67 Avocado Recipes for Creamier Dip, More Satisfying Salads, Better Breakfasts, and More

Creamy, rich, and almost custard-like, the avocado is a delight unto itself—and it’s also a key player in many other dishes. We rounded up the best avocado recipes, including soups, salads, salsas, sandwiches, smoothies, and our favorite green cheesecake to help you make the best of this delightful ingredient. Before we jump straight into our favorite avocado recipes, though, here are three essential tips for working with avocados.
Avocados ripen best at room temperature. Green avocados usually take four to five days to ripen. If you want to speed up the process, you can put them in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana. The California Avocado Commission’s Jan DeLyser explains that bananas and apples release ethylene gas, which will speed up the avocado’s ripening process. Typically, a ripe avocado will go from green to nearly black when it’s ripe, but color isn’t the only indicator—a ripe avocado will also give slightly when you put gentle pressure on its skin. Feel free to refrigerate your ripe avocados to help them last a little longer.
To remove an avocado pit, cut the fruit lengthwise all the way around, then twist the two halves to separate them. Hold the half with the pit in your hand (protecting your palm and fingers with a dish towel or oven mitt). Then very carefully use the blade of a sharp chef’s knife to strike the large pit. The pit should attach to the blade and come right out when you wiggle the knife.
To prevent an avocado from turning brown, sprinkle the flesh with lemon or lime juice. If you’re too late, just scrape off the discolored parts and eat the rest.
Now, onto the recipes! Read on to get inspired and start using the perfectly ripe avocados that are sitting on your counter right now.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton1/67
3-Ingredient Tomatillo Guacamole
Naturally, we've got to include the trademark avocado recipe: creamy, dreamy guacamole. This shortcut recipe calls for tomatillo salsa, fresh lime juice, and coarsely chopped avocados. Who says something delicious can't also be simple?
- Nicole Franzen2/67
Roasted Citrus and Avocado Salad
Of course, avocados go beyond guac, too. Our list of the greatest avocado dishes starts with this zesty salad, which is tossed with roasted oranges and lemons. Baking citrus at a high heat caramelizes the sugars and softens the rinds. They combine beautifully with velvety avocado and spicy greens.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks3/67
Spanish-Style Fried Chicken with Grilled Avocado
Inspired by Spanish flavors, this fried chicken gets a spicy boost in both the marinade and the seasoned breading. The final touch—grilled avocados—is a little extra but oh so good.
- 4/67
Avocado Fudge
The secret ingredient in this fudge? Ripe avocado. Blend melted bittersweet chocolate with a mixture of puréed avocado, cocoa powder, and kosher salt before transferring to a pan to cool.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich5/67
Avocado Water
This avocado drink has the creamy, sippable texture of a milkshake but without a drop of dairy. Fresh lime juice keeps it bright.
- Peden & Munk6/67
Chile-and-Olive-Oil-Fried Egg With Avocado and Sprouts
Creamy avocado and crunchy sprouts cool off this spicy breakfast taco filled with crisp-edged eggs and feta. It's a great breakfast taco, but we'd eat it any time.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks7/67
Green Goddess Grain Bowl
Bright and refreshing green goddess dressing perks up the grains in this delicious bowl. It's filled to the brim with alllllll the green veggies and creamy sliced avocado.
- Photo by Gentl & Hyers8/67
California Veggie Sandwich
We like sandwiches that send juices running down to our elbows, which is why we insist on dressing the lettuce. If you want to use store-bought giardiniera, skip the first step.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Ali Nardi9/67
Creamy Avocado Dip With Scallions
With a mix of caramelized and fresh scallions, plus avocado and yogurt, this dip has a taste and texture somewhere between onion dip and guacamole.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton10/67
Grain Bowls With Chicken, Spiced Chickpeas, and Avocado
Use this recipe and you'll have a nourishing meal in 20 minutes. Starting with a store-bought rotisserie chicken is the time-saving secret. Shred it and combine it with quinoa, vegetables, and (of course) avocados.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Anna Stockwell11/67
Super Green Smoothie Bowl with Matcha and Ginger
This green smoothie bowl has a little caffeine kick from matcha. Chia seeds and oats add density and fiber, while mango and fresh ginger add sweetness and spice.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone12/67
Microwave Egg Sandwich with Cheddar and Avocado
There's no excuse to skip breakfast when you can have this light and fluffy egg sandwich ready in 5 minutes or less. Besides eggs and an English muffin, you'll need grated cheddar, hot sauce, and fresh avocado.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, prop styling by Brian Heiser, food styling by Rhoda Boone13/67
All Green Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette
This all-green salad is studded with avocado, crunchy cucumbers, and asparagus, and punctuated by tons of fresh dill and basil. The varied shades of green look like spring in a bowl.
- Photo by Gentl & Hyers, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski14/67
Chocolate-Avocado Pudding
This crowd-pleasing dessert would also be completely acceptable to eat for breakfast. Right? The key ingredients in this low-sugar, vegan-friendly pudding include avocados, vanilla bean, cocoa powder, maple syrup, agave, and orange juice.
- Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott.15/67
Young Lettuces With Herbed Avocado
While we love the fancy lettuces at the farmers market, the herbed avocado base of this dish will elevate even the most basic supermarket greens.
- Evi Abeler16/67
Dark Chocolate Avocado Brownies
These brownies are egg-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free. The result? An ultra-moist, chocolate-y, crumbly brownie that's one of the best we've ever tasted.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Frances Boswell17/67
Green Goddess Crunch Sandwich
Up the creamy factor of your sandwich by layering in some ripe avocado, plus mozzarella, and a tangy Greek yogurt-based dressing.
- Joy Wilson18/67
Avocado Pound Cake
Avocado lends a sweet, buttery flavor (and a green tint) to this pound cake. The inclusion of cornmeal in this recipe also gives the cake a pleasing bite.
- Photo by Peden & Munk19/67
Avocado, Kale, Pineapple, and Coconut Smoothie
This smoothie is filled with healthy ingredients like kale and avocado, and it gets a little sweetness from pineapple, agave, and coconut. Blend with matcha, a touch of salt, lemon juice, coconut water, and ice until smooth.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Grace Parisi20/67
Lobster Toasts With Avocado and Espelette Pepper
A zesty lobster salad instantly turns avocado toast into something elegant and celebration-worthy. Use thick slices of crustless brioche for the base, and top the whole thing off with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
- Photo by Eva Kolenko21/67
Chilled Avocado and Yogurt Soup with Tomato Salsa
All the flavors of guacamole meet up in this soup, with yogurt adding body and refreshment. Serve it with a pita or tortilla chips, as well as a salad of frisée, jicama, and oranges.
- Tatsuro Nishimura, food styling by Rhoda Boone22/67
Spinach-Avocado Smoothie with Grapefruit
Try replacing the dairy in your morning smoothie with avocado. It adds a delicious creaminess that goes especially well with greens like spinach or kale.
- Frankie Frankeny23/67
Roasted and Raw Carrot Salad with Avocado and Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette
Creamy avocado melds the contrasting textures of sweet roasted carrots with their raw and crunchy counterparts in this extra-colorful salad. Cumin gives the dressing its bold, savory flavor.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone24/67
Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken With Tangy Green Sauce
This spatchcocked chicken is spiced with paprika and cumin, and served with a tangy green sauce. Pair it with a crisp, bright avocado and cucumber salad. Dinner is served.
- Photo by Chris Gentile25/67
Chicken Under a Brick with Avocados and Chiles
Like a drizzle of olive oil, a dose of avocado adds richness and flavor to grilled chicken. Cooking the chicken under a brick results in the crispiest skin imaginable.
- Kana Okada26/67
Hot and Crunchy Avocado Fries
Watch out: These crispy, spicy avocado fries are hard to stop eating. Especially when they're dunked in a yogurt-based dipping sauce. The avocado wedges are baked in a mixture of panko, ground flax, and chili powder.
- Photo by Candice Kumai27/67
Spicy Tahini and Avocado Soba
Soba + tahini + avocado? Enough said. This full-meal noodle salad has crunchy jicama, too, and lots of baby spinach, plus a bit of miso for savory flavor.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson28/67
3-Ingredient Grilled Steak, Pineapple, and Avocado Salad
A fresh, bright pineapple dressing ties together this irresistible platter of grilled pineapple rings, strip steak, and avocado. Finish it all off with a drizzle of pineapple dressing across the entire platter.
- Squire Fox29/67
Asparagus and Avocado Salad
The beauty of this salad is that it is vibrant proof that some terrific ingredients simply deserve each other, even if the partnership isn't immediately obvious.
- Photo by Tara Donne, food and prop styling by Ali Nardi30/67
Avocado Toast with Tomato-Corn Salsa
Tomatoes and fresh corn salsa add a Mexican twist to the classic avocado toast. To add a smoky flavor to the mix, grill the corn first.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich31/67
Little Wedge Salad With Sour Cream Dressing
You don't need bacon to make a great wedge salad. Just crisp iceberg, creamy avocado, and a tangy sour cream dressing.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Liza Jernow32/67
Grilled Lettuces with Crème Fraîche and Avocado
Flavorful, robust lettuces work best in this recipe. Look for romaine lettuce hearts or large heads of Treviso radicchio, which allow you to get grill marks on one side while the rest wilts.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Laura Rege33/67
Grain Bowls with Grilled Corn, Steak, and Avocado
Prep ahead for a Tex-Mex-inspired grain bowl you can assemble in just 10 minutes.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell34/67
Citrus Shrimp Rice Bowls
This is one pretty dinner, and a great way to use avocados. Each bowl gets charred shrimp, rice, avocado, and a citrus-cucumber salad.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks35/67
Spicy Black Bean and Corn Tacos
Filled with black beans, avocado, and raw corn marinated in bright lime juice along with jalapeño, cilantro, and toasted nuts and seeds, these hearty tacos make an easy-to-cook, easy-to-eat weeknight dinner.
- Photo by Caleb Adams, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova36/67
Spicy Cucumber-Avocado Soup
This tasty soup is ready in ten minutes and served cold. Blend avocado, cucumbers, plain yogurt, chives, lime juice, salt, jalapeño, and ice together, pour into bowls, and garnish with diced avocado and chopped chives.
- Photo by Kathryne Taylor37/67
Vegetarian Taco Salad With Creamy Avocado-Lime Dressing
This vegetarian version of a taco salad is a balanced, full meal in a bowl. Crisp romaine and peppery arugula tossed in a creamy, intentionally zippy avocado-lime dressing form the base.
- Photo by Alex Lau38/67
Avocado Cups with Pomegranate Salsa Verde
These avocado cups look too good to eat (almost). This delicious—but simple—avocado recipe features a bright salsa made from cilantro, oil, lemon juice, mint, pomegranate seeds, and lemon peel.
- Photo by Candice Kumai39/67
Avocado-Miso-Mushroom Bowl
Tossed with a miso and tahini dressing, this bowl calls for your favorite mushrooms, preferred greens, and a grain of your choice. Top your creation off with avocado slices.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kate Buckens40/67
Skirt Steak with Spicy Coconut Dressing
You can make this excellent salad with any protein you'd like. The dressing, which has a bit of coconut and ginger, is the star—along with the creamy avocado.
- Photo by Rick Martinez41/67
Gorditas con Camarones
This just might be the best way to eat an avocado: piled atop a split open fresh gordita that's filled with spicy shrimp.
- Photo by Alex Lau42/67
Tropi-Cobb Salad
Everyone will be excited about salad for dinner when you're talking about this combination of juicy spiced chicken, ripe mango, soft avocado, and cherry tomatoes. There's so much flavor and texture going on that there's barely a need for a dressing: just a hit of lime juice, salt, and EVOO, and dinner is done. It's easily one of our favorite avocado dishes.
- 43/67
Avocado and Watercress Salad
The key ingredient in this salad? Grated apple. You'd never guess it, since the flavors don't wind up at all sweet or fruity. The fruit extends the unctuous richness of avocado and complements the clean assertiveness of peppery watercress.
- Photo by Evi Abeler44/67
Sweet Potato Avocado Burger
This California-style burger was tested numerous times to ensure that the patties are crisp, firm, tasty, and delicious. The combination of rolled oats, raw walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseed meal will keep you totally full on protein and fiber. Top with delicious avocado slices, and you've got a veggie burger unlike any you've ever tasted.
- Sang An45/67
Avocado with Savory Tomato Sorbet and Chips
Yes, you can serve this sorbet with tortilla chips and a cilantro garnish. It's the ideal cooling appetizer for a summer barbecue.
- Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Aneta Florczyk, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou46/67
Flatbread With Avocado and Scallion Salsa
We all love avocado toast, but pillowy flatbread is an even better canvas for buttery avocados and spicy salsa.
- Photo by Laura Murray, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou47/67
Salsa Verde o Roja Cruda
Tangy tomatillos and avocado come together in this superlative condiment. Put it on fish tacos or carnitas.
- Photo by Philip Haynes48/67
Sweet Potato Fritters with Poached Eggs and Avocado
Breakfast gets much more special if you start with crispy sweet potato pancakes, topped with a poached egg and creamy avocado. You just need a handful of ingredients; you might even already have them all around your house!
- Photo by Gabriel Cabrera49/67
Farmer's Wife's Breakfast
Round out a breakfast of spiced lamb sausage patties with avocado, lemon juice, and a handful of leafy greens (arugula, spinach, baby kale, or mizuna).
- Photo & Food Styling by Kendra Vaculin50/67
Frozen Avocado Cake
This cake is another one of our all-time favorite avocado recipes. It's a quick and easy cheesecake-like dessert, with a candy-like crust and a filling enhanced by the buttery quality of ripe avocados. Chill it thoroughly, then let the cake sit at room temperature for a bit before you slice it. It's good year round, but it's particularly refreshing on a hot day.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce51/67
Scallop Rice Bowls With Crunchy Spice Oil
Sweet scallops meet their perfect partners in luscious avocado and a spicy, crunchy, garlicky oil.
- Photo by Alex Lau52/67
Corn and Chickpea Bowls With Miso Tahini
This dish is all about assembly, not time at the stove. You’ll quickly sauté chickpeas and corn, then gather the supporting characters: lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, feta, and lime.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kate Buckens53/67
Cheesy Loaded Sweet Potatoes
For an easy 15-minute dinner, steam a batch of potatoes in advance. Then, top them with sour cream, avocado, radishes, pickled onions, and other fixings for a quick variation of the taco bar concept.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell54/67
Green Rice with Tomatoes, Eggs, and Almonds
Green, herby rice and green avocados are the perfect summer meal, especially if you have good tomatoes around, too. In fall and winter, use roasted squash and mushrooms instead.
- Photo by Alex Lau55/67
Pan-Seared Eggplant with Buttermilk Dressing
Eggplant gets a big lift from buttery avocado and an irresistibly kicky, creamy sauce.
- Photo by Laura Murray56/67
Spring Chicken Dinner Salad
Crunchy veggies and impressively moist chicken breast get a bit of richness from the avocado, and a punchy Dijon vinaigrette makes the meal complete.
- Photo by Romulo Yanes57/67
Avocado-Lime Sauce Vierge
Both bright from the fresh limes and buttery from the diced avocados, this sauce adds color and flavor to broiled fish, roast chicken, or huevos rancheros.
- 58/67
Creamy Avocado Pesto
This pesto uses avocado for its creamy consistency, rather than Parmesan cheese.
- David Loftus59/67
Carrot, Avocado, and Orange Salad
The carrots for this salad recipe are roasted with cumin and paired with orange, both classic pairings for the vegetable. The citrus goes nicely with cilantro, and both are a fine match for avocado.
- Clay McLachlan60/67
Gialina's Kale & Farro Salad With Avocado
Toss chopped raw kale with bright rounds of sweet carrots, avocado, and a handful of nutty farro for sweetness and texture, and then add a garlic dressing that is reminiscent of green goddess dressing but without the mayonnaise.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone61/67
Campechana Extra (Mexican Seafood Cocktail)
This refreshing seafood recipe marries plump shrimp, sweet crabmeat, juicy tomato, smoky chiles, briny olives, and creamy avocado.
- Photo by Marina Delio62/67
Tomato, Basil, Avocado and Feta Stacks
Wait for summer to make this all-star stack of avocado, heirloom tomato, feta cheese, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott63/67
Pan-Roasted Salmon With Grapefruit-Cabbage Slaw
This dish can help generate a little sunny feeling in the darkest days of winter. It’s partly about the color story, with the pretty coral tones of the salmon and the grapefruit set against the pale green avocado. But there’s also something beachy and Californian about the creamy cabbage slaw.
- Roland Bello64/67
Avocado Salad
Buttery chunks of bite-sized avocado, little hits of radish heat, sliced romaine, and a simple, lemony vinaigrette make for a crisp and refreshing salad. You can pull this together in 15 minutes.
- Hilary McMullen Photography65/67
Chile Verde Hummus
This hummus recipe has all kinds of upgrades, including tomatillos, poblano peppers, Anaheim peppers, white onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and creamy avocado. Served with pita chips or a vegetable tray, it makes for one awesome appetizer.
- Photo by Stephen Baccon66/67
Delectable Green Smoothie
This green smoothie is sweet, delicious, and easy to drink. Blend coconut water, pear, avocado, spinach, mint, vanilla protein powder, and cucumber until smooth, and then top with goji berries, pepitas, and bee pollen. (This is one of the avocado recipes we've bookmarked for mornings where we need a breakfast that's going to deliver energy in spades.)
- Photo by Angelica Marie Valiton67/67
Coconut Shrimp Tacos With Mango Salsa and Avocado Cilantro Sauce
This dish looks and tastes so impressive, but it's actually pretty simple to make. The cilantro avocado sauce is delectable, and would also work well drizzled over nachos or quesadillas.

Kendra Vaculin

Kendra Vaculin

Tiffany Hopkins
