Asparagus Avocado Salad is a five-ingredient dish that’s delicious and nutritious. This beautiful verdant salad is vegan, gluten-free, and easy to make.
Are you a fan of fresh asparagus?
I look forward to enjoying the green stalks every spring.
Usually I keep it simple by serving them with a little fresh lemon juice or making Marinated Asparagus Spears.
They’re also great in stir-fry.
But my new favorite way to eat this vegetable is in Asparagus Avocado Salad!
The key to making Asparagus Avocado Salad is making sure the asparagus isn’t overcooked.
To me it’s almost like pasta.
I really don’t enjoy eating a bowl of mushy noodles.
And I don’t want my asparagus ruined by cooking them too long.
That’s why it’s very important to have a bowl of ice water standing by to shock the spears and stop them from continuing to cook.
But first we need to remove the tough ends of the asparagus spears.
The trick is to bend each spear until the tough end breaks off.
Then you can discard the woody part and keep the tender ends for cooking.
If you want to learn more about choosing asparagus, storing them, and preparing them, check out this great article from The Kitchn.
Asparagus Avocado Salad takes only minutes to make.
First I blanch the asparagus spears in simmering water for only a minute or two.
Then I quickly remove them from the hot water and transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking.
The spears should look bright green.
If they turn brownish gray while cooking, they’ve been in the water too long.
After I pat the spears dry, I cut them into bite-size pieces.
I like to cut them diagonally on the bias just to be fancy.
Then I add them to a salad bowl along with a diced avocado.
Next the dressing ingredients are drizzled over the vegetables.
Olive oil, fresh lime juice, and a little salt and pepper is all you need.
Finally some fresh mint leaves are added, and the salad is ready to be gently tossed and eaten!
You can use as much mint as you like. It’s my favorite part of this salad, so I add a generous amount.
Asparagus Avocado Salad is perfect as a starter or light lunch.
I struggled with how many servings to call it when I was writing up the recipe.
To be honest, I could eat the entire bowl in one sitting.
But in reality, it’s probably two servings as a starter salad and maybe four servings as a side dish.
It’s great for lunch with a cup of Vegan Wild Rice Soup or Potato Corn Chowder.
Or you could enjoy it with a Vegan Cream Cheese Sandwich or Vegan Tuna Salad Sandwich.
Whatever you eat it with, I hope you like it as much as I do!
Now let’s make Asparagus Avocado Salad!
Asparagus Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus , (about 1 to 1.25 pounds)
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- fresh mint leaves, torn or chopped
Instructions
- Wash the asparagus and remove any tough stalks. In a large pan, add about an inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook just a few minutes until tender and bright green. Drain and plunge in a bowl of ice water to stop the asparagus from cooking.
- Drain the asparagus once it's cool and pat dry. Cut into bite-size pieces.
- Place the asparagus pieces in a salad bowl. Add the avocado.
- Drizzle the salad with the olive oil and lime juice. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
- Gently toss the salad.
- Add the mint leaves and serve right away.
Derrick
made this salad. It was excellent. Great way to enjoy asparagus
jen czaharyn
Can the asparagus avocado salad be made ahead for later use.
Amy
Hi Jen, Yes, it can! I’ve made it a day ahead, and it was delicious the next day.