Creamy Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing

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Looking for a Creamy Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing that’s healthy and delicious? Ready in 10 minutes, this easy recipe combines the best of guacamole, Green Goddess and Ranch dressings into one magical sauce.

If you love Chick-Fil-A’s Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing, you’ll love this version. In addition to pouring this velvety avocado dressing over green salads, tacos and tostadas, grilled vegetables and grains, scoop it up with crackers and tortilla chips.  

Reasons We Love This Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing 

 

• This avocado dressing is fresher and more flavourful than bottled varieties. 
• So easy to make you can whip it up in just 10 minutes!  
• If you love Chick-Fil-A’s Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing, you’ll love our version. You’ll also save yourself a whack of  sodium and saturated fats! A one serving package of Chick-Fil-A’s Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing contains 310 calories, 32 grams of fat and 520 mg of sodium.    
• This dressing features buttermilk and yogurt, which are lower fat options. 
• Avocados contains good-for-you, heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and almost 20 vitamins and minerals. 
• The ingredients can be changed up a bit to match your personal tastes.
• It’s so versatile you can get creative and enjoy it on salads, tacos, grilled vegetables or as a dip for tortillas and crackers.
• This dressing is creamy like green goddess dressing but contains no anchovy or capers typical to the classic topping. 
• 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 dressing. 

How to Choose Avocados for Salad Dressing

The secret behind making creamy avocado dressing is choosing the best avocados. While there are more than 50 varieties of avocados to choose from, the best avocado for dressing is the Hass avocado (persea americana), easily identifiable by its dark green bumpy skin. 

It’s the creamiest, richest in taste and easiest to remove from the skin. It also happens to be the widely available in supermarkets across North America.

Another key to making creamy dressing, is choosing an avocado that’s perfectly ripe. During my market visits around Guatemala, I’m always amazed at the leathery skin of avocados and how light they feel.

This is what you should look for when choosing  avocados for your avocado salad dressing.

Generally, if an avocado 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 not collapse or feel mushy.

At many markets in Guatemala, Mexico and around the world, vendors don’t want you touching the fruit or vegetables. Instead you ask the vendor to choose you an avocado for today, tomorrow or a few days in the future.

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.

If your avocados aren’t yet ripe, ripen them on the counter or in a brown paper bag, never in the fridge. Within a few days it will be ready to use in your avocado salad dressing.

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 leftover avocado in the refrigerator.
• Once it’s cut open it will turn black and look rather unappetizing.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 it. 
• I love to use the Evriholder Avo Saver Avocado Holder, 2 pack. Not only does the holder have a strap for holding the avocado in place, but there’s a nice indentation for the seed. 
• It’s also possible to freeze fresh avocados. Just wash the avocado throughly, slice it in half, remove the seed, cover each half tightly in plastic wrap and place inside a freezer bag. Remove the air with a straw or vacuum sealing machine. Store in the freezer for three to six months. 

Step by Step Instructions on Making Avocado Lime Salad Dressing 

1. Wash the avocado thoroughly. Then, slice each one in half, remove the pit and scoop out the pulp. 

2. In a food processor or blender, puree the avocado, onion, mayonnaise, garlic (crushed), yogurt and buttermilk until smooth.

3. Add the vinegar, olive oil, oregano, fresh lime juice and salt and pepper and blend until incorporated.

4. Add water until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. 

5. Serve immediately. Or chill and store covered in refrigerator.

How to Serve Avocado Lime Salad Dressing 

• Prepare all the elements of your salad in advance. But dress it just before serving to preserve its bright green colour.
• While the avocado adds a wonderful rich texture to fresh green salads, fresh lime contributes a burst of freshness. 
• It’s also delicious when served as a topping for tacos or tostadas. I love it drizzled on Salpicón de Pollo – Chicken Salad Tostadas. 
• Slather it inside chicken, beef or veggie wraps before you roll them up. 
• Also enjoy as a topping for grilled meats, vegetables and side dishes. It adds a wonderful creamy lime-infused tang to Black Beans and Rice – Arroz Negro.

Variations of Avocado Dressing and Sauce 

• For a lower calorie version of this avocado dressing, increase the amount of plain yogurt and substitute water for the buttermilk. Add water by tablespoon until you get the desired consistency. 
• Reduce the amount of buttermilk and serve it as a guacamole dip for vegetables, crackers or tortilla chips.   
• Add cumin, thyme and more mayo to get a version closer to Chick-Fil-A’s Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing. 
• You might also like to try our Prickly Pear and Chia Salad Dressing. 

Tips on Storing 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 for a plastic or glass container. 
• Anther tip for helping prevent your avocado dressing from turning an unappetizing black colour is to store it in the refrigerator in a container that doesn’t allow much air space. I’ve found that a 12 ounce (355 ml) plastic or glass container works perfectly for leftover dressing. If there’s any space at the top, cover it with plastic wrap. 
• If stored properly, this dressing will look and taste delicious for up to five days.  

This recipe was originally published in 2014 and was retested, updated and rephotographed in 2021. 

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