you are making the salad ahead of time, add the avocado at the last minute, just before eating the salad. This way, it won't go brown.

Step 1: Prep the Veggies

Cut the red onion in half, then into thin slices. Pinch the onion with your fingers to separate the layers.

If a raw red onion is too sharp for you, soak it in cold water for ten minutes before adding it to the salad.

Dice the tomatoes into bite-size pieces. For example, you can cut cherry tomatoes in half and larger tomatoes into wedges.

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, then in half again, and finally into smaller pieces.

Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, then score it with a knife to create small squares. Finally, scoop it out to add it to the other ingredients.

Step 2: Mix the Veggies

Add chopped tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, and onion to a large bowl.

Next, add finely chopped parsley, balsamic vinegar (or freshly squeezed lemon juice), extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Mix gently until the vegetables are coated in the condiments and slightly creamy from the avocado. Taste and adjust for salt before serving.

Avocado Pasta Salad

Our favorite variation is avocado pasta salad, which you can make by adding a short pasta type to this recipe. There's something about adding pasta to it that makes this avocado salad even better.

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. It's important that you salt the pasta water.

Drain the pasta, run it under cold water for 15 seconds, then add it to the other ingredients. You might need to add more olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Add a can of rinsed chickpeas to make this an even more nutritious and fulfilling meal with a complete and healthy plant-based protein profile.

Bruschetta with Avocado Salad

If you follow your site, you know that we are huge fans of bruschetta (toasted bread slices with fresh toppings), and we eat it often as a quick lunch or dinner.

This avocado salad is the perfect topping for a delicious avocado and tomato bruschetta.

You don't have to change anything; toast some bread slices, brush them with garlic while still warm, and top them with a couple of tablespoons of the salad.

Drizzle with good olive oil, and boom! The best bruschetta ever. Avocado and tomatoes on crunchy bread are irresistible.

Pick one or more of these delicious add-ins to make your avocado salad more personal:

• crispy air fryer chickpeas
• spicy roasted chickpeas
• drained and rinsed canned chickpeas
• black olives or Kalamata olives
• air fryer croutons
• oven baked croutons
• diced bell pepper
• chopped lettuce
• arugula
• corn
• pasta (fusilli, rotini, farfalle)

Our favorite is crispy air-fried chickpeas, black pitted olives, and fresh dill.

If you love creamy avocado, get fresh inspiration from these avocado-packed recipes:

A fresh bowl of salad is a vibrant and healthy meal, especially if you combine it with wholesome plant-based protein. Here are some of our most liked salads, perfect as side dishes or as main meals:

Or get inspiration from our list of 25 most loved salads, including grain bowls and winter salads.