This avocado spread recipe uses soft avocados and freshly pressed garlic. Not only does it take a few minutes to make, but it’s the BOMB for your morning toast!
Why Are Avocados (& Avocado Spread) So Great?
You’ve probably heard avocados are really good for you — but why is that? Not only do they taste really good, but they also have a load of nutritional benefits. With a long list of great health benefits, avocados make the perfect option for a meal or snack anytime.
For those of you who love to know nutritional facts, avocados actually have more potassium than one banana (which helps support healthy blood pressure levels). Plus, there are loads of heart healthy fatty acids that may help with inflammation. Avocados also have a notable amount of fiber, making anything with avocados a snack that fills you up and keeps you full for hours. Lastly, avocados are full of antioxidants that may assist in eye health and lower your risk for cataracts. Are you sold yet?
How To Prepare Avocado Spread
This creamy avocado spread takes only five minutes to make — yes, you heard that right! Instead of going out, make this fast, healthy, and cheap spread for your next snack or meal.
- Prep the three ingredients: All you need is two ripe avocados, a couple cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt.
- Peel the avocados: Peel the avocados by cutting the fruit in half, spooning out the pit, then removing the skin.
- Mash the avocados: Using a potato masher, mash the avocado flesh until it reaches a puree consistency.
- Season & serve: Press the garlic cloves into the avocado mixture with a garlic press and add salt as needed. Stir until well combined. Serve right away or store.
Hot tip: To achieve a more creamy texture, blend the spread with an immersion blender or food processor until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
Seasoning Variations
Are you looking for a way to level up your avocado spread? Take your pick at any of these ways to season your avocado spread. Try one at a time or mix and match with your favorite flavors!
- Spices: Add more flavor to the avocado with a sprinkle of garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper flakes, chili flakes, onion powder, everything bagel seasoning, or any other spices in your spice drawer.
- Herbs: If you like fresh herby flavors, add in ½-1 tablespoon of finely minced parsley, dill, or cilantro.
- Citrus juice: For a tangy, slightly sour flavor, add in a splash of lemon or lime juice.
- Tahini: Although a less frequently used addition, add in a few tablespoons of tahini to make the spread even creamier.
Avocado Spread Tips & Tricks
Even though avocados are extremely delicious, they can be a bit finicky to deal with. They must be the correct ripeness, prepped just right, and stored in a certain way. Here are a few tips and tricks to eliminate any challenges in making this spread.
- Use a ripe avocado: For the best spread, you’ll need a ripe avocado. Anything too hard won’t spread easily, and if it’s too ripe (and brown), it’s going bad. When at the store, pick the avocado that is soft to the touch when squeezed, but does not have bruises or indents.
- Mash the avocado with a masher: The best (and easiest) way to mash an avocado is with either a fork or a potato masher. Fork-mashing tends to produce a chunkier mixture, similar to guacamole. On the other hand, a potato masher produces a smoother, creamier consistency, which is best for this avocado spread.
Ways To Serve
Avocado spread and toast go hand-in-hand. Toast up a slice of classic white miche or sourdough sandwich bread and layer on this spread with a side of eggs, cheese, and bacon for extra protein! Check out this recipe for ways to level up your avocado toast game — such as with an herby avocado toast, tomato and onion toast topped with sea salt, or smoked salmon toast. Any of these make for a delicious and healthy breakfast, lunch, or snack!
This spread is also delicious when served as a dip, similar to guacamole. Serve it in a bowl alongside your favorite potato chips, tortilla chips, or as part of a crudités platter with fresh veggies. Talk about a crowd-pleasing appetizer spread!
Another great way to get creative with this recipe is to make the spread into a topping or sandwich spread for your sandwich or burger. Add it to a club sandwich or tuna sandwich for an extra oomph! The spread takes your boring old lunch sandwich into a fun lunch special in minutes!
Storage
Avocado spread is best enjoyed fresh since avocados have a tendency to brown quickly. Luckily, here are a few methods will help prolong the life of your leftover spread.
- Water method: Place the spread into an airtight container and flatten the top of it to be as level as possible. Add about ½ inch of water to the top, making sure all of the spread is covered by water. Cover with a lid, then refrigerate for 3-4 days. To serve, pour out the water, mix, then serve.
- Plastic wrap method: In this method, place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the spread and push out any air bubbles that may be under the plastic wrap. Keep the spread in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Lemon juice/lime juice method: If you don’t mind a slight sour addition to your spread, add a splash of fresh lemon juice or lime juice into the spread, as well as on top of the spread when storing. Follow the same process as the water method and store for 3-4 days in the fridge.
FAQ
Are avocado spread and guacamole the same thing?
Avocado spread and guacamole are similar spreads/dips, however they usually contain slightly different ingredients. Avocado spread may include a large variety of ingredients, whereas guacamole is most often made with lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and salt.
Is avocado spread better than mayo and butter?
Avocado spread is generally considered to be a healthier spread compared to mayo or butter because it has less cholesterol, more vitamins, and more healthy fats. Mayonnaise and butter typically do not have much nutrition, however, this does not mean they cannot be consumed at a healthy limit.
More Avocado Dishes
- The Best Guacamole Ever — Perfect for chips, sandwiches, and so much more
- Arugula, Avocado, Tomato and Cucumber Salad — Mediterranean-inspired salad with a tangy olive oil based dressing
- Avocado Hummus — Whipped in a food processor for super-smooth deliciousness
- Corn Tomato Avocado Salad — A refreshing and superb way to use freshly grilled corn
Made this and added some dried chili flakes and onion powder. Definitely going to do this again
Hi Don, I'm so glad you loved it! Enjoy!
Why is avocado used as the main ingredient in the meal
Hi Sharon, I'm not exactly sure what you are asking or what you mean. Avocado is the main ingredient because it's an avocado spread.
Appreciate the tip on how to keep spread from browning so I can make and take to a party and pull together avocado toast.
Darlene, thats great. I am glad it was helpful. Thanks for sharing this.
Actually I hate avocado but many resources said that it good for diet. Thank you for your sharing
Hi Gusti, It is my pleasure! Thank you for being a part of the Momsdish community!
I find peeling an avocado hard to do. Instead, I opt for cutting an avocado in half across-wise, twisting the 2 halves in opposite directions, removing the pit (by smacking the long part of a knife blade in and pulling out the pit) then scooping out the meat with a teaspoon. Ready for mashing!
Hi Lucy, Thats such a great tip! I will have to try that. Thank you for reaching out. Have a great day!
What do you mean - "Press garlic into avocado"? Does that mean use a garlic press or simply take whole cloves and bury them in the mashed avocado??
Hi Sheila - It means use a garlic press. If you don't have one, simply mince the garlic as fine as you can and add it in to the bowl. Hope this helps!
I see the nutritional info but about how much measurement wise is a serving (2 tbsp?) thanks!
This recipe makes 4 servings, the nutritional value would be for 1 serving.
Do you know the weight of one serving?
Hi Marlena - Thanks for reaching out. I don't know the exact weight of each serving, but it's about 2 tablespoons. Hope this helps.
I don't know if its already been said, but there is a better way to stop the avocado spread from browning in the refrigerator. Simply cover the top with 1/2" of water, and saran wrap tightly. Then when your ready to eat, pour off the water and give it a stir. It stays 100% green instead of turning a nasty brown.
The best way to prevent browning is to add a squeeze of lemon and store in an airtight container.
The acidity from the lemon and the reduction of air helps to slow down the oxidation (browning).
That's a really great tip, James! Thanks for sharing!
Once you refrigerate this awesome idwa with the water and wrap, how long is the mix good for in the fridge, and can this be frozen ?
I did the water trick once with half of a cut avocado and it ruined the avocado. I tried putting a little olive oil on the open avocado and that worked. The best trick I've ever found is putting the avocado or guac in a sealed container with some chopped pieces of red onion. This has by far worked better than any other method.
Hey Art, I wouldn't recommend freezing it. If you keep a nut in, it should be good for two days in a refrigerator.
This is a great way to keep your avocado green. I also have tried just using saran wrap over the top of it pressing out to make sure all the air is gone. This works just as well without the water and keeps your avocado from turning brown.
Linda, great tip, thank you for sharing!
Amazing Simple Recipe. Thank you for making my breakfast better
Neeil, thank you for a sweet comment! SO happy to hear this!
I'm going to try this! I've been looking for more ways to use avocados and this sounds like the most tasty way yet. Thanks for the recipe. ☺
I hope you love it! this would be amazing with avocado toast. Oh bomb!! 🙂
Hi good morning, what is avocado toast
Lol, that’s a good one! Made me think of it completely different. It’s a bread toast with avocado spread!
I just made this. I used 2 avocados and added 2 tbl lemon juice plus black pepper , salt and cayenne pepper and Tonys to taste. I used garlic powder instead of whole garlic. My husband used it in place of mayo on his sandwich and said it actually tasted good .
Sounds like you are exploring with avocados. I had a plain one for breakfast today and it was so boring...
I just made some today with freshly squeezed lemon, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and onion salt..soo sooo good !!!
Hey Kev, I love all the tips, thank you for sharing your version of avocado spread. 🙂
My husband loves avocados but hates guacamole. He has recently been diagnosed a diabetic and found out he can have avocados. I'm going to try this recipe. (he says eating them "plain" is like not eating them at all. He says they have no taste. haha) I'm going to add the lemon juice too. Something tells me we're going to fight over this stuff -- I better stock up on avocados.
🙂 I like the lemon idea. They are much better with garlic vs plain. I agree that plain is flavorless 🙂
Thanks for great recipe. Here's the explanation for why avocado flesh browns "An enzyme in avocados causes the flesh to oxidize when exposed to air, turning it an unappealing brown color. This is why an avocado is often green underneath the pit but brown on the exposed surfaces surrounding it — the surface underneath the pit is protected from oxygen." So the best way to keep the avocado flesh green is to lay something like Press-n-Seal directly onto it where it is exposed, it works if you gently mold the film to the flesh with your finger so the seal you make is airtight.
Dang!!! You are genius. Thanks for such a detailed information.
Love avocados. I also add a tea spoon of lemon juice. Help with taste and prevent color change.
Great tip! Thank you for sharing!