20 Recipes That Let Avocado Shine

Spicy guacamole and avocado toast are wonderful, but this rich and creamy fruit is a versatile ingredient in the kitchen.

Rabi Abonour

Updated March 08, 2024

Overhead view of dipping an avocado fry into ranch on a yellow plate — Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

I've lived in California nearly a year, and one of the best things about it is affordable avocados. They've become a fixture of my diet, and I use them in all sorts of dishes. Creamy and buttery, there are few things that avocado doesn't make better. Often, I'll use it as a garnish, but avocado can also be a star. From an avocado-stuffed grilled cheese to avocado fries, tacos, shakes, smoothies, and ice cream, we've rounded up 20 of our favorite recipes to show you just how versatile the fruit can be.

9 No-Cook Twists on Avocado Toast
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Avocado is good for a lot more than smearing on toast—though we developed nine variations that take this iconic dish in new directions. Think marrying creamy, rich avocado with mango, ricotta, or slivers of citrus and sliced fennel.
9 No-Cook Twists on Avocado Toast
The Best Basic Guacamole
Serious Eats / Liz Clayman
We can't talk avocado recipes without mentioning guacamole. Our basic version is made with yellow onion, serrano chile, cilantro, lime juice, and salt, which we grind into a paste with a mortar and pestle for deeper flavor. Mix the paste with mashed avocado, stir in some more cilantro and lime juice, and serve immediately.
Perfect Guacamole
Guacamole With Roasted Tomatillos
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Purists might think that even our basic guacamole is pushing the limits of the dish, but we love mixing in other ingredients. This variation combines guacamole with salsa verde—you could use store-bought salsa, but it's super easy to make it from scratch with tomatillos, garlic, onion, and serrano.
Guacamole With Roasted Tomatillos
Grilled Cheese With Tomato, Bacon, and Avocado
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
Let's avoid the argument about what constitutes a grilled cheese—whatever you call it, this sandwich is delicious. Bacon and tomato are standard fillings for a grilled cheese, but the avocado might give some of you pause. If you can cast aside your preconceptions about warm avocado, though, you'll realize that its creamy texture is perfectly at home in a grilled cheese.
Grilled Cheese With Bacon, Tomato, and Avocado
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Eggs Baked in Avocado
Serious Eats / Victor Protasio
A breakfast bowl, where the "bowl" is just an avocado filled with incredible breakfast ingredients. The texture of the runny yolk, surrounded by tender white and creamy avocado is truly delightful. A garnish of whole-grain mustard and snipped chive plays off the richness of the avocado with a little savory acidity.
Eggs Baked in Avocado
Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Ripe avocados serve as a vegan-friendly base for this ultra-creamy and velvety chocolate mousse.
Avocado Chocolate Mousse
Vegan "B.L.A.T."s: Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, and Crispy Smoked Mushroom Sandwiches
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
We've gone on record stating that you shouldn't mess with a BLT, but once you've replaced the pork bacon with our smoked mushroom bacon then adding avocado to the mix doesn't sound so crazy. We keep this sandwich 100% vegan by using vegan mayo—either our homemade tofu-based version or a store-bought variety will work.
Vegan "B.L.A.T."s: Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, and Crispy Smoked Mushroom Sandwiches
Crispy and Flavorful Avocado Fries
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Crunchy with golden brown panko on the outside and buttery within, avocado fries are a low-effort, high-reward snack that come together in less than 30 minutes.
Crispy and Flavorful Avocado Fries
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Black Bean, Corn, and Red Pepper Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette
Serious Eats / Jennifer Segal
This summery black bean salad is perfect for picnics—it's served at room temperature and actually gets better if you make it ahead of time and let it sit for a few hours. Along with the beans, we make the salad with corn, red bell pepper, garlic, shallots, and cilantro and dress it with olive oil and lime juice.
Black Bean, Corn, and Red Pepper Salad With Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette
Guasacaca (Avocado Salsa)
Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
Venezuelan cuisine's answer to guacamole has a brighter, more vegetal flavor thanks to the addition of green bell pepper, jalapeño, parsley, cilantro, and large splashes of vinegar and olive oil. The result is a much better condiment for rich foods like grilled meats, tequeños, cheesy arepas, and crispy potatoes.
Guasacaca (Avocado Salsa)
Open-Faced Ka'ak Sandwich With Avocado, Za’atar, and Halloumi
Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer
Freshly baked ka'ak serves as the basis for these rich open-faced sandwiches. The bread is baked with a sprinkling of za'atar, turmeric, nigella seeds, and extra sesame seeds. A simple avocado-based spread is topped with thick, griddled slices of halloumi.
Open-Faced Ka'ak Sandwich With Avocado, Za’atar, and Halloumi
Chicken Salad With Avocado, Corn, and Miso Dressing
Serious Eats / Victor Protasio
If you want a change from classic mayo-based chicken salad, try this version made with a miso-mirin dressing. We fold in sweet corn and cubes of avocado and season the salad with Japanese dried mustard and shichimi togarashi. Cooking the chicken sous vide ensures that it comes out extra juicy.
Chicken Salad With Avocado, Corn, and Miso Dressing
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Tofu and Kale Salad With Avocado, Grapefruit, and Miso-Tahini Dressing
Serious Eats / Victor Protasio
This light yet satisfying salad is made with tofu, avocado, and grapefruit; seasoned with za'atar; and dressed with a mixture of grapefruit juice, tahini, miso paste, lemon juice, and honey. Slowly cooking the tofu in olive oil gives it a super crispy texture that pairs well with the creamy avocado.
Tofu and Kale Salad With Avocado, Grapefruit, and Miso-Tahini Dressing
Cold Soba Noodles With Kale, Avocado, and Miso-Sesame Dressing
Serious Eats / Yasmin Fahr
We often tenderize raw kale for salads by massaging it with olive oil, but here we take a different approach and and simply chop it very finely to quickly tenderize it. Then we toss the chopped kale with a sesame-miso dressing and top it with soba noodles, wakame, bean sprouts, and avocado.
Cold Soba Noodles With Kale, Avocado, and Miso-Sesame Dressing
Fruity Black Rice Salad With Cilantro, Avocado, and Pepitas in Chile-Orange Vinaigrette
Jennifer Olvera
Grain bowls are still relatively trendy, but we've been cooking grains since before they were quite so hip. Case in point: this black rice salad made with mango, orange, avocado, red onion, and pepitas. Be careful not to overcook the rice—you want it to be slightly al dente so it can stand up to the chile- and cumin-spiked orange vinaigrette.
Fruity Black Rice Salad With Cilantro, Avocado, and Pepitas in Chile-Orange Vinaigrette
Fried-Avocado Tacos With Chipotle Cream, Cabbage, and Pickled Red Onions
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
These vegetarian tacos are stuffed with beer-battered avocado slices that are creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside. We serve them with cabbage (the soft avocados need the crunch), salsa verde, pickled red onions, and a creamy chipotle sauce. Make sure to have your tortillas warmed and your toppings prepped, because the avocados are best eaten as soon as possible after they come out of the oil.
Fried-Avocado Tacos With Chipotle Cream, Cabbage, and Pickled Red Onions
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Vegan Avocado Lime Ice Cream
Serious Eats / Victor Protasio
Thanks to their high fat content, avocados can be made into wonderfully creamy vegan ice cream. Unlike ice cream made with more neutral bases, this will taste distinctly like avocado. That's not a bad thing, but it means you should skip the chocolate or vanilla and flavor the ice cream with a little bit of lime.
Vegan Avocado Lime Ice Cream
Hamachi Poke With Cucumber and Avocado
Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
This hamachi poke is a wonderful balancing act of flavors and textures. On its own, the fish is quite rich, so the additions of diced cucumber chiles, and avocado bring needed brightness. Thin strips of lemon zest and a splash of good extra-virgin olive oil are the finishing touches.
Hamachi Poke With Cucumber and Avocado
Jus Alpukat (Indonesian Avocado-Coffee Shake)
Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer
Equally perfect as your morning beverage or after-dinner dessert, this rich and creamy avocado shake is an absolutely delicious way to get your daily dose of caffeine.
Jus Alpukat (Indonesian Avocado-Coffee Shake)
Avocado Smoothie
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
This ultra-creamy avocado smoothie is the perfect way to start the day. The rich, creamy avocado is tempered by sweet, tangy frozen mango chunks, orange juice, and a ripe banana.
Avocado Smoothie

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