This creamy citrus avocado dip tastes amazing with fresh veggies, sweet potato fries, or chips, but we also love it drizzled on fish tacos, spooned over nachos, grilled chicken, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and more!
This is a GREAT recipe for avocado lovers, like me. I’ll take a perfect avocado any way I can get it! I’m a MAJOR fan of things like Classic Guacamole, Avocado Ranch, and Avocado Salsa, but this easy recipe will always have a place in my heart. Mostly, because…
This Creamy Avocado Sauce Makes an Amazing Dip, Dressing, or Spread!
I’ve been making this citrus avocado sauce since 2014, and it never gets old. There’s SO MUCH TO LOVE about this yummy dip!
🥑 EASE: A handful of simple ingredients + a blender or food processor to do the work. That’s it! (Bonus perk? That simple ingredient list means this avocado salad dressing is also paleo, vegan & whole 30 approved!)
🍊 FLAVORS: Creamy avocado, fresh citrus flavor from orange and lime, a bright note of fresh cilantro, and savory seasonings to finish. It’s HEAVEN. Fresh flavors for the win!
🍋🟩 KID-FRIENDLY. Milder than guacamole, with a smooth, creamy texture, so there’s no chunks. My kids have been eating this creamy sauce since they were 1 & 3!
🌮 SERVING SUGGESTION: Don’t miss our big list of 12 ways to use this sauce. You’ll want to put it on literally everything!
Happy cooking! xo, Emily
Gather Your Ingredients
Optional Extras. If you want to play with this creamy dressing a bit, feel free to add a clove of garlic, some diced jalapeño, or a pinch of cumin or chili powder!
How To Make Citrus Avocado Dressing, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.
- Combine. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Puree the sauce until very smooth. You may have to scrape down the sides a few times, but it should get very smooth, light, and airy.
- Taste & Adjust. Taste the sauce and add additional, salt, pepper, cilantro, or citrus juice, to taste. (Keep in mind the flavor will continue to develop with time!)
- Thin, If Desired. To use as a salad dressing, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to the dressing and whisk or blend to incorporate well, until you’ve got it thin enough for your desired consistency.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy on tacos, taco salad, burrito bowls, sandwiches, burgers, grilled chicken, and more! Leftover citrus avocado sauce will keep 3-4 days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for 1-2 months in an airtight container.
10 Yummy Ways To Use This Sauce
Now that you know how to make it, let’s talk about how to use this citrus avocado dressing recipe! These are a few of MY favorites, but–full disclosure–you’re going to want to put this sauce on EVERYTHING. (I guess the good news is you’ll never run out of new ways to use it!)
- Chicken Zucchini Poppers. Waaaaay back in 2014, I developed this sauce to go with our Chicken Zucchini Poppers recipe. These tender, savory meatballs are AMAZING in this avocado dipping sauce!
- Tacos & Burrito Bowls. This citrus avocado sauce makes a DELICIOUS fish taco sauce, but it’s also fantastic spooned onto our Honey Lime Chicken Tacos or a Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl!
- Burgers. I’m a big fan of a creamy burger sauce, and this one pairs beautifully with a good chicken burger, like our Bang Bang Chicken Burgers!
- Taco Salad. Thin it out a bit, and you can use this creamy avocado dressing on your favorite taco salad recipe. It’s delicious on Black Bean Taco Salad! (Or, add to a simple green salad instead of traditional dressing.)
- Fresh Veggies. Swap out your usual ranch dressing or hummus with a batch of citrus avocado dip! It’s a great option for parties, since it’s just a little bit different, and also works great for meal prep. Pair it with raw veggies, like carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, bell peppers, jicama, and more!
- Sweet Potato Fries. Some crispy baked sweet potato fries pair beautifully with this cool, creamy dip. It’s basically my favorite thing.
- Sandwiches & Wraps. Skip the mayo + mustard and schmear your sandwich or wrap with this avocado spread instead!
- Chips. Tortilla chips + this flavorful dip? A match made in heaven!
- Grilled Chicken. Jazz up your favorite grilled chicken with a dollop of this citrus avocado sauce!
- Nachos. Or, drizzle or dollop this delicious dressing over a sizzling plate of nachos! It’s great paired with other toppings, like salsa or sour cream!
FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Citrus Avocado Sauce
Did you know you can freeze avocados? You can! To freeze ripe avocados, I peel them, remove the pit and place them in a zip-top freezer bag in a single layer. Freeze till firm, then just pull one out when you need it. That way if you bought 5 avocados and they’re ALL ripe on the same day, you don’t have to toss any out.
You can also freeze this dip! I like to put it in a zip-top freezer bag and lay it flat in the freezer. When it’s frozen this way (so it’s spread out fairly thin), it will thaw in a snap! Just give it a quick stir to pull it back together, and it’s ready to go!
How long will it keep? Thanks to all that citrusy goodness, this healthy avocado dressing will stay green for around 3-4 days. You can preserve it best by storing it in an airtight container, preferably with a piece of plastic wrap pressed onto the surface. (The less air exposure, the less oxidation will happen. Oxidation is what turns the surface a harmless dull color.)
Can I Make a Half Batch? It can be tricky to cut this recipe in half unless you have a small blender cup or mini food processor, but if you have one, feel free! Otherwise, just freeze half for later.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our Citrus Avocado Sauce recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Citrus Avocado Dip (or Dressing!)
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados peeled and pitted
- 1/4 cup orange juice I use Simply Orange or fresh-squeezed
- Zest of 1 lime 1 teaspoon
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Combine. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Puree the sauce until very smooth. You may have to scrape down the sides a few times, but it should get very smooth, light, and airy.
- Taste & Adjust. Taste the sauce and add additional, salt, pepper, cilantro, or citrus juice, to taste. (Keep in mind the flavor will continue to develop with time!)
- Thin, If Desired. To use as a salad dressing, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to the dressing and whisk or blend to incorporate well, until you’ve got it as thin as you like.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy on tacos, taco salad, burrito bowls, sandwiches, burgers, grilled chicken, and more! Leftover citrus avocado sauce will keep 3-4 days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for 1-2 months in an airtight container.
Notes
- Storage Tip. For best results, press a piece of plastic wrap or food wrap down onto the surface of the sauce before refrigerating to help prevent browning. (The citrus juice will also keep the sauce looking green and fresh for days!)
- Let It Chill, If You Can! The flavor of this sauce will be best after 1-2 hours, which gives the flavors time to meld. If you have time, I recommend making it in advance for the best flavor!
- Optional Ingredients. If you want to play with the recipe a bit, feel free to add a clove of garlic, some diced jalapeño, or a pinch of cumin or chili powder!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.
Find it Online:
https://www.onelovelylife.com/citrus-avocado-dressing/Originally posted Jul 2014. Updated in Feb 2017. Fully updated with improved recipe notes, new photos and video and republished July 2025.
This is surprisingly versatile. I could put this on basically everything!
What is the calorie and nutritional values of this recipe?
Thank you
Hi, Barbara! I don’t have them calculated for this recipe yet, but you can plug it into any free calculator online. I like MyFitnessPal best!
I will add garlic
Thank you for this recipe it’s amazing!
I added 2 cloves or garlic soooo creamy and delicious!!
Yum! So glad you loved it Natasha!
This recipe is so good!! It’s one of our favorites that I keep coming back to!!
I like to use minced parsley stems as a substitute for the cilantro.
And … When I learned that I can slow the avocados from ripening by putting them back in the fridge, it changed my life. Typically unripe avocados go on the counter where I check them frequently. Once ripe or almost ripe they go back in the fridge to store. I can get avocados at different stages of ripened this way.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
LOVE those tips, Linda!
I’m going to try this sauce as the base to slaw. Maybe I’ll add a bit more lime juice so it’s more of a dressing than a dip. Have you tried it for slaw?
I haven’t used it for slaw, but I bet it’d be yummy! I’d stir it into the cabbage, then just add more lime juice, as needed. Hope you love it!
Deeeeelicious!! This took our fish tacos to the next level. (I also appreciate how you organize your recipes on their “print” page. It has all the tips included.)
Oh yay! I’m so glad!!! These are our favorite 🙂
Enjoyed the flavor alone but added cumin and totally YUM!
YUM!!! That sounds so good! Totally trying that next time!
Loved this with sweet potato fries and the chicken zucchini bites! So good! Thanks!!
YAY! I’m so glad. We had it for dinner the other night and it made me fall in love all over again!
This is absolutely a favorite! Yum!!
Oh. My. Gosh. I just made this and it is AMAZING. So creamy. So light. So delicious!!
I’m so happy to hear that Kara! That’s great!!!
Our family loved this along with the chicken/zucchini bites…even my husband!! Yum!
Oh, I’m so glad, Michelle!
I can’t tell you how thankful I am to hear about freezing avocados! I’m always a victim of them “all going ripe at the same time!” I’m staring 5 ripe avocados in the face right now, actually. Because who can turn away an entire bag from Costco?
Amen! This is what’s saved me!
I LOVE avocado! I could eat it everyday and I had NO idea you could freeze them! My world has changed. I’m printed off a ton of your recipes right now so I can grocery shop today:)
This looks amazing! We are huge avocado lovers over here, but I’ve never used it like this. When you freeze your avocados, do you freeze them as halves, cut into slices, or how? Thanks for your amazing website!
Jillian – I usually just halve the avocados, peel and pit them, then freeze them in halves. Hope that helps!
This sounds so refreshing and versatile, indeed!
Thank you for this!!! I’m excited to try it! Your sister sent me over here to your blog since we have gone dairy and soy free (for baby girl) and my son is peanut and egg allergic. Avocados are a major staple around here! Have you tried avocados on pasta? I blend/process 2 avocados with 2-3 tbs olive oil and you have a yummy sauce for pasta. We add chicken, tomatoes, and other things in the sauce to make it more exciting, but we love it! I am loving your recipes, thanks so much!!
Meghan – Yay! Glad to have you here. I LOVE avocado with pasta. I like it with lemon zest + juice + a little basil. Yum! I’ll have to try the olive oil version next time, it sounds great!