Avocado Salad

The best thing about avocado salad is that it is light, fresh, summer-friendly, nutritious, and fulfilling.

With its healthy fats and plenty of fiber, the avocados make this salad a good candidate for a quick everyday summer lunch.

But pair it with a slice of rosemary focaccia or warm pita bread and a dip of your choice (we love it with tzatziki), and you've got a delicious and satisfying dinner for the whole family.

We keep this healthy salad 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 and dressing. Then, let's see how it's made!

Avocado

Ripe diced avocado is the main ingredient. If you are unsure how to pick perfectly ripe avocados, check out our tips chapter below.

Tomatoes

Use ripe tomatoes that are firm to the touch.

Most tomato varieties are okay to make this avocado salad recipe. Try cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, Heirloom tomatoes, Yellow Cherry, and San Marzano tomatoes.

We recommend mixing two or more varieties with 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. If the cucumber is seedy, you can cut off some of the seeds and discard them.

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 shallots, scallions, 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

Freshly squeezed 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 substitute balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or red wine vinegar for lemon juice.

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.

Other excellent choices are chives, dill, and cilantro, although not everyone likes that, so double-check with your guests before adding it in.

Salt and Pepper

Avocados and tomatoes require a good pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper to bring out their flavor.

Add-ins

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

• crispy air fryer chickpeas or spicy roasted chickpeas
• non-dairy feta or feta cheese
• drained and rinsed canned chickpeas
• black olives or Kalamata olives
• air fryer croutons or oven-baked croutons
• diced red bell pepper
• a short pasta cooked al dente (fusilli, rotini, farfalle)
• chopped lettuce or arugula
• corn kernels
• plant-based chicken or chicken
• plant-based shrimp or shrimp

Also, if you want a bolder dressing, then try our:

• Italian dressing (tangy and bold with an oregano flavor)
• Mustard dressing (sweet, creamy, bold, it adds a ton of flavor)
• Cilantro and lime juice dressing (more delicate, it adds a delicious Mexican flavor)

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

Cut the red onion into thin slices, then pinch it to separate the layers.

Soak the sliced red onion in a bowl with cold water for 10 minutes before adding it to the salad.

Dice the tomatoes and cucumber into bite-size pieces.

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

Finely chop the parsley.

Add the chopped veggies to a large bowl, then season with freshly squeezed lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper.

Toss 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. For example, 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.

Avocado Salad Bruschetta

Bruschetta is simply toasted bread slices with fresh toppings. It's excellent as an appetizer or as a quick lunch or dinner.

This avocado salad is the perfect topping for bruschetta.

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

Drizzle with good olive oil and boom! Best bruschetta ever. Avocados and tomatoes on crunchy bread are irresistible.

Check out our bruschetta recipe to learn more.

Avocado Salad + Add-Ins

Stir in one or more of these delicious add-ins to make this simple avocado salad more personal:

• crispy air fryer chickpeas or spicy roasted chickpeas
• non-dairy feta or feta cheese
• drained and rinsed canned chickpeas
• black olives or Kalamata olives
• air fryer croutons or oven-baked croutons
• diced bell pepper
• a short pasta cooked al dente (fusilli, rotini, farfalle)
• chopped lettuce or arugula
• corn kernels
• plant-based chicken or chicken
• plant-based shrimp or shrimp

We made the one in the picture above with dill, olives, and crispy air fryer chickpeas.

Cucumber tomato avocado salad is excellent as a side dish next to your favorite main, or you can turn it into a main course by serving it with:

• Focaccia bread (flour, instant dry yeast, rosemary, sugar, salt, etc.)
• Bruschetta (cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, bread, balsamic vinegar, etc.)
• Crostini (bread, salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil, etc.)
• Pita bread (flour, instant dry yeast, olive oil, etc.)
• A slice of crusty bread
• Tacos
• Hummus (chickpeas, lemon, tahini, salt, garlic, etc.)
• Tzatziki sauce (yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil, etc.)

Make ahead: it's best to add the avocado last minute before serving the salad so that it doesn't turn brown.

Refrigerator: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Some juices might float around from the cucumber and tomatoes; you can drain those and add fresh olive oil and parsley.

Freezer: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.

Tips

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 few days. To speed up ripening, put the avocado in a paper bag with an apple or banana for a few days.

Here are some more avocado-packed recipes:

• Avocado spread (tahini, lemon juice, garlic, avocado, salt.)
• Guacamole (red onion, avocado lime juice, cilantro, etc.)
• Tofu salad (romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, tofu, corn, tahini, lemon juice, etc.)
• Black bean salad (roasted sweet potato, black beans, avocado, corn, lime, etc.)

Here are some of our most liked salads, perfect as side dishes or as main meals:

• Cucumber tomato salad (cucumber, tomato, basil, parsley, olive oil, etc.)
• Tomato salad (tomato, basil, red onion, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, etc.)
• Rice salad (olives, wholegrain rice, pickled cucumber, cherry tomatoes, etc.)
• Zucchini salad (cherry tomatoes, zucchini, olive oil, basil, mint, etc.)
• Sweet potato salad (sweet potatoes, avocado, olive oil, etc.)

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