This guacamole salad is one of our favorite light, refreshing sides — perfect with tacos or enchiladas. It includes all the flavors of guacamole in a simple, customizable salad format.
My favorite dip turned into a salad? Absolutely.
This has become my go-to side whenever we have tacos or any Tex-Mex night at home. It works as a forkable salad or something you scoop with chips — all the guacamole ingredients tossed together with plenty of lime.
It’s embarrassingly easy and doesn’t require strict measurements, but I like sharing it so you remember it when planning meals. Think of it as a quick, reliable side — like hummus quesadillas or smashed potatoes — that’s always handy to have in mind.
Because guacamole is one of my favorite snacks, I’m so excited about this variation. It’s essentially chunky guacamole served over lettuce — a salad in my book — and it’s on constant rotation at our house.
At a local Mexican restaurant they serve several entrees with a “guacamole salad”: shredded lettuce topped with guacamole. It might sound simple, but it’s a refreshing, lighter side compared to rice or beans. Sometimes you even get it alongside rice — rice and guacamole salad together is perfect.
When I eat their version I usually scoop it with chips, but I kept thinking about making my own version where the guacamole ingredients remain chunky rather than mashed — chunks of avocado, tomato, onion, jalapeño and cilantro, all tossed together.
That’s exactly what I make now, and we love it. The kids enjoy it too. It’s a light, satisfying side for heavier mains like enchiladas or even tortilla soup.
You can easily adapt this to your preferences. Add more diced onion or red pepper, toss in crumbled cotija, or increase the cilantro. I usually serve it with shredded or chopped lettuce, but torn leaves work just as well — there’s no wrong way to do it.
And I’m not saying to skip guacamole — I will always want guacamole — but this is a great way to switch things up when you want a fresh, quick side that still delivers classic guacamole flavor.
Guacamole Salad
Guacamole Salad
Yield:
4
to 6 people
20
20
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces shredded lettuce
- 2 avocados, chopped
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 jalapeño pepper, sliced (optional)
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- kosher salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
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Combine the lettuce, avocado, tomato, jalapeños and cilantro in a bowl. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle with lime juice and olive oil, toss gently, and serve immediately.
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And honestly, doesn’t “guacamole salad” sound better than just “salad”? Yep.