Learn how to use fresh avocados to make a creamy homemade salad dressing that is easy to make. No cream or any dairy is needed.
Does your mind think like this: Avocado = guacamole.
It is by far what most people do with their avocados. I would bet money that it is only thing most people use them for.
Here at Eat Like No One Else, we are all about not doing just whatever else is. That's why I am come before you today with a challenge.
I want you to look beyond the dip that is guacamole. Instead think salad dressing. I know it's too big of a jump to go from guac to dressing, but it's a jump I think you can make.
Avocados make for excellent salad dressings. They add creaminess as well as fats that are good for us - put down that bottle of high fat, low flavor ranch dressing you bought on the cheap and try your hand at making a flavorful and good for you avocado dressing. Let me show you how.
How to Make Avocado Salad Dressing
Let's start by looking at the ingredients you will need - the bare bones if you will.
Here are the basic ingredients you need to make a good avocado dressing. This list can be changed to make different types of dressing because customization is super fun.
Ripe Avocado
Your avocado has got to be ripe. Don't expect to go the grocery store today and demand a ripe avocado. Most of the time they are picked through because people want the ripe ones, so you may have to wait or a day or two, time to learn patience! Or you might get lucky and find a ripe one, it's really a crap shoot.
It's best to plan ahead and don't expect to make the dressing the day you bring home your avocado. To know that it is ripe it should yield some to gentle pressure but not feel too soft or have huge indents on them - these are overripe and likely starting to rot.
Liquid
To have a dressing you need to have liquid so that it's pour-able otherwise you are just eating smashed avocado, a.k.a guacamole and we were trying to expand our horizons here, remember. You have a few choices here, each one will provide a different flavor or feel to the dressing.
Vinegar
Vinegar brings a nice zing. Choose a mild vinegar, like a white vine or rice wine. Basic balsamic is too strong a flavor, save it for making dressing where you want balsamic to be the star. However a milder white balsamic would work.
You could use lemon or lime juice but not as your only liquid as you would need too much to make a pour-able dressing. It would be way to tart. A little bit of lime juice along with the vinegar would work.
Buttermilk
You can also use dairy. Buttermilk is great for making ranch and it's great for making an avocado dressing. It adds the zing like the vinegar but also a creamy dimension. However, I normally make it dairy free as the avocado itself provides enough creaminess without needing the dairy.
Oil
Lastly you add some oil. Olive oil is a good choice here as the flavor would compliment the avocado. Use both oil and vinegar and you have an avocado vinaigrette - I have a recipe for one at at the end of this post - practice that patience again and don't just scroll down to see it now, there is more to read 🙂
Additional Seasonings
Anything else you add is to put the flavor. Of course salt and pepper are stables and much have additions that I always recommend doing by slowly adding and tasting to meet your preferences. A good spice to add is cumin. Buy it whole and grind it yourself if you can. Or you can find roasted ground cumin that will add a nice flavor.
I already talked about citrus earlier but another way is to use the zest of a lemon or lime. You get the flavor from the oils in the skin, without getting that tart punch. I don't think people use zest enough. It's so useful. Strip the zest rom a lemon or lime using a Microplane zester - I own this one and LOVE it!
For me adding garlic is a must. I don't mind using the garlic raw, but you can also roast the garlic in the oven for a more mallow, and sweet flavor.
Finally, in the end if you find your dressing is a little to tart or just needs some added sweetness, use honey. Any wildflower honey will do, but if you can find it avocado honey just seems appropriate.
Avocado honey doesn't taste like avocados at all - but it is a darker, bold honey that tends not to crystallize. Buckwheat honey, which is easier to find, would work as well.
How Long Does It Take to Make this Dressing?
The longest part of making this dressing is cutting open the avocado and removing the pit. If you have a food processor, the dressing will come together in no time at all. The whole process shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.
How Long Does the Dressing Keep?
Dressings made from fresh ingredients aren't going to last as long as some of the store bought dressings. The acidic in the vinegar and lime will give you more time but I would try to enjoy it within a 5 day window.
Making the dressing on Monday and having it for a salad every lunch of the week is a great idea.
Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 whole Avocado
- ½-3/4 cup olive oil
- ¼ cup vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon honey avocado honey if you can find it
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the avocado and garlic cloves to your food processor. Process until smooth.
- Mix in the vinegar, cilantro, cumin, lime juice. Process to combine.
- While the machine is running, slowly pour in the olive oil, until the mixture is the right consistency you want for your dressing. If it is still too thick, you can also add in a little bit of water until you get it just right. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
- Please note : It will thicken when you refrigerate it, so you will need to add more water or oil to get it so that you can pour it again.
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