Name: Avocado Dressing Recipe (Creamy, No Mayo or Yogurt)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: Pinch salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp Fresh dill / chives / parsley / coriander; 1 Small garlic clove; 0.5 Ripe avocado; Juice of 2 lemons; 160 ml Neutral tasting oil; Water to loosen

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This avocado dressing sits at the rich, creamy end of the dressing scale, but there is no mayo or yogurt in it. Ripe avocado and garlic are blended into a puree, then a neutral oil goes in to make a properly emulsified dressing. I made it as the creamy example in my salad dressing formula video, because ranch and Caesar have been done a million times.

Why You’ll Love This Avocado Dressing

It takes about 10 minutes and one high-sided container. Because the oil is neutral, you can blend it as hard as you like and make sure the dressing is fully emulsified. You taste it at the end, add salt if it needs it and loosen it with a little water if it is too thick.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ripe avocado: half, pitted. It gives the dressing its body and helps the oil emulsify.
Garlic: one small clove, which needs to break down completely in the blend.
Fresh herbs: 2 tablespoons. I use chives in the video, but dill, parsley or coriander also work.
Lemon juice: the juice of 2 lemons, or enough to get 60ml.
Neutral tasting oil: 160ml. Not extra virgin olive oil, because you are going to blend it properly.
Salt, black pepper and water: a pinch of salt, pepper to your liking, and a little water to loosen.

How to Make Avocado Dressing

Use a high-sided container and a stick blender. It is my go-to combination for dressings because it is quick and easy to control the mess.

Blend the base. Put the salt, pepper, herbs, garlic, avocado and lemon juice in the container and blend to a smooth puree. Check the garlic has fully broken down and isn’t stuck to the bottom.

Add the oil. Stream in the 160ml of neutral oil while you blend, until you have an emulsion. Because this isn’t an extra virgin olive oil, you don’t have to worry about over blending, so you can really make sure it is emulsified.

Taste and loosen. Add a little salt if it needs it. If the consistency is too thick, add a little water to loosen it.

How Do You Make Avocado Dressing Without Mayo?

Let the avocado do the work. Anything wet with some body, like mustard, an egg yolk or avocado, helps the oil emulsify, so this recipe needs no mayo, yogurt or egg: just avocado, garlic, lemon, herbs and neutral oil. If you want to see an egg yolk emulsion built from scratch, my tartar sauce recipe does exactly that.

What to Serve With Avocado Dressing

This dressing is heavier and creamier than a vinaigrette, so it needs a strong, robust leaf like kale. Young, fragile leaves are better with a light oil and vinegar dressing. In the video I tossed kale with blanched fine beans, a little broccoli and some jalapenos for spice. The flavour is less punchy than a vinaigrette, so I am a bit more generous with it from the start, and I add the other ingredients to the bowl at the same time so they get coated too.

How Long Does Avocado Dressing Last?

Keep it in the fridge. It starts to lose its freshness after about 48 hours, so it is one to make for the next couple of days rather than a big batch. That is the shortest of the three dressings in my video: the vinaigrette lasts a month and the sun-dried tomato one around a week.