This creamy avocado twist on green goddess dressing is dairy-free and requires just a few pantry staples to make in 5 minutes! It's light, zesty, and easy to make your own.
Thanks to my avocado pesto pasta, I've known for a while that avocado is a fantastic addition to sauces and dressings. Ripe avocado blends well and adds a fantastic creamy texture and subtly rich flavor to salad dressing, making it a natural option for a dairy-free spin on green goddess dressing.
This avocado green goddess dressing is adapted from my popular tahini goddess dressing, which uses tahini instead of avocado. This dressing also has fresh parsley, a bunch of lemon juice, and a few optional ingredients.
The result is a dressing that is creamy like ranch dressing but a touch lighter and with a zippy, tangy flavor. This is perfect as a salad dressing or as a dipping sauce!
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Why this recipe works
- One large avocado yields about 1 cup of avocado green goddess dressing.
- Vegan/dairy-free: Many green goddess dressing recipes use yogurt or mayonnaise, but this avocado-based dressing skips the dairy and is 100% vegan!
- Herby and zesty: Fresh parsley, lemon juice, and raw garlic add a zippy and refreshing flavor to this dressing.
- Quick & easy: This dressing is ready in just 5 minutes using 7 pantry staples (plus some optional ingredients.) It keeps well in the fridge for several days.
- Great as a salad dressing or as a dipping sauce with veggies or roasted potatoes.
Ingredients
- Avocado: All you need is one large ripe avocado or two small avocados for this recipe. This equals about ½ cup of mashed avocado.
- Lemons: One large lemon typically yields 3 tablespoons of lemon juice and one teaspoon of lemon zest, and we're using all of that to give this dressing a zesty kick.
- Parsley: Adds fresh herby flavor! Flat leaf or curly parsley work. I recommend sticking with fresh parsley instead of dry in green goddess dressing because it's such an important ingredient.
- Garlic: Raw garlic has a strong flavor, so I recommend starting with just one clove and adjusting to taste.
- Olive oil: Adds extra richness and creaminess. For a lighter dressing, replace the oil with water or lemon juice. Canola oil, avocado oil, and other seed oils also work here.
- Salt: Don't forget to salt the dressing, as it emphasizes the avocado flavor.
- Honey: I don't add honey to this dressing but my mom made the recipe and prefers it with a touch of honey. So this ingredient is optional.
How to make
Equipment: This recipe works best in a blender, but will likely work in a food processor as well. I do not recommend making this dressing by hand as it won't be smooth enough. As you can see in the photos, I used a bullet blender.
Making this avocado dressing is about as easy as it gets.
Simply add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth. Pause and scrape down the sides of the blender a few times, as needed.
If the avocado dressing is too thick for your liking, here are a few ways to thin it:
- Add tahini 1 tablespoon at a time. This adds nuttiness and will make it more like traditional Goddess dressing.
- Add additional lemon juice or red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon at a time. This makes the dressing tangier, so make sure to taste it as you go.
- Add water 1 tablespoon at a time. This is the least flavorful option, but it gets the job done!
Top tips
- For sweeter green goddess dressing, try adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey.
- Make it spicy by adding a chopped jalapeno.
- Basil is a great addition to green goddess dressing. Chives or green onions are other common additions.
- If you have a ripe avocado but aren't ready to use it yet, throw it in the fridge! Storing ripe avocados in the fridge significantly slows their ripening.
- Place unripe avocados in a paper bag or another closed container with a ripe piece of fruit to accelerate the ripening process.
FAQ
The avocado will have a subtle give when pressed gently. If it indents or the skin breaks, that's a sign the the avocado is overripe.
Sure! Basil and chives are a great addition, and I think the green parts of green onions (scallions) would also go well here. Add extra lemon juice or water as needed to thin the sauce, as adding extra herbs may thicken the sauce.
Storage and serving tips
- Leftovers: Best within 3 to 4 days. I like to store dressings and sauces in pint or quart-sized mason jars.
- Avocado oxidizes quickly, which causes browning. Adding lemon juice to the goddess dressing slows browning significantly, but note that after a few days the dressing will be a dimmer green.
- Serve green goddess dressing as a dip or sauce with veggies like cucumbers, carrots, and bell peppers. It also goes well with panko tofu nuggets, grain bowls, air fryer roasted potatoes, and, of course, on kale salads.
More favorite salad dressings
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Recipe
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Avocado Green Goddess Dressing
Equipment
- bullet blender or standard blender
Ingredients
- 1 large avocado see note #1
- ½ cup fresh parsley can include the stems
- ¼ to ½ cup water as needed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice from 1 large lemon
- zest of a lemon
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- black pepper to taste
- honey to taste (optional)
Instructions
- To a blender or food processor at the pitted and peel avocado, fresh parsley, ¼ cup water, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
- Blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender and add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed.
- Adjust to taste, such as adding honey or increasing salt, lemon juice, etc. Store leftover dressing in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- One medium to large avocado, or two small avocados, typically yield about ½ cup of avocado. It's okay if the amount is more or less than ½ cup, just adjust the water amount accordingly.
- Makes about 1 cup (8 ounces) of dressing. One serving is about ¼ cup.
- For a great taco salad dressing, use cilantro in place of parsley and lime juice and zest in place of lemon.
- Also works with fresh basil, chives, green onions, and dill. Add additional water or lemon juice to thin, as needed.
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An easy 5 stars