In the summer, there’s nothing I love more than a bright and fresh side salad. This avocado salad is loaded with seasonal produce like tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, and red onion. It’s dressed in a sweet and tangy dressing filled with fresh herbs, too! I love this light, creamy, and refreshing side with just about any meal!
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I love avocados in all forms, so I always buy a big bag. The problem is, they all seem to ripen at once, and a girl can only eat so much guacamole! This avocado salad is the perfect way to use up avocados at their peak freshness along with heaps of other fresh seasonal produce. The dressing is perfectly light and tangy, and it really brings the whole dish together.
What’s in This Avocado Salad Recipe?
- Olive Oil: Adds flavor, helps to emulsify the dressing, and facilitates better absorption of nutrients.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a fresh and acidic flavor to the dressing.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Adds a fruity, robust, and sour flavor to the dressing.
- Honey: Adds a subtle floral sweetness that balances the acidity of the dressing.
- Garlic: Creates a savory and earthy base for the dressing.
- Italian Seasoning: Adds classic Italian flavor to the dressing.
- Fresh Herbs: Parsley and basil add fresh flavor and a pop of color to the dressing.
- Tomatoes: I like grape or cherry tomatoes, but chopped large tomatoes also work well.
- Avocados: Add creaminess and a buttery flavor to the salad.
- Cucumber: English cucumbers have fewer seeds than their American counterparts, which gives them a sweeter and less bitter flavor that I love.
- Corn: Adds another pop of sweetness to the salad. I like to cut it right off the cob in season, but frozen or drained canned corn also works in a pinch.
- Red Onion: Adds a bit of bite to the salad to balance out the sweet flavors.
Tips for Success
- A ripe avocado should be firm with just a little bit of give when squeezed. To double-check remove the small stem. If the area underneath is green, it is ripe. If it is brown, it is overripe.
- I used plenty of acidic ingredients in the salad dressing to prevent the avocado from browning, but I still recommend cutting and adding the avocado last (just before serving) for maximum freshness and the prettiest presentation.
- Avocados are pretty soft, so be gentle when mixing into the salad so the pieces don’t break apart.
- If your red onion is too strong, soak the cut pieces in ice water for 10 minutes to reduce their intensity.
How to Store
I highly recommend enjoying this avocado salad as soon as it is ready since avocados tend to brown pretty quickly. Leftovers will keep for up to 1 day in the fridge, although they might not look as pretty the second time around.
Serving Suggestions
This fresh and bright avocado salad is the perfect accompaniment for honey garlic salmon, baked chicken wings, or oven baked steak. And if you’ve still got plenty of avocado, serve it alongside these avocado burgers! It’s a great way to get some super tasty nutrition into any meal.
Avocado Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 16 ounces grape tomatoes halved
- 3 large avocados sliced into chunks
- 1 English cucumber diced
- 3 ears fresh corn kernels sliced off
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
Instructions
- In a large salad bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 clove garlic, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Whisk in the fresh herbs.¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- Add in the grape tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, corn, and red onion and toss to combine.16 ounces grape tomatoes, 3 large avocados, 1 English cucumber, 3 ears fresh corn, ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
Video
Becky’s Tips
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Avocado Salad Step by Step
Mix the Dressing: In a large salad bowl, whisk together ¼ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 minced clove of garlic, ½ teaspoon of Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Whisk in ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley and ¼ cup of chopped fresh basil.
Toss the Salad: Add in 16 ounces of halved grape tomatoes, 3 large avocados sliced into chunks, 1 diced English cucumber, the kernels from 3 ears of corn, and ¼ cup of finely chopped red onion and toss to combine.
Fresh raw corn, summer tomatoes, avocado and sweet onion what more do you need. I started eating this without even putting on the dressing and it was terrific. A little lime juice helps with the avocado. Thanks for the recipe.
Do you cook the corn?
Hi Michelle, no need to cook, but you can if you’d like!