There are many ways to eat avocados and indeed there are many things to eat with avocados because they are so amazingly versatile with flavor that can be mild or strong and sweet or savory.
In this post I look at 25 great ways to eat avocado at different times of the day in a range of sweet and savory recipes.
25 Healthy Ways to Eat Avocado
1. Guacamole
The traditional guacamole made from avocado, herbs and spices is probably one of the healthiest ways to eat avocado. Ideal for a light lunch or even a snack, just serve up this homemade guacamole with sliced carrot, celery, bell pepper and more. Guacamole is also the best way to use up avocados that are overripe.
2. Butter or Mayo Replacement
Replace regular butter on your bread with a little pureed avocado or even replace mayo in salads with some pureed avocado. Another advantage of using avocado in salads is that as salads are often lighter in calories, by adding some avocado, it may help you feel fuller for longer – ideal for helping with weight control or weight loss.
Mashed avocado can also replace the same amount of butter in recipes and not only is the avocado more nutritious, but it only contains around a quarter of the calories of butter.
3. Sour Cream Substitute
You can also use avocado as a sour cream substitute. To do this, you will need an avocado, the juice from a lime, one tablespoon of water and one tablespoon of either avocado or olive oil. Blend these together with a little salt and pepper and use on baked potatoes and more in place of sour cream.
4. In Summer Soups
There are many ways to use avocado in summer soups which are great for light lunches or even as a cold starter for dinner.
5. Stuffed Avocado
You can stuff avocado halves with cold fillings, or even hot fillings such as leafy vegetables and lean protein and then bake the avocados for 20 minutes or so in the oven.
6. Sushi
Next time you fancy rolling up some sushi, why not add some grated or mashed avocado into or on top of your California rolls?
How to Eat Avocado for Breakfast
7. With Eggs
If you enjoy scrambled eggs in the morning, then once your eggs are halfway through cooking, add some diced avocado and continue cooking the eggs until the avocado is warm. If you try adding the avocado at the start of cooking, you will run the risk of burning it!
If you want to add a little more protein to your eggs then mix in some bacon and/or cheese, otherwise, just season your avocado scrambled eggs before serving.
As avocado and eggs go so well together, here is another egg option for breakfast. Just scoop out the pit of the avocado half and add a raw egg to the well. Bake the avocado half in the oven for 15 minutes or so at 425°F until the egg white is set.
8. Homemade Smoothie
Smoothies are another great way to eat avocado for breakfast, just add some avocado to either a homemade vegetable or fruit smoothie.
9. Pancakes
Although the color may put you off in the morning, you can make healthier pancakes by adding some avocado to your pancake mix.
10. Avocado on Toast
For a simple breakfast, spread some mashed or pureed avocado on a slice of toast and add a little seasoning.
Other Ways to Eat Avocado
11. Grilled Avocado
If you are grilling meat, then slice an avocado, brush each side with a little oil (and citrus juice if wanted) and place the slices on the hot grill for 30 seconds or so. The slices can be served up with the grilled meats, used as topping with salad on burgers, or indeed as a side for any other meal.
Grilling avocados is also a sneaky way to deal with those avocados that will just not ripen. Just remove the skin and place the avocados on the grill where they will soften and char while taking on smokiness.
12. Pasta Dressing
Use mashed avocado as a pasta dressing – just add some fresh basil and a little Italian hard cheese or even add some mashed avocado to your next homemade mac and cheese.
13. Pizza Topping
Add some diced avocado to pizza along with your regular toppings.
14. Avocado and Canned Fish Dip
Why not add avocado to canned fish and toss with scallions, lemon juice, mayo and seasoning for a delicious dip/cracker topping? Any canned fish such as sardines, tuna, mackerel or smoked trout will work, as long as they are canned in oil.
15. Cakes, Muffins and Brownies
Avocado can be added to muffin recipes – both sweet and savory as well as incorporated into a range of cake and brownie recipes.
Just one tip though, when using avocado in sweet baked goods, you are usually better keeping to recipes which contain cocoa or chocolate as this helps hide the green color of the avocado.
16. Cake Frosting
Blending avocado with cocoa powder and icing sugar makes a simple yet tasty cake frosting.
17. Puddings
The texture and mild flavor of avocado works well in a variety of chocolate or peanut butter puddings.
18. Ice Cream and Popsicles
Avocado can be blended into homemade dairy or non-dairy ice creams, Avocado popsicles (also known as avocado paletas or Mexican avocado ice pops) is another sweet option for avocados.
19. Dairy Free Desserts
Because of its texture, avocado goes well in dairy-free desserts such as key lime pies and as a replacement for butter or shortening in other baked goods avocado can be used as an egg replacement. Two to four tablespoons of mashed avocado will replace one egg in a recipe.
20. Drinks
You can also use avocado as a creamy base in popular drinks such as daiquiris and margaritas!
How to Eat Avocado Raw
If you have been used to eating avocados made into guacamole, added to smoothies or stuffed and baked, it may take a little time to get used to eating an avocado raw or unadulterated. To get the most from a raw avocado, it should be exactly ripe.
Although softness of the fruit is one of the usual ways to see if an avocado is ready to eat, take a look at our post on how to tell if an avocado is bad for more detail around how to tell when an avocado is ready to eat.
Ripe avocados can be enjoyed straight from the skin with just the use of a spoon, although you may prefer to add some mashed or sliced avocado to fresh baked sourdough or crispy bread. You may also want to add a little salt to bring out the flavor of the avocado.
21. Avocado Slices
For a snack, why not add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and some salt to avocado slices? You could also add a few chili flakes and a splash of lime juice. Even adding just a little balsamic vinegar will bring out the best of raw avocado.
How to Eat Avocado If You Don’t Like It
Yes, I understand that not everyone is a fan, but there are ways to eat avocado that will still allow you to add some to your diet.
Adding extra flavors from herbs and/or spices is usually the easiest way to disguise the flavor of the avocado.
22. Extra Garlic Guacamole
If you enjoy Mexican food, then make a regular guacamole but add extra garlic or even ground cumin or cayenne pepper to cover some of the taste of the avocado.
23. Mayo Replacement in Salad
Swap out a half, or even just a quarter of your regular mayo for mashed avocado in a homemade salad.
24. Homemade Dip or Hummus
Using Greek yogurt again, try adding some mashed avocado along with garlic, cilantro, jalapenos and lime for a guacamole-style dip.
Avocado can also be mixed into homemade hummus where the addition of a little of extra flavor, such as from extra spices or some sriracha will disguise the avocado flavor further. Mixing avocado into hummus will also make it creamier.
15. Avocado and Greek Yogurt Breakfast/Dessert
For breakfast, or even as a dessert, add a small amount of mashed avocado to Greek yogurt. Then add some toasted nuts, seeds, berries, honey or more and this will disguise much of the flavor of the avocado.
Final Comments
As I have shown there are 25 great ways to eat avocado in savory and sweet recipes that can be served for breakfast, lunch, dinner or more. Why not try out some of these and then get creative to see what ways you can come up with to eat avocado?
Even if you are not a fan of avocado, adding extra spices or herbs will help disguise some of the flavor so you can still add some nutritious avocado to your diet occasionally.
