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Looking for a delicious Avocado Lime Ranch dressing? This creamy avocado salad dressing is delicious over green salads, tacos, grilled vegetables, grains or as a dip for crackers.
Reasons We Love This Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
- There’s no cilantro in this dressing! For some people, a genetic quirk means cilantro tastes like soap! They’ll be grateful there’s no cilantro in this recipe.
- This dressing is fresher and more flavourful than bottled varieties.
- The ingredients can be changed up a bit to match your personal tastes.
- It’s so versatile you can enjoy it on salads, tacos, grilled vegetables or as a dip for tortillas and crackers.
How to Choose Avocados for Salad Dressing
During my market visits around Guatemala, I’m always amazed at the leathery skin of the large avocados and how light they feel. This is what you should look for when choosing the best avocado for your avocado salad dressing.
If it has a tough skin or cascara on the outside, it will be soft in the inside. A ripe avocado should yield to firm, gentle pressure, but shouldn’t collapse or feel overly soft or mushy.
At many markets in Guatemala, Mexico and other countries around the world, market vendors don’t want you touching their fruit or vegetables.
So how can you tell if an avocado is ripe if you can’t touch it? If the stem has fallen off and the skin is not wrinkled, blemished or dented, then it’s likely at perfect ripeness.
In Latin America, it’s also possible to ask the vendor to choose you an avocado for today, tomorrow or a few days in the future.
You can then take your avocado home, ripen it on the counter or in a brown paper bag ( never in the fridge) and within a few days it will be ready to use in your avocado salad dressing. This method of ripening avocados also works for California avocados.
If you have a bounty of avocados, you can also use them to whip up a batch of Easy Guatemalan Guacamole.
How to Store Avocados
If you don’t use up all of an avocado for your avocado salad dressing, be sure to store it in the refrigerator. Once it’s cut open it will turn black if not protected. The key to preventing an avocado from turning black is to store it with the seed inside. Cover the inside flesh to prevent air from discolouring the avocado and making it look unappetizing.
I love to use the Evriholder Avo Saver Avocado Holder, 2 pack because not only does the holder have a strap for holding the avocado in place but there’s a nice indentation for placing the seed into as well.
Tips on Making Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing
- When it comes to storing your avocado salad dressing, avoid using metal salad dressing containers as they will cause a reaction and discolour your dressing. Opt instead for a plastic or glass container. I’ve listed a few of my favourites below.
- If you’re interested in a lower calorie version you can opt to use the lower fat Light Hellman’s Mayonnaise. You won’t notice a difference in taste or texture.
- You can also increase the amount of plain yogurt and substitute for the buttermilk adding water by the tablespoon if the dressing is too thick.
Other Easy Guatemalan Recipes You Might Enjoy
Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 3 ripe avocados
- 1 small onion white and chopped finely
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup Hellman's light mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 salt and pepper taste
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- In a food processor or blender, puree the avocado, onion, mayonnaise, garlic (chopped), yogurt and buttermilk until smooth.
- Add the vinegar, olive oil, oregano, fresh lime juice and salt and pepper and blend until incorporated.
- Chill and store covered in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- This dressing will stay fresh in the refrigerator for three days.
Nutrition
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Experiencing a Temazcal Ceremony in Oaxaca City
Linda ~ Journey Jottings
We’re blessed with avocados growing on the trees around us here on the east coast of Australia so I’m always grateful for new avocado recipes!
Another one I tried recently was avocado/cacoa mousse which seemed like an odd combination for a dessert, but which was delicious!! 🙂
santafetraveler
Santiago Atitlán looks like a beautiful place. I love avocados and my mouth watered looking at that big bag. Bet is was really reasonably priced, too. We used to make avocado dressing when we lived in Florida and they were always around and perfectly ripe. Brought back memories.
Irene S. Levine
Looks like such an unspoiled place that you visited. The dressing looks delectable!
Corinne
I will definitely have to try this dressing. It looks yummy. I need to go to Guatemala still.
Nancy D. Brown
I love the picture of the women washing their laundry in the lake and no one wanting to use the modern structure.
Clicked over here for your avocado dressing recipe. Sounds delicious.
Colleen Friesen
What a beautiful post Michele…so much pain and so much beauty…
And thanks too, for solving my dinner quandry for tonight!
I love avocadoes and this dressing looks divine.
I’m off to the market 🙂
Patti
Whenever I get the perfect avocado it just makes me happy happy happy. I love Hass avocados, there is just something about them; give me some salt and pepper and a fork and I’m in heaven. And as much as I love avocados, I’ve never made a dressing with them so I guess it’s about time to start!
noel
That dressing looks nice and easy, something I would love to try making…i love visiting markets like this and tasting local foods.
Lesley Peterson
Glorious photos! I’d love to visit Guatemala someday. Oh to have so many fresh avocadoes at hand. The dressing sounds delicious.
Neva @ Retire for the Fun of it
Beautiful and amazing views of this place that you captured so well. I’m curious now if the women want to continue washing clothes and not change or if the new area doesn’t have the cleanest facilities for them to want a change.
Michele Peterson
Hi Neva…thanks for stopping by! From what I heard the women prefer to wade right into the cool lake waters and wash their clothes on a rock rather than do their laundry beneath a hygienic (but sterile) washing facility. I don’t blame them….the water looked very inviting. I noticed abandoned washing facilities in other villages and heard the same reason so I suspect it may have some truth to it.
esperanza
Such a beautiful country and so much sorrow which I hope is just a sad memory. The recipe for avocado dressing sounds delicious and I wish I could buy a big bag of them as pictured. Will have to make do with the local produce but I’m sure it will taste lovely
Anda@ Travel Notes & Beyond
What a gorgeous picture of Lake Atitlan! Your recipe sounds very tasty. I love avocado, so I think I’ll try it for my next party.
Michelle
Guatemala looks so heavenly and I’m so happy to find a recipe that me ( a vegetarian) can eat that looks so mouth watering! Thank you for the directions on how to make this dressing!
Carole Terwilliger Meyers
What a yummy souvenir!
Anita @ No Particular Place To Go
We visited Santiago Atitlan and three other villages located on Lago Atitlan for a few days last year and I have to agree with you that it’s one of our favorite destinations as well. The colorful dress of the people who live there, the beauty of the weavings that the women’s co-ops make and the stunning scenery are hard to describe. Great job with the photos!
A Cook Not Mad (Nat)
That looks like a great recipe! Will definitely try it.
Lori Bosworth
I have to bring a summer salad to the annual family barbecue so I think I’ll make your avocado dressing for that occasion! Amazing that the women are still washing their clothes in the lake. It must be quite clean!
Agness
It looks delicious and very easy to make. I love avocado and I have it regularly in my smoothies :).
Kristin Henning
Thanks for the recipe, and gorgeous photos.
Susan
You had me at “avocado”….
Suzanne Fluhr
I’ve read about ongoing violence (probably criminal, not political) still going on in Guatemala. Is that mostly confined to Guatemala City? The Lake Atitlan area looks serene and peaceful. I assume you felt comfortable there. We lived in Mexico for a year and the colors, smells and sounds of the markets is one of my memories. Here in the northeastern US, the type of avocados you describe are difficult to come by. (Lovely photos, BTW).
Michele Peterson
Hi Suzanne..Lake Atitlan (and in particular Panajachel where I stayed) is a very safe place to visit. The only reports I’ve heard are of robberies on a few of the remote treks. Hiring a qualified and accredited guide is a wise idea.
sarah
Your photos are beautiful and bring back memories of our recent stay at Lake Atitlan. We only had 3 weeks in Guatemala but we absolutely loved it and can’t wait to go back. I never got even a whiff of the crime that is reported to be so prevalent…not to say it isn’t there but it certainly isn’t as in your face as some report. I will definitely be trying that recipe!
Suzanne Jones
She was a savvy vendor! There’s nowhere like a local market for picking up a real feel for a place. The dressing looks delicious…
alison @GreenWithRenvy
Nothing better than a good recipe inspired by a wonderful travel experience. Can’t wait to try this as a dip with all the great vegetables appearing at the farmers market this time of year. Looks delicious!
Heather
This looks scrumptious – trying it out tonight!
Emily Kydd
Great photos, Atitlan is gorgeous! Loved it when I was there, and mmmm the foooooood!!!!