Creamy Avocado Dressing

At a glance

What stands out: Creamy, flavorful, and packed full of lighter fats (no mayo!), avocado dressing is reliable for your next salad or sandwich. It makes a pretty fine dip, too.

How long it takes: 5 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: mini-food processor or blender
Servings: makes 1 cup

We're in love with this creamy avocado dressing! It feels indulgent but actually is a lighter dressing. And isn’t it a gorgeous shade of green? It’s so straightforward to mix, too!

Creamy Avocado Dressing

So flavorful! A hint of cumin gives this dressing a nice warm flavor that contrasts evenly with the bright citrus of the lime. Cilantro rounds out the flavor profile with herbal notes.

Lighter. Because it’s from-scratch, this salad dressing is fresh tasting and doesn’t contain any artificial flavors or preservatives. Avocados contain lighter fats and have lots of fiber. So we say, why NOT make a dressing with avocados?!

Versatile. Creamy avocado dressing elevates a simple salad of greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The dressing is thick enough that it works well as a dip. Try it with air fryer sweet potato fries or baked tortilla chips. Because it has the consistency of mayonnaise, avocado dressing makes a reliable sandwich spread too. Try it in a wrap with turkey, bacon, and tomato! We love it on baked potatoes instead of sour cream.

Works for different diets. This avocado dressing is vegan, vegetarian, keto-friendly, gluten-free, and dairy-free.

Bettie Said:

“Our family is hooked — this dressing is memorable!!! We absolutely love it!!!”

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What goes in

• Ripe Avocados: You’ll need one large avocado, about 8 ounces.
• Olive Oil: Another heart lighter oil, this dressing has just 2 tablespoons of olive oil which keeps the calorie count low. If you prefer, avocado oil works well, too.
• Lime Juice: Use freshly squeezed lime juice if at all possible. It just has a fresher taste.
• Cilantro: Use fresh cilantro. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, it can be omitted but it does add a nice fresh flavor that is subtle, not prominent.
• Ground Cumin: This spice is used in so many cultures but we’re particularly familiar with it in south of the border dishes. It’s a warm flavorful spice made from ground cumin seeds.
• Garlic Powder: You could also use fresh garlic, especially if you’re a garlic fan, but garlic powder provides a more subtle shade of this potent flavor.

How it comes together

You’ll need a mini food processor or blender to get that reliable creaminess. A rubber scraper is helpful too. This dressing only takes about five minutes to throw together.

Prep avocado. Rinse the avocado and cut it in half. Remove the pit (seed, stone, whatever you want to call it). We usually lightly knock the avocado half on the counter, pit side down, which loosens the pit so you can pop it right out. You can dice the avocado right in the peel, then scoop out the diced avocado using a large spoon.

Prep cilantro. Rinse the cilantro and spin it dry. You can use the smaller stems along with the leaves. Chop it roughly so it fits in the food processor.

Blend. Add all ingredients to the bowl of the food processor. Process until the dressing is smooth and creamy. Taste the dressing to make sure it has the right balance of salt and pepper. If the dressing seems too thick, add more water a teaspoonful at a time, and process again to blend it.

Serve. Scrape the dressing out of the food processor with a rubber scraper and serve it immediately if you want, or store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.

Serving Ideas

Salads: Creamy avocado dressing is tasty on pretty much any type of salad from green salads to grain salads to roasted vegetable salads.

Sandwich/wrap spread: Try creamy avocado dressing instead of mayonnaise on your favorite sandwiches or wraps. It goes well on burgers, too.

Baked potato: Because the dressing has the consistency of sour cream, it naturally goes well on a baked potato. Try our air fryer baked potatoes or Instant pot baked potatoes.

As a dip: We love to serve creamy avocado dressing as a dip with tortilla chips or crackers. It would be totally at home on a charcuterie board (be ready to fill the bowl often!).

Mexican dishes: If you’re a fan of sour cream on your burritos, enchiladas, or tacos, give this dressing a try instead.

Possible Recipe Variations

• Try different seasoning. Avocados are mild-flavored so you can be creative with seasoning. Omit the cumin if you prefer, and substitute chili powder or another spice.
• Use lemon juice. If you can’t find fresh limes, fresh lemon juice works fine!
• Add a little dairy. This recipe is dairy-free. If you prefer, add a tablespoon or two of Greek yogurt for even more creaminess.
• Make chicken salad with avocado dressing. If you like the idea of a dressing made with avocados, be sure to try our recipe for avocado chicken salad. It’s a bit unique because you won’t find any mayo in this chicken salad. It’s rich and keeps surprisingly well.

Keeping leftovers

Avocado dressing will keep in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for two to three days. It usually does not get discolored, but if you notice a slight discoloration, simply stir the dressing well. Thin with extra water, if necessary.

• Yield: 8
• Prep: 5 minutes
• Total: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced ripe avocado (see note)
• ¼ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ cup water (see note)

Method

1. Blend all ingredients together in a small blender or a mini food processor until smooth.
2. Taste and season as desired. Add more water, if desired to thin the consistency (see note).
3. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

Avocado: You’ll need about an 8 ounce avocado. Avocados vary widely in size so if your avocados are on the small side, you may need more than one. When you dice the avocado, you should have 1 cupful. Be sure to use a ripe avocado. You can tell if an avocado is ripe if it yields slightly when you press it with your thumb. The stem nub should be straightforward to remove, revealing a bright green color.

Water amount: Adding water is necessary to make the dressing pourable. It tends to be quite thick. The consistency can be adjusted by adding more or less water. If you want to use this dressing as a dip, consider using less water.

Everything avocado: If you prefer, substitute avocado oil for olive oil.

Yield/storage: Makes about 1 cup of dressing. Avocado dressing can be refrigerated for 3 days in an airtight container.