I’m obsessed with this avocado salad recipe! It’s easy to make, and the combination of creamy avocado and crisp cucumber is so refreshing.
This easy salad comes together incredibly fast. You’ll make the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. Then, gently toss in the avocado, cucumber, and other salad ingredients. Once you try it, I’m confident that you’ll be making it on repeat!
I’ve made many avocado salad recipes, but this one with crunch from cucumber, spice from jalapeño, and a fresh lime dressing is my favorite. If you love the flavors of guacamole, you’ll love this easy salad.
Key Ingredients
- Avocados: Use firm but ripe avocados for this salad, and keep the softer ones for your Homemade Guacamole. The firmer ones don’t turn mushy, and are easier to cut into cubes for the salad.
- Cucumber: I love the thiner-skinned varieties of cucumbers, such as hothouse cucumbers, English cucumbers (often sold wrapped in plastic), or mini Persian cucumbers. Regular garden cucumbers are fine, but consider peeling them, and if they have a lot of seeds in the middle, use a spoon to scoop them out before cubing them for your salad. I use the same variety for my favorite Cucumber Salad.
- Lime Dressing: My simple dressing made with simple ingredients like fresh lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, diced jalapeño, and salt is the key to bringing this salad together. Lemon juice is a great substitute if you don’t have limes.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is terrific in this, and turns it into more of a Mexican avocado salad, but other delicate herbs like parsley, chives, or basil work, too.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Our Favorite Avocado Salad
Tip 1: Save dishes, make the dressing in the same bowl. Whisk the dressing in the bottom of the salad bowl. Then, gently toss the diced avocados, cucumber, and cilantro in the same bowl.
Tip 2: Texture is everything. I love big chunks of avocado in my salad, and adding them to the dressing in the bowl helps me minimize over mixing, which can cause the avocado to turn to mush. By gently folding everything together, the avocado remains intact and keeps its shape.
Tip 3: Choosing avocados. For this salad your avocados need to be ripe. Here are two methods to see if their ready:
- The Squeeze Test: With the palm of your hand (your fingertips will bruise the avocado). If it yields slightly, it’s ready to eat. If it doesn’t yield and feels firm, it needs a day or two. If it gives too easily, it’s probably overripe and possibly spotty inside.
- The Stem Check: Use your fingers to pull the stem at the top of the avocado gently. If, when you remove it, it’s green underneath, you’ve found an avocado that’s ready to eat. If it’s hard to remove, it needs a couple of days. If it’s brown underneath, the avocado likely overripe.
Tip 4: Variations. This really is a simple salad, so it leaves some space for adding more ingredients as you like. It would be great with some halved cherry tomatoes, sliced green onions, and black beans. After this avocado salad went viral on social media, I started to see some of our readers adding cottage cheese, which I think is a great idea!
Serving Suggestions
This salad is great spooned over tacos, like these Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos, or you can add some protein to it and use it as a base for Grilled Chicken, Cilantro Lime Butter Shrimp, or Brown Sugar Baked Salmon.
More Avocado Recipes
The Best Avocado Salad
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I love this avocado salad recipe with crunchy cucumbers so much that I could eat it every day. It’s incredibly easy to make, and you can enjoy it multiple ways: as a standalone dish, as a side, as a flavorful chunky salsa next to tortilla chips, or even as a topping for larger salads.
I like big chunks of avocado in my salad, and adding them to the dressing in the bowl helps me minimize over mixing, which can cause the avocado to turn to mush. By gently mixing everything, the avocado remains intact and keeps its shape.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
2 medium avocados, about 2 cups cubed
2 cups cubed cucumber, about 1 large cucumber (300g)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1 to 2 limes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed for a milder salad
1 small garlic clove, omit if sensitive to raw garlic
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
½ cup chopped fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, basil, dill, or a combination (25g)
Hot sauce, optional
Directions
1Make the dressing: In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, diced jalapeño, and salt until well combined. Stir in the fresh herbs. If you’re preparing the salad in advance, you can cover and refrigerate it for up to one day.
2Add the avocado: When you’re ready to serve the salad, cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and cut them into cubes. Add the cubed avocado and sliced cucumber to the salad bowl with the dressing. Gently toss them around the bowl until evenly coated in the dressing.
3To finish: Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, adding additional salt if desired. Add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce if you like heat.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: This avocado salad is best enjoyed straight away. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a day, though you may notice some browning on the avocado.
- Make ahead: To make the salad ahead of time, but leave out the avocados (don’t cut them yet). Store the salad without the avocado up to 2 days in the fridge. Then, when you are ready to serve, toss in your cubed avocado.
- Add tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are lovely in this salad. Use chopped tomatoes or grape tomatoes.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I’ve made it twice now, and it’s been fantastic each time thanks to the fresh ingredients. The only tweak I made was adding red cherry tomatoes for a touch of color. Thank you for such a great recipe!
So glad you enjoy it, Judy!
Excellent! This is one of the very best salads ever. It also lends itself to additions as and when you feel like it. I have added mini plum tomatoes, soft Danish feta and to the salad dressing some parmesan.
If i can give it 100 stars I would. It is so light and tasty. I added lettuce and imitation crab meat along with spicy honey since I didn’t have jalapeños and it enhanced the flavor. I will definitely have this recipe on a repeat and use the dressing for other recipes. I am ready to make it again this week.
Wow! So happy you enjoy it!!
I agree, this combo is an excellent choice for warm days/nights and has a pleasant zing! Dorrie
Made this salad for the first time tonight. Will not be my last. It’s so Delicious! 10/10 recommend.
Yay! So happy that you enjoyed it!
Excellent! I used dried Parseley and Basil, and garlic powder.
Excellent👍
Five stars! Loved the jalapeño pepper in the dish” easy and delicious. I made the dish.
Made this salad last night. My husband loved it!!!!!! Will be my go-to salad for the summer. It’s very tasty and easy to make and would definitely compliment all meals. I give this salad 5-star rating! M
Simple and nice recipe to suit everyone… Thanks.
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OMG This. I make a similar version without the jalapenos and with lemon juice instead of the lime and add halved cherry tomatoes – my favorite salad ever! So I can’t wait to try this jalapeno lime version!! Cheers A&J!