Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing Recipe

There is a lady at our farmer’s market who only sells avocados and she is so passionate about it.

Last week, in addition to her usual avocados, she had another basket full of them on the side. There was a sign on it saying, “10 for $5.00”. When I asked her why, she said they were riper than she would like, so she put them on sale. I picked one and it wasn’t bad at all so I came back home with 10 avocados.

With the help of these avocados, I decided to make a Southwestern Chicken Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing.

That was the real inspiration for this easy homemade creamy avocado dressing recipe. Simple, homemade, and absolutely divine.

This is why I decided to feature this salad dressing all on its own so you can really learn what it takes to make the best avocado-based dressing. Plus, it’s a richer and creamier alternative to my all-time favorite,  Simple Lemon Vinaigrette.

So let’s dive deep into what it takes to make the best creamy avocado sauce. And what you should know when you have one too many avocados on hand.

Ingredients for simple avocado salad dressing

This homemade avocado dressing is made with ripe avocados, olive oil, garlic, cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice, kosher salt, black pepper, water (or almond milk) and jalapeno (depending on if you’d like it spicy).

Helpful notes on the ingredients

• Avocados: 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. For this DIY avocado salad dressing, we want avocados at the peak of ripeness.
• Jalapeno: I prefer my avocado dressing mild, so I remove the seeds and ribs before blending. Feel free to leave these intact for a spicy salad dressing. Or simply omit the entire jalapeno to keep it mild.
• Water or Almond Milk: Adding water or almond milk is optional. The dressing is very thick when you first whirl it in the blender. Adding any form of liquid, whether it is plain water, almond milk, or your favorite plant-based milk will make it looser. It’s best to add the liquid 1 Tablespoon at a time depending on how thick or thin you want it.
• Lemon juice or Lime Juice: This is one of those dressings that you can use lime and lemon juice interchangeably. The important thing to note here is that freshly squeezed is always better than storebought.

How to make homemade avocado salad dressing

This simple and homemade avocado sauce requires a food processor (or a blender) and less than 10 minutes to creamy goodness. Simply:

1. Start with the liquid ingredients. In the base of your food processor, add olive oil and lime juice.
2. Add avocados. Next, add the remaining ingredients – avocados, garlic, cilantro, salt, pepper and jalapeno (if using).

3. Blend. Blend for 30 seconds and check the consistency. If you’d like the dressing thinner, add water or almond milk, 1 Tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

How Long Does Avocado Dressing Last

This dressing made with avocados will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The acidity in the freshly squeezed lime juice will help prevent the sauce from turning brown.

Can I freeze it?

I do not recommend freezing this dressing recipe.

How To Keep Raw Avocado Dressing From Turning Brown

The acid in the lime juice will help keep the avocado from turning brown. But for added insurance, the best way to prevent the dressing from oxidizing and turning brown is to press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface.

Alternatively, simply drizzle the surface with a thin layer of mild olive oil after each use.

How Many Calories In One Serving Of Dressing?

This recipe makes about a cup and a half of avocado garlic dressing, which is about 24 tablespoons. One serving, or about 1 Tablespoon of this healthy avocado dressing, is 15 calories. Keep in mind this dressing is packed with clean, good-for-you ingredients. And the avocados come with a ton of healthy fats you can feel good about.

It also just so happens to be Paleo, Raw, Dairy-Free and Vegan, too!

Variations

I think this is a fantastic salad dressing, dip or sauce you can make year-round that makes the best use of ripe avocados. A few variations include:

• Omit the olive oil. If you are calorie conscious and want to avoid adding additional fat in the dressing, feel free to add water instead of olive oil.
• Make it mild, medium or spicy. If you like heat, keep the seeds of the jalapeno pepper intact. If you are not a fan, omit the seeds for medium or simply omit the jalapeno for mild.
• No cilantro. I know a lot of people who do not like cilantro. If you are one of them, you can always replace it with flat-leaf Italian parsley or mint, or omit the herb entirely.
• Add a creamy ingredient. This will no longer make it vegan, but ¼ cup Greek yogurt, Mexican crema, or sour cream would add a special touch. This will thicken the sauce, so make sure to have extra water or almond milk nearby.

Uses for Avocado Dressing

I know that I have been talking about this recipe as a dressing, but it could also be used as a pasta sauce or even as a dip. I love to add this creamy, vibrant dressing to any type of leafy green salad recipe, but you could also try:

• Avocado Sauce for Tacos: Drizzling over Flank Steak Tacos, Beef Brisket Tacos, Black Bean and Quinoa Tacos
• As a substitute for other salad dressings: Using it as a dressing-substitute in healthy chicken salad or chickpea tuna salad recipe or replacing the Chili Lime Vinaigrette in this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad. I also use this avocado dressing to replace ranch dressing in many of my recipes, which is why we also call it guacamole salad dressing.

• Serve it as a dip on a cheese plate: Eating it as a creamy guacamole dressing with fresh-cut vegetables and tortilla chips as a part of a Mexican-inspired cheese plate
• Use it as a topping in place of sliced avocados: Topping your favorite chili bowls like my ultimate Vegan Chili, Vegetarian Quinoa Chili or Easy Chicken Chili.

• As a base for your avocado toast: Simply spread a piece of toast with a generous amount of this avocado cilantro lime sauce and top it off with a fried egg.

At this point, I think we can all agree that this creamy avocado lime dressing is one of those lifesaver dressings. If you have it in your fridge, you can have dinner on the table in no time.

Other Recipes with Avocados That You Might Like

• Green Cashew and Avocado Sauce
• Coconut Milk and Avocado Ice Cream
• Vegan Peach Avocado Salad
• Texas Caviar Salad
• Mexican Corn Salad
• Avocado Watermelon Salad

Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing Recipe

By Aysegul Sanford

Yields: 6 servings or 1 1/2 cups

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

This 10-minutes-to-make and vegan Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing is an easy way to freshen up your salads and pasta dishes. You can even serve it as a dip with chips on the side. It is made with everyday ingredients like ripe avocados, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, garlic, and lemon or lime juice.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of lime or lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 ripe avocados peeled and cut into small pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic peeled and minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper seeded (optional)
• ½ cup cilantro rinsed and roughly chopped
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• Almond milk - optional

Instructions

• Place lime or lemon juice, olive oil, avocados, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Process 4-5 minutes or until creamy. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula a few times during the process.
• If you want a more liquidy avocado dressing add in almond milk in one tablespoon increments until it reaches to the consistency you desire.
• Taste for seasoning and add if necessary.
• Place in a jar, place a piece of stretch film on top of the surface of the dressing to keep it from browning, and close it tightly with a lid. As long as it is kept in the fridge, this dressing will be good for 4-5 days.

Video

Notes

As long as it is stored in an airtight container and stored in the fridge, this avocado dressing will keep fresh up to 4-5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 213IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Course: Dressing

Cuisine: Mexican/Southwestern

Keywords: Avocado Dressing Recipe, Avocado salad dressing

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This recipe was originally published in September 2016. It is updated with new photos, additional helpful information and a how-to video in July 2020.