This Mexican-inspired Avocado Salad is so flavorful! Made with creamy avocado, oranges, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeño, and lime juice, it’s zesty, vibrant, and bright!
Keep your heart clear and transparent, and you will never be bound. A single disturbed thought creates ten thousand distractions. ~ Ryokan
This vibrant Avocado Salad recipe is one of my favorite salads to make. It feels like a masterpiece, yet with very little effort. Zesty oranges, cucumber, and creamy avocado are dressed with lime juice. Cilantro, lime zest, and jalapeno give it a little burst of flavor. The flavors and colors are like sunshine for the soul.
Every time I make it, it feels like I’m on vacation, somewhere nice and warm. Who couldn’t use a bit of sunshine during these cold months? Avocado and citrus belong together - a perfect marriage of texture and flavor. And, interestingly, they are in season at the same time, and well, Mother Nature knows best!
This is a lovely, fresh, and zesty salad. Simple, yet so delicious!
Why you’ll love this avocado salad!
Light, healthy, and flavorful. Paired with juicy oranges, cilantro, jalapeño, and a simple dressing of lime juice, this easy avocado salad would be great alongside fish or chicken. Or, enjoy it on its own for a light, healthy, tasty lunch.
Quick and easy! Ready in 15 minutes with just a handful of ingredients.
Avocado Salad Ingredients
- Avocado: For best results, find large avocados that are firm, but ripe.
- Oranges: Use navel oranges, Cara Cara oranges, or blood oranges - or a mix! When in season, blood oranges had a lovely color!
- Lime: Fresh lime juice makes a simple, flavorful salad dressing.
- Salt, black pepper, and Aleppo chili flakes: For a simple seasoning. Aleppo adds a fruity, subtle heat, or use regular chili flakes if preferred.
Optional Additions & Variations
- Fresh cilantro leaves: Optional, but adds to the fresh flavor. Other fresh herbs are nice, too, like fresh basil or mint.
- Jalapeño: Optional, but thinly sliced jalapeño adds nice contrast and heat.
- Red onion or scallions: Thinly sliced red onion or scallions add a touch of pungent, aromatic flavor and delightful crunch.
- English cucumber: Thinly sliced, crisp cucumbers are a refreshing and cooling addition.
- Olive oil: Add a drizzle for extra richness, if desired.
How to Make Avocado Salad
1. Cut oranges and avocado. Peel and chop the oranges and avocado into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add optional ingredients. Add fresh cilantro leaves and thinly sliced jalapeño. If desired, you could also add thinly sliced red onion or scallions, too!
3. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. And squeeze half of a lime over the top. Toss gently, being careful not to over-mix. You don’t want to break down or mash the avocado.
4. Tase and adjust. Adjust salt, lime, and chili to preference. Depending on the sweetness and tartness of your oranges, you may need more or less lime juice, so start with a little and adjust as you go. Blood oranges can be pretty tart!
Chef’s Tips
- How to choose ripe avocados: Use a large avocado or two small avocados. The avocado should be ripe, but more on the firm side. You can remove the stem to check the interior color - it should be beautifully green and free of brown streaks.
- How to cut the avocado: Slice the avocado in half and remove the pit. Use a paring knife to cross-hatch the flesh. Then, with a spoon, carefully scoop out the bite-sized pieces. Alternatively, you can use a spoon to scoop out the whole avocado, then dice it on your cutting board.
- For jalapeños with less heat, remove the seeds!
- Don’t over-mix! You want to preserve the shape of the avocado cubes, so stir gently to avoid mashing the avocado or dispersing it among the other ingredients.
- Start with a little lime. Oranges vary in sweetness and tartness, so start with a little lime juice and add more to taste. Blood oranges tend to be very tart, so you may need less lime. If the salad tastes too tart, a tiny drizzle of honey will do the trick.
Serving Suggestions
This Mexican Avocado Salad is the perfect side dish for a protein like fish, chicken, or tofu. It also makes a delicious starter for any Mexican entrée.
- Fish recipes: Spicy Mexican Shrimp, Baja Fish, Grilled Salmon, Salmon Tacos, or Tuna Tostadas
- Chicken recipes: Chipotle Grilled Chicken or Chicken Mole
- Vegan recipes: Vegan Tlayudas, Burrito Bowl with Black Beans, or Tofu Sofritas
- More favorite Mexican recipes: Mexican Noodle Soup, Tamales, and 45+ Mexican Recipes!
Storage
This salad is best enjoyed immediately, as avocado tends to spoil quickly. If you have leftovers, a spritz of lime juice or fresh lemon juice can help preserve the avocado, as well as placing a layer of plastic wrap over the surface of the salad before storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If possible, enjoy the next day!
Happy delicious week! If you enjoyed this easy avocado salad recipe, be sure to try our Guacamole (Three Ways!), too!
More Avocado Recipes
After you try this Avocado Salad recipe, let us know how it turns out in the comments below. Your review will help other readers, too! Sign up here to join our community and receive our latest recipes and weekly newsletter! xoxo Sylvia
Avocado Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: salad, Side Dish
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: American, Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This avocado salad recipe is a refreshing side dish! A zesty lime dressing coats creamy avocado, oranges, cucumbers, and cilantro.
Ingredients
- 1–2 oranges- use navel oranges, cara cara, or blood orange ( or a use a mix)
- 2 large avocados (firm, but ripe)
- 1 cup cucumber (optional)
- 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves -optional
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced- optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- Drizzle of olive oil- optional
- Aleppo Chili flakes ( or regular chili flakes)
Instructions
- Peel and cut oranges into bite-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl.
- Cut avocados into bite-sized pieces and place in the bowl.
- Elevate. Add optional cilantro and jalapeño.
- Sprinkle with salt and chili flakes. Squeeze with ½ a lime. Gently toss, being careful not to over mix.
- Taste, adjusting salt, lime, chili.
- Adjust lime. Depending on how sweet or tart your oranges are, you may need more or less lime juice. FYI-Blood oranges can often be pretty tart, so start light.
Notes
Feel free to add thinly sliced red onion.
Salad is best consumed soon after it is made. Leftovers will keep up to 1 day in an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 272
- Sugar: 0.9 g
- Sodium: 156.1 mg
- Fat: 15.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 36.2 g
- Fiber: 14.4 g
- Protein: 4.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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YUM.
Thanks Allie!
A really delicious salad, flavours perfectly blended in.
This is a lovely fresh and zesty salad. Simple, yet so delicious! Thanks Sylvia!
Great recipe!! I omitted the jalapeno but included the Aleppo pepper and used Cara Cara oranges because that’s what I had on hand. It’s a keeper 👍.
Sylvia, I love this recipe. I am using more and more of your recipes. Yes, and my husband is enjoying them as well. Thanks heaps for your website.
Im so gladthat your husband is on board! Not always easy. 😉 This is one of my favs too!
Super delicious and easy to make! The recipe works with regular ole oranges too. The red pepper flakes were a great touch. Thanks Sylvia!
Thanks for your comment and feedback Carol. Have the best day. Miss you!
This is absolutely AMAZING!! So fresh and light yet filling. Sylvia, your palette is worth gold. I have been using your recipes for about 10 days and the whole family is enjoying them. Even my husband who is a meat and potatoes guy has been enjoying them and not even missing the meats.