Avocado Dressing
Last Updated on August 12, 2024 by Heather Reseck
This versatile avocado dressing and sauce adds flavor and creaminess to layered bean dip, tacos, or bean and rice bowls. Think of it as avocado crema and uplevel any Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes. Or use it as an avocado dip for vegetables, as an avocado dressing for salad, or serve it over pasta or spiralized zucchini.
This dressing is blended smooth so it’s a great way to use cilantro stems–which have just as much flavor as the leaves. Don’t let the stems go to waste. Blend them into this creamy dressing. It’s also a great way to use fresh cilantro that needs to be used or cilantro that’s starting to bolt.
And since this sauce keeps its green color for up to five days, it works great for meal prep. Unlike guacamole, it doesn’t turn an ugly brown. The vitamin C from the lime juice and chile pepper reduces oxidation. This makes it work well for meal prep. Make it at the beginning of the week, put it in a squeeze bottle, and drizzle away! You’ll find a lot of ways to use it.
Ingredients
See the recipe card below for amounts.
- Avocado
- Water
- Lime juice (or lemon juice)
- Anaheim or jalepeño chile pepper
- Cilantro leaves and stems
- Garlic
- Salt
Instructions
- Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the pulp and transfer it to a blender.
- Add water, lime juice, chile pepper, cilantro, garlic, and salt.
- Process until smooth.
- Add more water as needed for desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Avocado Safety Tip
Take care when removing the pit from the avocado. Place the avocado half on the counter and strike the pit with a sharp knife to remove the pit. Don’t hold the avocado half in your hand for this step –this is a common cause of hand injuries.
Substitutions
If you don’t have cilantro (or you hate it) you can substitute parsley, 1-2 green onions, a handful of chives, arugula, spinach, or other greens for cilantro. Or just omit it.
Or for a different flavor profile, you can add other herbs such as dill or basil instead of cilantro. The dill version is good with peeled cucumber blended in.
Variations
- Substitute canned chopped green chiles for the Anaheim pepper. Or omit.
- Avocado Spread: Reduce water. Add 2/3 cup cooked white beans.
- Avocado Dip: Reduce the water to make it a dipping consistency.
Meal Prep Tips
- Make extra since this avocado sauce keeps its color for up to 5 days, unlike guacamole which turns dark.
- Put avocado sauce in a squeeze bottle and drizzle it on burrito bowls, tacos, salads, and more.
Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large, ripe avocado
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime (or lemon) juice
- 1 Anaheim chile pepper, seeded and cut into large pieces
- 1 handful fresh cilantro, including stems
- 1 garlic clove, peeled or minced
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out pulp and transfer to a blender.
- Add water, lime juice, chile, cilantro, garlic, and salt. Process until smooth.
- Add more water as needed for desired consistency.
- Makes about 1½  cups. Keeps for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Avocado Sauce or Avocado Crema: Reduce water to ¼ cup or desired consistency. Use instead of sour cream.
- Avocado Dressing without Cilantro:Â Omit cilantro. Or Substitute 2 coarsely chopped green onions, parsley, spinach, arugula, or other greens.
- Avocado Dip: Reduce water to make it a dipping consistency.
- Avocado Spread: Reduce water. Add 2/3 cup cooked white beans.
- Cucumber-Avocado Dressing: Substitute 1½ cups peeled chopped cucumber for chile pepper. Substitute a handful of fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill for cilantro. If desired, add 2 green onions.
- Cilantro stems have as much flavor as the leaves so they can be used in blended recipes such as this. This is also a good way to use bolting cilantro from the garden.Â
- Make extra since this avocado sauce keeps its color for up to a week, unlike guacamole which turns dark.Â
- Put avocado dressing in a squeeze bottle and drizzle it on burrito bowls, tacos, salads, burrito bowls, and more.
- Take care when removing the pit from the avocado. Place the avocado half on the counter and strike the pit with a sharp knife to remove the pit. Don’t hold the avocado half in your hand for this step –this is a common cause of hand injuries.Â
Thank you for your outstanding recipe
You are welcome. I’d love to hear how it turns out for you and how you like to serve it.