This avocado salad is BURSTING with fresh herbs and vegetables! Perfectly ripe avocado, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, and tangy red onion tossed in fresh lemon juice and olive oil. This super quick and easy salad recipe comes together in one bowl, and in under 5 minutes!
What You’ll Need To Make Avocado Salad
Avocados – Duh! The main ingredient, the stars of this show, are two perfectly ripe large avocados. How can you tell when an avocado is ripe? Give it a gentle squeeze, and if the skin feels firm but gives a little, then your avocado’s ripe and ready to use in this salad! However, if your avocado feels especially hard and doesn’t give at all when squeezed, then it’s not ripe and should be left at room temperature overnight to ripen.
Lemon Juice – A squeeze of fresh lemon juice gives this salad a nice touch of acidity and brightness! The lemon juice also helps to preserve the freshness of the vegetables in this dish. Though if you don’t have any lemon juice, a touch of apple cider vinegar will work too.
Fresh Herbs – Use any kind of fresh herb you’d like! I used fresh basil and OMG it was delicious. But I’ve also made this plant-based meal with fresh cilantro and fresh parsley, both of which were just as tasty.
Salt – I swear by lightly salting avocado, no matter what dish it’s in. A tiny pinch of salt brings out the rich, creamy, almost buttery taste in avocado. And if you don’t already have some, I highly recommend investing in some flaky sea salt. For this salad recipe, wait until the very end to add the salt. Salt, while enhancing flavor, will also turn the avocado brown. Therefore, to keep your avocado salad looking as bright and fresh as possible, salt the salad right before serving!
Tips and Tricks
- If you’d like to prep this recipe ahead of time, then prep all ingredients except the avocado. Once avocado is removed from its skin and exposed to air, it’ll brown pretty quickly. This browning doesn’t mean the avocado’s gone bad, and won’t at all affect the taste, though it simply won’t look as pretty. Therefore, chop and prep all other herbs and veggies, then toss in the avocado and salt right before serving to keep it looking vibrant and fresh!
- Enjoy this avocado salad as-is, or add in your favorite plant-based protein for a heartier meal. A can of drained beans, a cup of lentils, or some crispy cubed tofu would all go perfectly in this salad! Though if not vegan, feel free to serve this salad as a side dish to roast chicken, pan-seared salmon, or really any main course.
- Store leftover avocado salad in an airtight container. Though before securing the lid, press a piece of plastic wrap over the veggies so that it comes into contact with the top of the salad. This’ll help prevent the avocado from turning brown, and lock in freshness for up to three days!
This Avocado Salad Is…
- gluten-free
- dairy-free
- vegan
- plant-based
- paleo
- nut-free
- …and totally delicious!
