This Avocado Dressing is creamy, luscious and gets its bright, vibrant flavor from cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice. It's a five-minute avocado sauce that you can easily blend together and drizzle over rice, eggs, burritos, tacos, nachos, or your favorite greens!
Five-Minute Avocado Sauce
I have been on a real avocado kick lately. Living in California, it's just about mandatory to love avocados 🙂 They're creamy, satisfying and packed with tons of healthy fats to keep you feeling full and focused.
Whenever I get the chance, I slice or dice them to add to eggs, rice, salads, or chili. They are also fantastic with quesadillas, tacos and burritos.
I'm always looking for more ways to include avocados in our meals, especially when they're in season, that's when I came up with this easy to make five-minute avocado dressing that we (especially my hubby) drizzle on just about anything. It also doubles up as a great dip for tortilla chips!
The consistency is similar to most creamy salad dressings - Caesar, Ranch, Thousand Island - but the ingredients are clean, healthy, low-carb and keto! It requires a blender and 5 minutes to smooth, creamy deliciousness - all that's missing are the salad greens! 🙂
Ingredient Availability & Substitutions
This creamy avocado dressing is made with Greek yogurt (or sour cream), lime juice, water, garlic, ripe avocado, jalapeno, salt, pepper and fresh cilantro.
- Greek Yogurt: I prefer the creamier texture and protein boost from full-fat Greek yogurt, but sour cream is a great alternative. My favorite is 5% Fage Greek Yogurt. For a Vegan & Dairy-Free recipe, replace the yogurt with cashew or coconut milk yogurt instead.
- Lime Juice: Go for fresh lime juice here, not the bottled variety. You will need 1-2 teaspoons of lime juice, which is about half a lime. Feel free to substitute an equal amount of lemon juice instead.
- Garlic: A small garlic clove, peeled and left whole, goes a long way. Raw garlic is quite astringent, so less is more. If garlic is too strong a flavor for you, simply half it or omit it all together. For a mild, savory flavor, use one scallion instead.
- Avocado: There are two popular types of avocados easily available in the supermarket - Hass and Gwen. Hass is considered the best variety of avocado for its buttery, nutty flavor and the type I always use. Its skin turns from bold green to dark-purplish black as it ripens.
- Jalapeno: I prefer my avocado dressing mild, so I remove the seeds and ribs but feel free to leave these intact for a spicy salad dressing. For even more kick, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper adds an extra pop of heat.
- Fresh Cilantro: The cilantro rounds out the fresh, vibrant flavors of this homemade dressing. I used the whole bunch, stems and all since cilantro stems are so tender. Feel free to substitute an equal amount of flat-leaf Italian parsley, stems removed, for a lighter flavor.
- Blender: This simple salad dressing is easily made in a blender. If you don't have a blender, use a food processor or mini food processor instead, and pulse until smooth.
How to Pick an Avocado
California avocado season runs from spring through fall. But since you never really know what the inside of an avocado looks like before you get home, there are a few general rules to follow to pick an avocado.
The next time you go to the grocery store, simply:
- Pay attention to color, but also variety. The Hass avocado will turn dark green or purplish-black when ripe. But some other avocado varieties, such as the Gwen, retain their light green skin even when ripe. Avoid fruit with dark blemishes.
- Squeeze the avocado in the palm of your hand. When ripe and ready-to-eat, an avocado will be firm but give to gentle pressure. Note: If you plan to serve the fruit in a few days, purchase hard, unripe fruit, then follow Avocado Tips & Tricks below.
- Pop off the stem or cap at the top. I recommend this once you get it home, if the top pops off easily and is green underneath, the avocado is ripe and ready-to-eat. That's the fruit you want to use right away!
How to Cut an Avocado
To properly cut an avocado, follow these simple steps:
- Start with a ripe avocado in one hand and a sharp knife in the other. Cut into it lengthwise around the seed, making sure to initially cut into the avocado until the knife hits the seed. Then, rotate the avocado with one hand while holding the knife horizontally in the other (Pics 1 & 2).
- Gently twist the avocado in your hands, twisting the two halves in opposite direction, and separate the two halves (Pics 3 & 4).
- To remove the seed safely, use a spoon to scoop out the seed. Alternatively, place the avocado on a cutting board, seed-side facing up, and carefully strike the seed with a wide sharp knife to attach it partially. Now hold the avocado steady and twist the knife - the seed should pop right out. Tip: Using the knife seed-extraction method requires some skill, use the spoon method for a safer option. This Guacamole recipe has a detailed video showing how to cut Avocados.
Avocado Tips & Tricks
Avocadoes are a finicky fruit that has the tendency to over ripen or brown too quickly. For best results, here are some tips and tricks to follow:
- Hard, unripe avocados can take 4-5 days to ripen. To speed up the process, put it in a brown paper bag with a banana, apple or kiwi and leave it out at room temperature. These fruits give off ethylene, a natural hormone that promotes ripening. The avocado should ripen in 1-2 days. To slow down the ripening process, see How To Get Ripe Avocados To Last.
- As with all fruits, always wash avocados before cutting. This prevents any germs on the outside of the fruit from being transferred to the flesh.
- To remove the skin, once the seed is removed, peel the skin away from the fruit by sliding your thumb under the skin and pulling it back. Alternatively, you can slice the avocado directly in its skin and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Since we are pureeing the fruit, there is no need to make it pretty.
How To Get Ripe Avocadoes To Last
This is a little trick I learned when I had way too many avocadoes and needed a way to ensure they didn't go rotten on me. To ensure your avocados last, simply:
- Buy hard to the touch, bright green avocados.
- Allow them to ripen on the kitchen counter for a few days.
- Once soft to the touch (NOT squishy), transfer them to the fridge. The cold temperature allows the ripe fruit to last for at least two more days. Note: Refrigerate only ripe or soft avocados.
How To Keep Avocado From Turning Brown
Oxidation, or exposure to air, is what causes the bright green flesh of an avocado to turn brown. To prevent an avocado from browning, you can:
- Keep the seed. Keep it in a cut half you are storing for later (if you are only using half an avocado) or keep it in the bowl with the sauce or guacamole.
- Add a squeeze of citrus juice. Just like you add lemon juice to sliced apples, the acid in limes or lemons prevents the avocado from turning brown. This avocado recipe has a squeeze of lime juice to prevent it from darkening.
- Store the avocado halves, dips, dressings or sauce in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap directly touching the surface or with a thin layer of oil on top.
- Brush or spray the exposed avocado flesh with mild olive oil to prevent air from getting to the green parts.
How To Make Avocado Dressing
This quick and easy avocado salad dressing requires a blender and 5 minutes to creamy goodness!
Step 1: In the base of your blender, add Greek yogurt, lime juice, water, garlic, avocado, jalapeno, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Top with cilantro.
Step 3: Cover and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender halfway through.
Step 4: Adjust the seasoning to your liking. For a thinner consistency, add more water, 1 Tablespoon at a time.
Keto Salad Dressing - Net Carbs in Avocado
This homemade salad dressing is both low-carb and keto.
Since most of the carbs in an avocado come from fiber, once you subtract the grams of fiber, an average-sized whole avocado has only 2.6 grams of net carbs.
Keep in mind, the Greek yogurt and additional ingredients have a carb count all on their own, so make sure to adjust the net carb count by cross-checking with your own nutrition calculator.
Serving Suggestions for Avocado Dressing
I love to add this creamy salad dressing to a large bowl of leafy greens, but you could also try:
- Drizzling over Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Tacos, Pulled Chicken Fajita Tacos or Blackened Fish Tacos
- Finishing a homemade burrito bowl, or bean burrito
- Topping on Black Bean Chili or Chicken Chili
- Replacing the mayo in chicken, tuna or egg salad
- Eating it as a dip with fresh-cut vegetables or tortilla chips (like guacamole)
- Dolloped on top of Creamy Black Beans, Mexican Rice or Mexican Quinoa Bowls
- Licking it right off the spoon!
Storage Instructions for Avocado Salad Dressing
This creamy avocado dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The acidity in the lime juice will prevent the avocado from turning brown.
For added insurance, I recommend pressing a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface or topping the surface of the dressing with a thin layer of mild olive oil after each use.
I do not recommend freezing the salad dressing.
Recipe Tips
- Begin with the liquid ingredients. This prevents the ingredients from clumping and makes it easier on the blade of your blender or food processor.
- Scrape down the sides of the blender halfway through. No one wants a large chunk of avocado or cilantro stem stuck against the sides.
- Add more water or lime juice to thin out the dressing. The consistency will depend on the size of your avocado. If your avocado is large, you may need to add more liquid to reach the consistency of a salad dressing. Use water for a clean flavor and lime juice if you like that extra pop of acidity. I like mine when it is just thin enough to drizzle. As always, adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Make it spicy by adding the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno. The inner part of peppers (the seeds and ribs) is where most of the heat lies. Simply use all or half of the seeds and ribs for a spicy avocado dressing. Alternatively, ¼ teaspoon cayenne can be used.
- Store the avocado salad dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To prevent the avocado sauce from turning brown, press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface or add a thin layer of olive oil. I would not freeze this dressing.
More Sauce & Dip Recipes From My Kitchen
- Mango Salsa Recipe
- Homemade Salsa
- 10-Minute Pesto Sauce
- Easy Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
- Easy Guacamole
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
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Avocado Salad Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1-2 teaspoon lime juice (about ½ lime)
- ¼ cup water add as needed
- 1 clove garlic small (about ½ teaspoon)
- 1 avocado ripe
- 1 jalapeno seeded and ribs removed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup cilantro packed
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a blender, and blend till smooth. Adjust seasoning to your taste.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
- Begin with the liquid ingredients. This prevents the ingredients from clumping and makes it easier on the blade of your blender or food processor.
- Scrape down the sides of the blender halfway through. No one wants a large chunk of avocado or cilantro stem stuck against the sides.
- Add more water or lime juice to thin out the dressing. The consistency will depend on the size of your avocado. If your avocado is large, you may need to add more liquid to reach the consistency of a salad dressing. Use water for a clean flavor and lime juice if you like that extra pop of acidity. I like mine when it is just thin enough to drizzle. As always, adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Make it spicy by adding the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno. The inner part of peppers (the seeds and ribs) is where most of the heat lies. Simply use all or half of the seeds and ribs for a spicy avocado dressing. Alternatively, ¼ teaspoon cayenne can be used.
- Store the avocado salad dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To prevent the avocado sauce from turning brown, press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface or add a thin layer of olive oil. I would not freeze this dressing.
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