51 Deliciously Healthy, Simple Avocado Recipes That Go Beyond Toast (2024)

Holy guacamole, you can do a lot with avocados! These simple avocado recipes show how this beloved superfood is scrumptious in everything from soups and grain bowls to smoothies and desserts. This staple ingredient is also full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

Take a look through this collection of easy recipes, and you'll find plenty of ideas that scratch your avocado itch without limiting you to toast or guacamole (although we have those, too). Finding the right recipe for this beloved fruit is as easy as making your avocado ripen faster. (Really!)

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Spring Green Salad With Avocado

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Give a plain green salad a superfood boost by adding crunchy pistachios, creamy green goddess yogurt dressing, and ripe avocado slices. The combination of toppings make it hearty enough to be a meal without short-changing on flavor or nutrition.

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Summer Squash Farro Bowl

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This vegetarian bowl balances beans, vegetables, whole grains, and (of course) avocado to put a healthful meal on the table in just 35 minutes. It features farro, an ancient grain packed with nutrients, nutty flavor, and a chewy texture.

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Shrimp Tacos With Guacamole Cream and Olive Salsa

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This taco dish turns avocado and lime juice into a sauce—technically "guacamole cream"—that's spread on each tortilla and then topped with shrimp and olive salsa. Keep this unique avocado treatment in your back pocket to try on sandwiches and grain bowls, too.

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Skillet Mexican Pasta

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Avocado serves as the crowning glory for this one-pot pasta recipe. Inspired by fideo seco, a Mexican bowl of comfort that features thin noodles in a rich tomato sauce, this simplified, meatless meal comes together in 35 minutes.

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Potato, Egg, and Avocado Hash

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This is a one-skillet vegetarian dish that will surely be a family favorite! It tops eggs, peppers, and potatoes with fresh cilantro, avocado, and scallions.

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Crispy Bacon and Egg Tacos

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Though it's not in the title, avocado stands front and center for taste in this Tex-Mex-style breakfast dish. Thin slices top off each taco, along with pickled radishes, cilantro, and hot sauce (if that's for you).

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Southwestern Pasta Salad

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Avocado does double duty in this innovative pasta salad. Half serves as a topping aside scallions, but the other half may surprise you. This recipe replaces the usual mayo-based dressing with a creamy avocado vinaigrette.

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Chicken and Avocado Rice Bowl

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The perfect dinner in a bowl, this recipe includes grain, veggies, and protein for a well-rounded meal ready in just 30 minutes. Topped with an avocado half for flavor, heartiness, and nutritional value, it's a tasty, colorful way to get your avo fix.

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Squash Blossom Tacos

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You usually find squash blossoms battered and fried or stuffed with cheese, but this recipe uses the big, peppery zucchini flowers to fill a taco. Thin slices of avocado, along with sour cream, add creaminess to this innovative, meatless dish.

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Spanish Beef and Rice Bowls With Avocado

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Avocado is more of a garnish than the main event in this simple recipe, but that doesn't make it any less tasty. Peppers, olives, and other Mediterranean flavors with hearty ground sirloin served over rice make the base of this dish, and the avocado topping tops it off.

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Cheesy Chicken Nachos With Avocado and Radish

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If you need a fun appetizer, a snack on movie night, or an easy dinner that teenagers will devour, look no further. You might expect avocado atop nachos, as this recipe delivers, but if you've never tried thinly sliced radishes as a topping, now's your chance.

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Sweet Potato and Kale Tortilla Soup

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A tortilla soup with a vegetarian bent, this recipe features nourishing sweet potato and kale. Top it with creamy avocado chunks, crunchy radishes, and flavor-packed cilantro for a fiesta in your mouth.

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Feta and Watermelon Grain Bowls

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This fruit-forward feta and farro bowl is a summer meal to add to the rotation. Cooking the farro is the only thing you need the stove for. The rest is just to chop the fruit and veggies and whip up a refreshing lime dressing. Top with cubes of avocado and crumbled feta for a creamy finish.

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Easy Guacamole

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This versatile, refreshing, creamy dip crushes hunger any time of day. Top with your favorite seasoning for extra goodness. (We love crushed red pepper flakes.)

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Spinach Smoothie With Avocado and Apple

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Avocado lends creaminess, color, and fiber to this smoothie, where it's whirled with apple, apple juice, and spinach (or kale). This versatile concoction is equally great for breakfast, a quick-and-easy light lunch, or an energizing snack.

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Summer Nachos

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Kids will delight in seeing nachos served for dinner, and you'll love knowing they're chowing down on a tray of summer vegetables: fresh corn, zucchini, shredded cabbage, and whatever else you choose to throw on there. Avocado, yogurt, and lime juice whirled in a blender create this dish's tangy, creamy topping.

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Avocado Chocolate Truffles

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We told you avocado was versatile, but we bet you didn't think you could use it in a dessert! These festive balls combine avocado with melted chocolate, a bit of vanilla, and a pinch of salt, and then they roll around in pretty much whatever kind of topping you'd like.

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Spaghetti Pasta Salad With Avocado-Basil Dressing

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This recipe will likely make you believe in spaghetti's suitability as a pasta salad star. Avocado contributes to a simple yogurt dressing that coats the noodles with a tart-sweet flavor.

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Shrimp Tacos With Black Beans

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These tacos feature lightly fried shrimp and scallions nestled in a warm tortilla. Diced avocado joins the usual roster of taco toppings to customize this protein-packed meal.

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Chickpea Veggie Burgers

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Veggie burgers often get a bad rap, but this recipe offers redemption. Smashed avocado replaces mayo to provide a creamy condiment for a harrisa-spiked, meatless burger.

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Garlic Skirt Steak Tacos

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Yes, it's another taco recipe with avocado. In our world, there's no such thing as too many tacos. This one pairs garlicy slices of skirt steak with Napa cabbage that's sautéed in the steak's juices. As usual, avocado slices top off these top-notch tacos.

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Salmon Tacos With Grapefruit Salsa

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In this fish taco rendition, avocado is a key component in a refreshing grapefruit salsa that balances a spicy salmon filling. Serve with chips and queso, friends and family, and your signature margarita.

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Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes With Black Beans and Avocado

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Not your ordinary twice-baked potatoes, this recipe throws an avocado topping in the mix. If you have five ingredients—one being lots of cheese—and an hour, you can serve this dish as a hearty side or vegetarian main course.

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Japanese-Style Shrimp Salad

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Avocado chunks are just one reason to love this Asian-style dinner salad. Other reasons are crunchy romaine, juicy shrimp, and a soy-mayo dressing that you'll want to put on everything. Use pre-cooked shrimp for a no-cook meal.

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Slow Cooker Birria Bowls

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Avocado slices garnish this rustic, meaty Mexican stew. The recipe starts with searing a boneless chuck roast and then slow-cooking it for 6 hours. To speed up the prep, simmer leftover cooked beef (or chicken or pork) in the spicy tomato-based broth to create a bowl of comfort in just 30 minutes.

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Avocado Grain Bowl With Beet Ginger Dressing

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The mixed grains in this bowl—rice,lentils, and quinoa—get a color boost from cooked beets in a gingery kefir dressing. An avocado half lends a creamy texture to balance crisp fennel fronds and baby greens.

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Sweet Chili Salmon Salad

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This dinner salad makes a light meal but is anything but light on flavor. It stars glazed salmon supported by avocado, arugula, sugar snap peas, radishes, and arugula. A sweet chili dressing unites all the players for a striking performance.

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Smoky Sheet Pan Salmon and Potatoes

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This sheet-pan recipe features roasted salmon and potatoes, but what sets it apart is its topping: a bright avocado and orange salsa. What's more, it's on the table in just 40 minutes.

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Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos

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Hearty slices of avocado join salsa verde to top these "green" chicken tacos. There's also onion, cilantro, and cotija in the mix for a delightfully easy Tex-Mex meal.

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Old School Taco Salad

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You can't have an old school taco salad without avocado slices—or seasoned ground beef and crushed tortilla chips—and this one has it all. It also harbors a few surprises, like thinly sliced radishes and a zingy lime dressing, to keep things interesting.

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Watermelon Poke Bowls

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Here's another avocado and watermelon mashup, but this one has a decidedly Hawaiian twist. Odd couple aside, this recipe includes a load of traditional poke ingredients—sushi rice, spicy mayo, cucumbers, and pickled ginger—giving this bowl the taste of the islands.

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Vegan Breakfast Burrito With Tofu Scramble

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If you're contemplating breakfast for dinner and want to go vegan, this recipe's for you. It looks like eggs, but that's crumbled, seasoned tofu with avocado slices, roasted poblanos, and salsa stuffed into whole wheat tortillas. It's perfect for a dairy-free, meatless, protein-packed meal.

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Coffee Tahini Smoothie

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This recipe mashup combines a breakfast smoothie with your morning cup of coffee for a protein-rich caffeine boost to get you going. Avocado and oat milk supply the protein, while tahini, coffee, and maple syrup lend a unique flavor, making this the perfect blend for busy coffee lovers.

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Cornbread Panzanella

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The popular Italian bread salad, Panzanella, gets Americanized when cornbread cubes replace the traditional white crusty bread, and avocado chunks join the customary tomatoes, onion, and mozzarella balls. Make your own cornbread or pick up some at the grocer. Let it sit for a day to get a bit crunchy.

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Avocado, Banana, and Cocoa Smoothie

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Avocado blends with banana and mango for a creamy texture that's satisfying and nutritious and adds pep to your morning steps. To get out the door even faster, consider freezing your avocado halves.

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Oatmeal With Fried Egg and Avocado

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There's more to avocado for breakfast than toast. Pair heart-healthy oatmeal with salsa, avocado, and red onion for a colorful, tasty bowl that leaves you full all morning.

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Shrimp and Avocado Salad With Crispy Tortillas

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This recipe pan-sears seasoned shrimp and crisp tortillas with olive oil and then adds greens and avocado slices for an easy, filling salad. The whole meal comes together in 20 minutes!

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Baked Avocado Egg Cup

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Minimize cleanup by baking eggs in avocado halves. For an extra punch of protein, line up strips of bacon beside the avocados on a single, rimmed, baking sheet.

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Bacon, Avocado, and Tomato Scramble

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Crisp bacon, velvety burst tomatoes, caramelized onions, and avocado slices make topping this scrambled egg dish a real treat! Plus, this breakfast is packed with protein. It's a win-win!

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Chopped Salad With Avocado Dressing

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Toss this salad with a creamy avocado-based homemade dressing for avocado flavor in every bite. Instead of croutons, this salad recipe looks to pita chips to bring the crunch.

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Black Bean and Avocado Bowl

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Whip up this meatless meal in less than 10 minutes. Bonus: Pack up leftovers for easy on-the-go lunches the next day!

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Tomato, Bacon, and Garlic Mayo Sandwich

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Avocado plays a supporting yet important role in this BLT upgrade. It joins a homemade garlicy, yogurt-based spread (instead of mayo) to take the iconic sandwich to the next level.

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Cucumber and Avocado Toast

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Go green at breakfast with this avo-toast twist. It may not save the world, but it will save you time on a busy morning and start your day with a vegetable under your belt.

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Avocado and Radish Toast

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In the mood for avocado toast? Elevate the classic dish with a little olive oil, lemon, and sliced radish. If you want a little extra protein, serve with a side of scrambled eggs. Just delicious!

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Avocado Toast

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Is any avocado dish as beloved as avocado toast? Responsible, at least in part, for the fruit's immense popularity, avocado toast is easy to make, delicious, and lends itself to countless avocado toast upgrades. It's the hardest working use of this delicate superfood.

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Turkey Taco Salad

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This turkey taco dish is as much fun to eat as it is to say. Ground turkey (or leftover diced turkey, if you have it) makes this salad lighter than the traditional ground beef version, and diced avocado adds protein and fiber to this spicy salad.

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Scrambled Egg Tacos With Avocado and Salsa

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Here are avocado breakfast tacos that are hardy enough for dinner. They're delicious, nutritious, and on the table in just 10 minutes.

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Mexican Chicken Soup

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This recipe doesn't qualify as "easy" as is, but a couple of shortcuts can get it there: Just swap the homemade broth for store-bought, and use a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own. To serve, place a halved avocado in the center of the bowl and pour the hot soup over it.

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California Grilled Cheese

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About 90% of the nation's avocado crop comes from California, making it prominent in Cali-cuisine. This recipe uses thin slices of avocado and red onion to elevate a humble grilled cheese to greater heights.

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Grilled Chicken and Corn Salad With Avocado

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Fire up the grill and give your oven and stove the night off to make this dinner salad. Avocado gets tossed with grilled chicken, grilled corn, and fresh baby spinach in a lemony vinaigrette for a quick summer entrée.

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Tortilla Soup

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This recipe takes an ordinary can of chicken soup to the Southwest in a quick 10 minutes. Just add juicy corn kernels, hot sauce, tortilla chips (or strips), and avocado slices for an easy upgrade that's delicioso.

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