This simple avocado cucumber tomato salad is fresh, fun, and packed with flavor. Dressed in a simple olive oil and lemon juice dressing and lots of fresh cilantro (or parsley/dill) and ready in just 5 minutes, this cucumber avocado salad is the ultimate side dish for potlucks, BBQs, picnics, and mid-week meals.
Dice the tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and onion. I cut the cucumber in half lengthwise, sliced it into ½ inch moon pieces, finely sliced the red onion, and roughly diced the tomato (for smaller cherry/grape tomatoes, you can halve them) and avocado.To open the avocado, slice all the way around the avocado lengthwise, then gently twist to pull apart. Remove the seed by tapping it (with some force) with your knife, twisting slightly, and pulling to remove. Peel the avocado by hand or scoop the flesh out with a spoon, then roughly dice.
Place the diced ingredients in a large bowl and add the fresh cilantro leaves. Feel free to finely chop the herbs if you prefer them to be more evenly spread throughout the avocado salad.
Step 2: Prepare the dressing
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine.
Step 3: Assemble the avocado salad
Pour the dressing over the avocado cucumber tomato salad mixture and toss gently to combine, then serve immediately or leave to ‘marinate’ for 10 minutes first.The longer the salad sits, the more the flavors will develop.The bite from the raw onions will also reduce as it sits in the lemon juice. However, if you want to reduce this as soon as possible, you can leave the raw onion to soak in the lemon juice for 10 minutes before preparing this salad. Alternatively, soak the onion in a bowl of ice water, stirring a couple of times.
How to Store
Like any recipe using avocado, this avocado cucumber tomato salad is best enjoyed fresh. The lemon juice will help to keep the avocado pieces from browning, but I still recommend enjoying this salad within a day. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the salad, then another layer over the top of the bowl to avoid as much oxygen as possible and avoid the avocado browning too soon.Make ahead: if you want to make this salad ahead, I recommend preparing the salad minus the avocado and cilantro and storing the dressing separately (all of which you should add just before serving). That way you can enjoy salad for several days.The flavor will continue to develop over time, so you may want to add in a little extra lemon juice or seasoning before serving.
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Notes
To avoid a soggy salad: you can optionally "salt" the cucumber and tomato. To do so, add them to a colander, salt generously, and leave to drain (with a bowl beneath) for 15-20 minutes. After draining, pat dry, removing any excess salt. This produces crisper cucumber and meatier tomatoes with a more concentrated flavor. The drained juice (if it’s not too salty) can be added to smoothies and juices or used in stock.
Experiment with add-ins: I’ve added a long list of potential add-ins and recipe variations for this simple avocado salad, so feel free to experiment – you’ll never get bored!
Use fresh, ripe ingredients: this salad is so simple and works best with in-season produce. However, if you do want to enjoy it year-round, I recommend using smaller tomatoes like cherry and grape, which tend to taste better when out of season than larger varieties.
Swap out the salad dressing: I’ve used a simple lemon vinaigrette (with olive oil, salt, and pepper) for this salad. However, the simplicity of the ingredients lends it to all sorts of dressings, including swapping out the lemon for balsamic or red wine vinegar. A creamy avocado cilantro dressing could work too if you want something creamy or a light healthy ranch dressing- experiment!
Read the blog post for tons of optional add-ins and recipe variations including a Mexican, Mediterranean, and mango version of this simple salad!