27 Must-Try Avocado Recipes for You and Your Family

Avocados are a health nut’s favorite fruit, and rightly so. Packed with nutrients, delicious fats, filling fiber, and creamy goodness, the fruit is a staple of vegan, paleo, and healthy recipes. Avocado recipes highlight the versatility of this tropical fruit: from dressings to smoothies or even desserts, avocados are a great addition to your favorite meals. They’re incredibly easy to use, too!

Avocado Benefits

For starters, avocados are packed with vitamin C, E, K, and B6 as well as folate, pantothenic acid, and potassium (1).  They also contain a substantial amount of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids as well as plenty of gut-healthy fiber.

Here are a few other avocado benefits you’ve probably never heard of (2):

Lowers Cholesterol: Avocado contains sterol called beta-sitosterol that helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

Maintains Eyesight: The fruits contains lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids that support proper eye function and eye protection.

Supports Healthy Bones: An avocado contains 50% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin K, a key player in calcium absorption.

 Prevents Cancer: Proper folate protects your body against colon, stomach, pancreatic and cervical cancers. It does so by preventing unhealthy DNA and RNA mutations.

Promotes a Healthy Pregnancy: Folate is essential for fetal development. Too little is know to cause miscarriage as well as birth defects.

Fights Depression: Folate prevents the build-up of homocysteine, a substance that causes poor blood circulation in the brain. Homocysteine also interferes the hormones that regulate mood, sleep, and appetite.

Improves Digestion: Thanks to its high fiber content, avocado regulates bowel function and prevents colon cancer.

Detoxifies your Body: Fiber absorbs the toxins your liver excretes through bile and pushes it out.

Prevents Disease: fiber plays a key role in lowering your risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and certain gastrointestinal diseases.

Boosts Weight Loss: Fiber fills you up to help prevent overeating while its fat content leaves you feeling satisfied.

Don’t Forget The Seed

When you eat your avocado, what do you do with the seed? Do you plant it or do you throw it away?

Well, you can actually eat the seed, although there is a way to properly do so, and good reason too!

Avocado seed extract is safe to eat and it improves blood flow by relaxing your blood vessels (3,4). The seed also has analgesic, and antiulcer, anti-inflammatory effects that help promote wound healing.

Here’s how to do it:

Remove the seed from the fruit and place in a plastic zip-lock bag. Place it on a heavy-duty cutting board and hit it with a hammer to break it up into a crumble.

Alternatively, cut it into quarters using a knife and pop it in a high-power blender. Blend into a powder and store in a refrigerated jar for 5-7 days. The powder will be bitter, so add it to strong-tasting foods like smoothies. Feel free to incorporate a teaspoon or two to your favorite avocado recipes too!

You can also make a paste using ground-up seed and water for a healing face mask.

27 Must-Try Avocado Recipes for You and Your Family

Explore more ways to eat avocado by scrolling through these healthy avocado recipes and avocado snacks. There’s something for everyone!

1. Green Breakfast Smoothie

This great little avocado smoothie recipe supplies your daily greens to start your morning on the right foot.

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 whole avocado, peeled and pitted
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 cups spinach
• ½ bunch parsley
• ½ bunch cilantro
• 1 organic cucumber
• 1 teaspoon organic extra-virgin olive oil
• a spoonful of avocado seed powder
• pinch of sea salt
• a few thin slices of ginger
• water, as needed
• a handful of berries

Instructions:

1. Clean and prepare everything.
2. Place all ingredients in a blender.
3. Blend together until smooth, adding water, as needed for desired consistency.

2. Avocado Toast with Pesto and Tomatoes

This avocado toast recipe is a satisfying and quick to make. For more protein, add a fried egg into the mix and you’ll be satisfied until lunch!

Ingredients:

• 1 piece thick cut sprouted bread
• 1/2 avocado
• Freshly squeeze lemon juice
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• A spoonful of pesto
• Fresh basil, chopped

Instructions:

1. Toast the piece of bread until the bread is just golden brown.
2. Prepare the avocado and mash with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Toss together the tomatoes, olive oil, and basil and in a small bowl.
4. Spread the pesto on your toast, followed by avocado.
5. Top with tomatoes and serve.

3. Green Goddess Smoothie Bowl

This smoothie bowl is packed with protein and fiber that will make you excited for breakfast.

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1 ripe avocado, stoned, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 1 small ripe mango, stoned, peeled and chopped into chunks
• 100g spinach (fresh or frozen)
• 250ml coconut milk
• 1 tbsp unsweetened almond  butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
• For the seed mix
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tbsp linseeds
• a spoonful of avocado seed powder
• 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 4 tbsp sunflower seeds
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tbsp coconut flakes
• 4 tbsp flaked almonds
• 2 tbsp clear honey or maple syrup

Instructions:

1. Slice the bananas and arrange on a small baking tray lined with parchment. Freeze for 2 hrs minimum.
2. For the seed mix, heat oven to 180C and line a baking tray with parchment. Place the seeds, coconut and almonds into a bowl, add the cinnamon and drizzle over the honey or maple syrup. Stir until well coated and place evenly on the baking tray.
3. Bake for 10-15 mins, stirring every 5 mins or so.
4. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
5. Put the avocado, mango, spinach, milk, nut butter, banana, and honey in a blender and pulse until smooth.
6. Divide between two bowls and arrange the fruit on top.
7. Scatter 1-2 tbsp of the seed mix over each bowl and eat straight away.

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