Guacamole is delicious and I can pretty much put it on anything.  Heck, there have been days when I made guacamole and chips/carrots/my finger a full meal.  But avocados aren’t made just for guacamole even if it is one of the best things ever.  

The weird looking avocado is way more versatile than dip.  Even though it isn’t sweet, it’s considered a fruit (technically a berry, odd right?) and it CAN be used in sweet dishes.  It lends a creamy flavor and texture and its fat content (good fat mind you) helps you feel full.  I figured it would be good to show you a few different ways you can use avocados that can be just as good, dare I say better than guacamole!

Sauces/Dressings 

 

Avocado makes a great base for dressing and sauces when it’s blended up with a little coconut milk or even a splash of water.  So many people are used to watery, storebought, non-fat dressing/sauces and that stuff is no good.  Make your own creamy fettucini sauce or try a simple avocado dressing for your next salad.

Soup

Yeah.  Gross right?  Hot avocado soup would be gross which is why you should try it out as a cold soup.  I obviously have a thing for cold soup lately, but some people don’t like regular gazpacho which is totally fine.  Avocado gazpacho is creamy, filling, and delicious.

Smoothies 

Most people use frozen bananas to make their smoothie creamy and sweet but sometimes I feel like a lot of smoothies out there are masquerading as “healthy” milkshakes.  Having a few fruits in your smoothie are fine, but when it’s all fruit that’s a lot of sugar even if it all comes from fruit.  Try this smoothie combo, to get a little sweet, a little creamy, and a whole lotta healthy in one cup:

• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 an avocado
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen spinach or kale
• 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
• 1 tbsp flaxseed

Blend this all together, you can add more milk if you want a thinner consistency, and you can add any toppings you like.  My favorites are chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, goji berries, and any kind of nut or seed butter.

Desserts/Baked Goods 

 

Did you know you can bake with avocado?  I didn’t until a while ago, but it’s become one of my favorite ways to use an avocado.  The fat content in avocados works really well as a replacement for butter.  You can use an avocado in place of half the butter in a recipe or you can experiment with using a whole avocado.  I make this banana bread all the time and I’m working on a muffin recipe that uses avocado instead of coconut oil.

 

It also works as a nice base for puddings or mousse.  The banana in this pudding helps add a little sweetness and for a chocolate mousse try blending 1 avocado, a little coconut (or other plant-based milk), sweetener of choice, and 2-3 tbsp cocoa powder.  Voila!  Healthy, creamy, and chocolatey mousse!

There are plenty of ways to use an avocado that aren’t guacamole, so start thinking outside the dip and start experimenting with this versatile ingredient.

Here are a few more avocado recipes to get you started:

Peach Basil Avocado Wrap– Healthy, Happy, Life

Crispy Coconut Avocado Fries– Me 

Avocado Shitake Spring Rolls– Spabettie

Avocado Chicken Salad– Me

Chocolate Cupcakes & Avocado Frosting– Love & Lemons

Green Summer Rolls– Me