I picked up a salad at the Chick-fil-A drive-through a while back and fell in love with their Avocado Dressing. I decided I must have this in my life on the regular without having to drive 19 miles for it. My Chick-fil-A loving taste testers have decided they prefer my version…with no arm twisting involved, I promise.
This Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing pairs perfectly with a hearty salad or
Making Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing
Super simple! In the bowl of a food processor (or blender) place a halved avocado. I use Haas avocados, but use what you have and like. Add to it mayonnaise, a little sour cream, and season it with some sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste. Add in the zest and juice of two medium limes.
Whiz until smooth. Thin with a little water to your liking. Not only does the lime juice add a zippy tang, but the acidity increases the dressing’s life in your refrigerator and keeps it from browning.
Zesting citrus
If you’ve never done this before, you’re missing out on one of the tastiest parts of any citrus fruit, particularly lemons and limes. The outer colored layer of the peel, the flavedo, packs a flavor punch without the acidity or liquidity of the juice. (For example, lemon zest added to cooked green beans contributes a lovely zip. If you add the lemon juice instead, the beans turn gray. Ick.)
The pith, that white layer between the flavedo and the fruit, is very bitter. The zest is the scraped off flavedo layer. A rasp grater makes easy work of this task and is also terrific for grating hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, as well as making a speedy pulp of garlic or ginger. This is my favorite rasp grater. Be sure to zest your citrus before juicing it.
What to serve with avocado dressing?
Sometimes I like to make a composed salad for dinner, either with intentional ingredients or as a clean-out-the-fridge night. This one is simply a bed of lettuce topped with grape tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, chopped avocado, kohlrabi, seared corn, and roasted sweet potatoes. Make your salad with what you like and what you have on hand.
Things from the fridge that are terrific in this kind of salad: leftover chicken, steak or pork, cold green beans, potatoes, salami or pepperoni, cheeses, pickles, whatever ya got. This avocado dressing tastes great with everything.
Other ways to use this yumminess:
- Topping for tacos
- Dip for chips and crudités (sexy word for veggie dippers)
- Replacing sour cream on baked potatoes
- Use instead of mayo on a sandwich
- Slaw dressing
- On a spoon straight out of the fridge when nobody’s looking (cough)
Whip up some of this extra creamy avocado ranch dressing and tell me how you like it!
Creamy Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 large avocado, halved, peeled and seeded
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- pinch cayenne, to taste
- 2 medium limes, zested and juiced
- water, approximately 1 Tablespoon to thin dressing
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor or blender, place all ingredients except water. (Depending on the size of your avocado and limes, you may want to hold back a little of the zest and juice to adjust the flavor near the end.)
- Pulse food processor a few times to catch the ingredients, then run it steady for a minute or so until smooth. Add a little water if needed to thin the dressing to desired consistency.
- Allow the dressing to sit for a few minutes in the food processor for seasonings to dissolve. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Notes
- Adjust the thickness of dressing with water as desired. If serving as a dip, you may want it thicker. If serving as a dressing, you may want it thinner.
- You can use all mayonnaise or all sour cream if needed
- Keeps in refrigerator 1 week.
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