How to Eat Avocado 24 Delicious Ways
Go beyond guacamole and avocado toast and enjoy these savory and sweet recipes.
Bryan Gardner
Colorful, nutritious, and delicious—those are just a few ways to describe avocados. Their popularity continues to surge, but not everyone understands just how versatile avocados can be. Guacamole and avocado toast are all the rage, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this subtropical fruit. Don't get stuck in an avocado rut, try these other ideas for enjoying avocado. You can mash, dice, slice, blend, or halve it—and that's just the start. There are so many tasty ways to enjoy this special ingredient.
Related: The Best Way to Keep an Avocado From Turning Brown
How to Choose a Ripe Avocado
To truly enjoy any of the recipes we share below, you’ll need a ripe avocado, less than ripe and you're cheating yourself of the flavor and texture that makes avocado so delicious. Here’s what to look for:
Consistent dark green color: As an avocado ripens, the skin will turn from a quite bright green color to something much more dark. Once an avocado’s peel has reached the dark green stage, it’s ripe and ready to eat.
Bumpy skin: Underripe avocados tend to have smoother skin than ripe ones. When looking for a ripe fruit, ensure the skin has some texture.
Has some give: Give the avocado a (very!) gentle squeeze. It shouldn’t feel as hard as a rock—it should be a bit soft but still have some firmness.
Tips
Avocados continue to ripen off of the vine, so you can choose your avocado with the time you plan to use it in mind. If you’re shopping a few days in advance, select underripe avocados (firm to the touch with a brighter green peel).
Related: How to Pick the Perfect Avocado
24 Ways to Eat Avocado
Whether you mash, slice, dice, blend, or halve them, there's no shortage of tasty ways to add avocado to your meals.
Mashed
Martha Stewart
Mashed is perhaps the best known way to eat avocado, whether it's mashed on top of toast for a quick breakfast or mashed and mixed with other ingredients like onion, tomatoes, lime juice, and cilantro to make guacamole. A simple avocado mash is great for those two uses but also for so much more. All you need is a bowl, a fork, and a ripe avocado to create the perfect spread for burgers, sandwiches, tacos, and more.
Customize your mash: Add a touch of lemon juice or vinegar to keep the avocado from turning brown, then add whatever other seasonings and spices you like—cayenne pepper, a combination of ground cumin and coriander, or a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning are all great options, depending on what you’ll use the spread for.
Ways to Eat Mashed Avocado
If avocado toast is still calling your name, try switching things up with this egg salad-inspired version. Mash the avocados together with hard-boiled eggs to create a protein-packed toast.
Spread mashed avocado as a layer in your sandwich—it's so much better than mayo.
Mashed avocado is a great accompaniment to all kinds of Mexican-inspired dishes. Add a dollop to tacos or serve it alongside quesadillas or sizzling hot platters of fajitas.
Diced
Martha Stewart
Diced or chopped avocados are ideal for garnishing plates of food for color and flavor.
Ways to Eat Diced Avocado
Put it on top of tacos—the diced chunks add great texture.
Serve it alongside scrambled eggs.
Use it to garnish chili or bowls of soup.
Pair it with seasonal summer produce like sweet corn and tomatoes to make a fresh and cooling side dish.
Add to just about any salad, adding a rich, creamy contrast to crisp greens.
When mixed with quick-pickled onions, avocado will take on a guacamole-esque flavor. That relish can be spooned over spicy cayenne-grilled chicken.
Since avocado has a buttery, mild flavor, it works well with almost any other ingredient you pair it with—especially fruit like mango. Combine the two fruits to make a summery salsa. Serve it with tortilla chips for dipping, or spoon it onto tacos or fish fillets.
Related: The Best Way to Keep an Avocado From Turning Brown
Sliced
When you want your avocado to make a statement, cut the halves into slices. Once the avocado is pitted and peeled, you can either slice lengthwise or crosswise—dealer’s choice.
Ways to Eat Sliced Avocado
Use slices to garnish egg dishes like huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, and shakshuka.
They can also take center stage in salads. We love to pair them with similarly shaped ingredients, like supremed citrus—not only does it look beautiful, but the fattiness of the avocado plays very well with the brightness and acidity of the citrus.
Pair avocado slices with other ingredients that have a note of acidity, like ripe summer tomatoes. You can keep everything the same shape by cutting the tomatoes into bite-size wedges or play around with the shapes by slicing the tomatoes into rounds.
Even if you’re not looking to show off your knife skills, sliced avocado is still pleasant to eat. Tuck a few slices into your tacos, an everyday omelet, or vegetable-packed sushi rolls.
Blended
Blended avocado is perhaps one of the most versatile ways to enjoy the fruit—in both sweet and savory applications.
Ways to Eat Blended Avocado
Add avocado for a luscious texture in a smoothie.
Use it as a surprising and delicious ingredient in bakery-worthy chocolate muffins.
Let it be the basis for a divine vegan ice cream.
Blend ripe avocado into a refreshing chilled gazpacho, complete with hydrating cucumbers and plenty of punchy flavors (namely jalape?os, scallions, and cilantro).
You can also blend them with egg yolks and mayonnaise to create a new twist on deviled eggs.
Salad dressings, dips, and creamy sauces each benefit from the smooth, luscious texture of avocado.
Blend avocado into a green goddess dressing for a hearty lunch salad or serve as a dip alongside crackers and crudités, also, try it dolloped over soup and chili.
Use it in place of tahini in hummus.
Halved
If you’re ready to make the avocado a whole meal on its own, consider serving the halves without slicing, dicing, mashing, or blending!
Ways to Eat Halved Avocado
Eat it straight. All a good, ripe avocado needs is a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a few cracks of sea salt and black pepper. You can scoop it right out of the outer skin—no need to peel.
Use it as a base for a salad. Instead of incorporating the avocado into your salad, turn the tables and use the halved avocado as a vessel to hold the salad. You could really fill the avocado boats with any salad that you like, but we prefer chunkier salads that are heavy on the chopped vegetables (and less so on the lettuce). Try this recipe with sweet bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and scallions.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart.
