Avocado salad is full of creamy, diced avocado, juicy tomatoes, red onion, fresh cilantro and some lime juice and olive oil to tie it all together. This salad is a great side dish for tacos, fajitas and enchiladas or as a pairing with grilled chicken, steak or burgers.
I have a small confession to make.
Up until about 3 years ago, I didn’t like avocados.
I avoided them. I never ate them. I ordered foods at restaurants and requested they be withheld.
Perhaps it was a texture thing. Perhaps it was a taste thing. Maybe I’d just never had really good avocado.
Fortunately, that all changed a few summers ago. I was on the lake with my girl friends for our annual boat day. And someone brought homemade guacamole.
Normally, I would have passed it right up.
But something - the sun? the breeze? the day drinking? - made me pause and give it a try.
Holy deliciousness!
I was smitten.
And then hesitant. I must have tried avocado or guac cautiously for the next couple of months before I trusted that, yes, I do in fact love avocado!
They've been a fixture in my kitchen ever since.
And today, they are taking center stage with this avocado salad.
It is creamy, with pops of juicy freshness from the tomatoes, plus a little punch from the red onion and some herby goodness from the cilantro.
The lime juice and olive oil bring everything together and add some serious citrus goodness - and keep the avocados from browning too quickly.
This sassy little salad goes great with burgers, grilled chicken, steaks, anything you’ve got on the grill this summer. (This cheesy fiesta grilled chicken or fiesta turkey burgers would be great pairings!)
And of course, it’s an excellent addition to a taco spread, or nachos night, or quesadillas or fajitas or pretty much any other Mexican-style dinner.
Or maybe you just want to mix it up and happily spoon it into your mouth alongside your sandwich at lunch.
I’m a total avocado convert, so you’ll get no judging from me!
OK, let’s get our salad on.
Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make avocado salad. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making avocado salad:
- Avocados: You want your avocados to be ripe and cut into small, bite-size pieces. Some of the pieces will get slightly mashed as you mix the salad together; that’s just fine and makes it even better.
- Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes are reliably available and delicious, but you could swap in some fresh summer tomatoes if they are in season.
- Red onion: I personally love red onion, raw, cooked, pickled, however. But if you are sensitive to them or yours is especially pungent, chop the red onion and soak the pieces in cold water for about 5-10 minutes. Then drain the water off and use the pieces for your salad.
- Cilantro: This adds great flavor to the salad, but if you are someone who dislikes cilantro, you could try substituting parsley.
- Hot sauce: I add a few dashes for flavor, without making it spicy. You can skip it and add some extra black pepper if you'd rather.
- Jalapeño: Or if you want some extra kick, feel free to add a finely diced jalapeño to this salad.
One more thing: some people put chopped cucumber in their avocado salad. I don’t because I like the creaminess of this salad, without the crunch from the cucumber. Just a texture thing for me.
But feel free to try it if you want!
As far as leftovers, the lime juice will keep the avocado from browning too much, but only for a day or two.
So cover your leftovers tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator, but plan to use within 1-2 days for the best freshness.
I hope you give this avocado salad a try! It’s a great addition to summer get togethers, BBQs, dinners and picnics or just your run-of-the-mill taco Tuesday dinner.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados, diced
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- A few dashes of hot sauce (optional; or sub more black pepper)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the avocado, tomatoes, red onion and cilantro.
- Add the lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and hot sauce, if using. Mix well to get the salad well coated.
- Serve immediately or cover and chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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