Name: Creamy Vegan Avocado Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 avocados, chopped; 2 cups cucumbers, chopped; 2 cups tomatoes, chopped (I used grape / cherry tomatoes); ½ small red onion, diced finely; ¼ cup fresh herbs, chopped, optional (I used dill but cilantro or basil would be good); 1 cup vegan goat cheese crumbles, optional; ½ cup lime juice (about 4-5 limes); 2 tbsp maple syrup or to taste; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp salt or to taste; ½ tsp chili flakes or black pepper, optional

Creamy, satisfying, and refreshing, this vegan avocado salad is divine but incredibly easy to make. Fresh and flavorful, this salad is an elevated yet approachable, family friendly, and comes together in less than 15 minutes.

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Hey Internet, after my testing my latest baking creation (coconut cake!) multiple times, I feel like I’ve been chomping on a lot of baked goods lately. So I needed a salad.

I'm kind of a salad fiend to be honest. I’ve already got a bunch of yummy salads on my blog, such as Vegan Caesar Salad, Vegan Goat Cheese Salad with Strawberries and Pecans, Vegan Chicken Cucumber Salad, or Pomegranate Orange Pecan Salad but what’s another to the list?

There's even a website devoted to salad, and their tri-color quinoa salad is next on my to-make list.

But today we're here to talk about a new salad of mine, featuring avocado. It's very trendy right now, and I understand that. Because avocado is just delicious.

This avocado salad almost is fresh and flavorful, but is also substantial and can be a meal! When you add healthy plant-based fats like avocado, the meal is much more satisfying than a standard greens and veggies salad.

This recipe is also super customizable. I use a simple dressing based on lime juice and spices, but you can use any dressing with this salad and it will be delicious.

Ready to make said delicious salad?

What You’ll Need

Well, obviously you’ll need some avocados. Try to pick ones that have a little give, but aren’t too mushy. If under the little brown stem is a nice green circle, you’re ready to party!

Tip: Store ripe avocados in the fridge and they’ll last a few more days than if just on your counter. Similarly, if you have unripe avocados and you’d like to slow the ripening process, stick them in the fridge too.

In my opinion, this salad doesn't need greens. I know most salads have greens but they don't have to!

The avocado REALLY shines this way. But, feel free to add greens (like baby spinach or other baby greens) if you prefer.

Let’s move onto other veggies. I included red onion and tomato (I used heirloom grape / cherry tomatoes for their flavor and also so my salad wouldn’t be too soggy). I also added cucumber which was super good in this.

You can also experiment with other veggies like bell peppers, summer squash, roasted veggies, and more! My favorite salads are often just a mish mash of lots of different textures and flavors.

Fresh herbs are FANTASTIC in this salad. I used dill here but cilantro or basil would work very well too.

The perfect complement to the avocado in this salad is my 5 minute vegan goat cheese. It also packs a bunch of protein and flavor into the salad. Highly recommend.

The dressing is pretty simple: lime juice, garlic, maple syrup, a pinch of salt, and optional chili flakes. It was super easy to throw together.

But like I mentioned before, use any salad dressing you like. I also really like the dressing in my vegan Caesar salad or my lemon miso tahini dressing.

Finally, this salad is super customizable, change out the veggies or dressing you like. Even though all plants have some protein, you could even add another protein to this salad like tofu, tempeh, or vegan meat substitutes. Vegan Lemon Chicken would be FANTASTIC in this recipe. :)

How To Make Avocado Salad

This vegan avocado salad is easy and quick.

If you're using my vegan goat cheese recipe, you can throw that together beforehand. Or I like to press the tofu while I chop all my veggies.

Since I used grape / cherry tomatoes, I just sliced them in rounds. If you’re using regular sized tomatoes, I would squeeze out a little of the liquid, because it can make the salad a little soggy.

Mix the dressing in a jar by shaking it up, or in a bowl / measuring cup with a whisk (this tiny whisk is just so cute (and useful!).

Finally, mix the dressing with the rest of your veggies. Toss well to combine.

Serve it between a few large bowls as a meal or serve it as a side to anything from portobello mushroom steaks to a tomato soup.

How Do You Keep Avocados Fresh in a Salad?

The massive amount of lime juice and the pinch of salt in this recipe act as a natural preservative and will keep the avocados fresh for several hours.

Unfortunately avocado browns quickly due to oxidation, so eat this salad quickly! If you’re worried it will be too much to finish, you can easily halve the recipe and make a smaller portion.

The salad is so easy to make you could just make it again the next day!

Anything Else?

As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does too.

These vegan avocado salad is:

Creamy
Refreshing
Light yet filling
Tangy
Rich
Zesty
Crunchy
Satisfying
And great for a meal, side, or dish to bring to a barbeque or party--even meateaters will enjoy it!

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3 Liz

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