What is an avocado?
The avocado is a tree native to Mexico and Central America. Avocados, dubbed the alligator fruit due to their colour and shape, are a nutritious fruit to include in your daily diet. Numerous studies prove that this fruit has powerful beneficial effects on our health.
What are the health benefits of avocados?
Avocados have more fat than any other fruit, but don’t let that deter you from eating them! They are full of mono-unsaturated fat, which plays a key role in maintaining a healthy heart. This versatile fruit is known for its high nutrient value and can be added to all sorts of dishes, savoury or sweet, due to its mild flavor and rich, creamy texture.
One avocado contains roughly 150 calories, two grams of protein, and up to 15 grams of monounsaturated, heart-healthy fats. They are packed with essentials vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B (aids metabolism), vitamin K (essential to building strong bones and preventing heart disease), and vitamin E (acts as an antioxidant in foods).
How to Prepare an Avocado
Avocados are best stored at room temperature and may take up to 4-5 days to fully ripen. Once the colour turns a deep purple or dark brown hue and yields to gentle pressure with your fingers the avocado is ripe and ready to be eaten or refridgerated.
You can easily include this superfood into your daily diet with these 15 delicious ways to eat avocados:
- Make a raw, Paleo-friendly pasta sauce, such as Creamy Avocado Pasta.
- Substitute for butter or margarine (1:1 ratio) in baked goods or make these delicious Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Mash and substitute for mayo in sandwiches or burgers.
- Mix into a vinaigrette to add a creamier consistency.
- Make avocado frosting for cupcakes or cakes.
- Garnish with sea salt and sriracha and eat raw with a spoon.
- Make a Chocolate Avocado smoothie morning smoothie.
- Serve at breakfast with this Quinoa Sweet Potato Hash.
- Mash and spread on toast topped with sliced tomatoes and bacon.
- Turn a simple salad into a hearty, filling salad by adding sliced avocado.
- Mix into a rice or quinoa bowl or prepare Tex-Mex Quinoa Burritos.
- Add chunks of avocado to soups to add creaminess and texture.
- Make guacamole and serve with raw veggies and/or nacho chips.
- Prepare a healthy Chocolate Black Bean Avocado Pudding for the kids.
- Make your own baby food by combining avocado with other fruits and veggies.
After reading some of the comments here, I kinda think I am crazy…because I do not like Avocado. Something about the taste doesn’t sit well with me. My friends think I am insane cuz I won’t eat Avocado but I’ll eat Broccoli and squash. LOL
Lol! You’re not the only one! I find them really mild…and would think it would be more of a textural issue!
Avocado’s are my favorite. On salads, on eggs, or just cut up with salt! Thanks for this post!
We just started substituting avocado for mayo – apparently we are the only ones who DIDN’T do this. It’s amazing tasting and yes, SOO much better for you. We went from only using it in guacamole to having some almost every night.
Me too! Since I started following a mainly vegetarian diet, I’ve been incorporating avocado into so many different recipes.
I love including avocados when I am cooking or adding to a meal! This is a great post! Love some of these ideas!! Yum. Want to try the smoothie idea!
Thanks!! The smoothie is one of my favourites!
Can you believe I’ve never had an avocado? I’ll have to try them now!
Actually, quite a few people on this thread haven’t tried them…you guys are missing out, lol!
These are some awesome ideas for ways to eat avocados. I will have to try number 9 with the bacon, tomatoes, and the avocados. Thanks for sharing.
I love avocados. I love have them on my sandwiches. It is a great contrast with bacon
Yes, it is! My kids love tomato, avocado and bacon sandwiches!
I’m good with Avocado mashed in milk or cream. You get taste of avocado complemented with milk and I love that taste.
I’ve never heard of avocado mashed in milk!? I don’t drink regular cow’s milk but I might try that in coconut milk. My only problem is I’m not sure I would love the chunky consistency?!
I don’t really get into avocados. However, I know they have a wealth of benefits!
I’ve been hearing about so many ways to eat avocado. I’ve seen lots of recipes for baking with them. I want to try a few.
It’s amazing how great of a substitution they are for butter or margarine!
I did not know avocados were native to mexico and central america I thought Africa definitely lol but I do love avocados and used to eat them daily when I was a kid but rarely now.
This post makes me happy because I love avocados! I am seriously going to make that pudding.
You can even make a simpler one by blending avocado and banana! Just add some sweetener and even a dollop of Nutella 😉
We LOVE avocados in our house! My favorite way to eat them is just to toss them with lime juice and salt. SO delicious!
Lime and avocado are a match made in heaven!
We are all big avocado fans in this house but we rarely get fresh ones 🙁 I need to find a good farmers market nearby to get some! Thanks for this great post! 🙂
Me too!
Great list of recipes and what you can do with avocado. I am from the Philippines and we usually use avocado mostly for desserts, smoothies, etc. so this is not something new to me but the others are a cool addition to what I can do with one. Thanks!
I would love to hear some other recipes in which avocado is the star ingredient! 😉
I’ve never cooked with avocado. It’s one of the few fruits I haven’t really tried. I don’t like guacamole but I can try some of the others. The cookies sound good!
The cookies would be a great recipe to try since they disguise the flavour and texture of the avocado!
I love avocados! I found an avocado slicer on Pinterest I have to have. Such a fun summer food!
That sounds cool! I have so many little gadgets in my kitchen…I could add that one to my collection, lol!
I would enjoy avocados any one of those ways. I don’t often eat them but I love when they can be used in my recipes.
Those are awesome ideas. I am a huge avocado fan and I usually eat it in a salad with some shrimps
I love avocados! I have been freezing mine when they get perfect. I have a problem with waiting too long and then they are bad. I have started making pudding with mine too!
I’ve yet to try freezing them…is the consistency the same once they’re thawed? A frozen avocado pudding would be delicious!
I am an avocado lover! My Grandma used to have a tree in her backyard and it grew so much she had to give them away! It’s crazy how expensive they are in some places as well. In California we get them on the cheap but when I lived in NY I would pay up to $2.00 for one!
I WISH I had an avocado tree in my backyard!! And yes, they are so expensive at some places!
I really love avocados but didn’t know how good they are for me. This is great to know.
I just bought some avocados and ate one yesterday on a tuna sandwich! They are so good and so good for you! These are some other great ideas!
I absolutely love tuna and avocado…that’s how I make my tuna salad sandwiches.
Don’t forget the guacamole! That’s my absolute favorite way to eat an avocado! I haven’t tried any of the other ways that I can remember, but I will!
Of course!
I am headed over to check out the black bean avocado pudding for the kids. I do think they’d like that one.
Just read your message! Hope they love it!
This is a great list on different ways to eat avocado! I love having them lots o different ways!
Honestly, I don’t eat them. I never really had a taste for avocados. Maybe I should try them again. It’s been awhile.
You could always try a recipe that completely disguises the flavour, like the cookies?!
I have never tried an avocado. I have never really thought they tasted well, but maybe with some of your ways to try some, I’ll go out of my comfort zone and give it a try! ❤️
I love avocado, they are nutty and delicious!~ I love it with ice and condensed milk, yum!
I love making avocado ice cream…I add it to fruit smoothie and ice cream for creaminess!
I’ve never had an avocado but I give them to my son. I’ll have to try some of these things to give him a bit a variety.
I am going to have to try some of these delicious sounding recipes. I have not tried to cook with Avocado before.
I have tried avocados before but still don’t like them. I do like guacamole though.
I think it’s an acquired taste or it could be more of a textural issue. I can see how people don’t like them 😉
I love Avocado’s they are addicting. Thanks for the recipes but I like mine in guac and even like that one my eggs haha
I think that is one of the best ways to eat them since it really showcases the avocado, and only the avocado!
I’ve been eating more avocados lately. I’m all about that healthy fat! Thanks for the tips! I need them.
I recently started a new workout regime and the trainer told me that I NEED more fat in my diet…I’ve started eating an avocado every other day!
I have never had avocado in my life, but if you say it is good, I believe you and will try it
Really?! You’re missing out girl, lol!
I love avocados but I never thought to use them as a substitute for butter. Great idea. I have used them in place of some of the mayo in tuna and chicken salad and it’s delicious.
They work wonderfully in place of butter…same creamy, buttery consistency!
I am a huge avocado fan, glad to see all these interesting and new ways to eat them! I would love to try a few of these out.
I LOVE avacados! I use them in everything that I can possibly think of! Thanks for this fun, informative post!
No problem! Hope you’re inspired to try some new recipes!
Yum! I just started eating avocados recently. In the last week so this is helpful to know! I’m never sure what to make or what can be made with them!
You’ll be surprised at how many ways you can prepare them! Check out the links to the avocado recipes in this post!
We love avocados. Thanks so much for sharing these great ways to eat them and a guide on how to pick them.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I love avocado, but I can never seem to pick a good one.
No problem! Good to know it’s taught you something 😉
Mmmm, avocado is God’s butter. OMG, thanks for giving me more ways to enjoy it! Yummy!
Ooh, I like that analogy!!
Avocados are delicious! I made ice cream with avocados and it was so good and creamy. Of course, I can also eat one with a spoon and a little black pepper. Yum!
I’m not a fan of black pepper…but I love adding some Himalayan sea salt!
I love avacados!! I eat them plain and enjoy them. They also make a great ice cream.
Yes, they do! I’ve added them to homemade strawberry and banana ice cream and they add such a creamy texture!
Up until about a year ago, I hated avocados. Then all of the sudden, my taste changed and now I can’t get enough of them.
Same for me…my son was obsessed with them too for a while (he would just eat them raw) and now he can’t stand them, lol!