Avocado Dip

Avocado Dip ready in 5 minutes!

This Avocado Dip recipe is creamy, tangy, salty, and as spicy-as-you-want-it!  It tastes indulgently creamy yet is wonderfully healthy and makes everything better!

 

Avocado Dip Recipe

This Avocado Dip is my FAVORITE avocado/guacamole spread EVER!  I’m obsessed. The creamy, earthy avocados are paired with fresh lime juice, salty Cotija cheese (aka the “Parmesan of Mexico”), Greek yogurt, a dash of honey all spiced with cumin, chili powder, garlic and cayenne pepper.  The resulting Avocado Dip is sweet, tangy, salty, spicy, lusciously creamy and positively addicting! – AND super healthy and EASY too – winning!

This Avocado Dip is fabulous plain or it’s wonderful as a dip for veggies, chips, pitas or as a spread on wraps, sandwiches, burgers, or pile it on your favorite tacos or enchiladas.  No matter how you serve this dip, it makes everything better!

Ingredients for Creamy Avocado Dip

• Avocado:  you will need one large Haas avocado for this Avocado Dip recipe.   Take care you use ripe avocados so they not only blend beautifully but taste indulgently creamy.  Unripe avocados will not turn creamy and will leave you with hard chunks and a grassy flavored dip.
• Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt:  you can use either of these creamy components with fantastic results.  Even fat -free products will be wonderfully creamy.  You don’t want to use regular yogurt because it is not nearly as thick as Greek yogurt.
• Cotija cheese:  is a Hispanic-style cheese and is wonderfully salty, hard, and crumbly.  It is made mainly from cow’s milk. Aged Cotija cheese is similar in taste to Parmesan and even boasts the nickname “Parmesan of Mexico.”  Cotija cheese can typically be found with the specialty cheese in your grocery store. 
• Lime Juice: you can use fresh or bottled lime juice and use more or less to taste.
• Honey:  balances out the salty cotija, tangy lime juice and spicy cayenne pepper.  Use more or less to taste. 
• Seasonings:  ground cumin, chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.  You will want to add salt to taste depending on how salty your Cotija cheese is.  If your Avocado Dip tastes like it’s missing something – it is probably salt.

HOW CAN I TELL IF AN AVOCADO IS RIPE?

The best Avocado Dip starts with beautifully ripe avocados for maximum flavor and creamy consistency. Here are some tips and tricks to find ripe avocados:

• Color:  For ripe avocados, dark is better, look for the darkest green- turning purple colored skins.
• Touch: Always test avocados ripeness by touch. You want the avocado to just give slightly when pressed.  If an avocado feels firm or hard to your touch, it isn’t ripe yet. Purchase it only if you plan to use the fruit several days in the future. The harder an avocado is, the longer it will take to ripen.  If the avocado feels soft, it’s overripe, avoid it.
• Stems:  Check the avocado stems for clues on what’s inside. Peel back the small stem or cap at the top. If the area underneath is green, the avocado is good to buy. If the area is brown, the avocado is overripe so it’s best to avoid it.  When you’re checking the stem area, keep an eye out for mold as well. If the area is black or dark brown, the fruit is likely moldy.
• Varying ripeness:  If you need to purchase several avocados, it’s a good idea to choose them at various stages of ripeness. That way, you’ll have some that you can use right way, some that you can use in a couple of days, and some that you can use four or five days in the future.

HOW TO RIPEN AVOCADOS QUICKLY

To ripen avocados more quickly – so you can eat your Avocado Dip NOW – add them to a brown bag with some bananas or apples.  These fruits release a lot of ethylene which triggers ripening in the avocados.

How to Make Avocado Dip

1. Mash avocado.  Add avocado to a bowl and mash to desired consistency.  You may also pulse in your food processor or blend in your blender.  It all comes down to the consistency you would like.  If you want guacamole-like consistency, then mash by hand or slightly pulse in your food processor.  If you want extra silky Avocado Dip, then blend in your food processor.   
2. Add dip ingredients.  Add Greek yogurt/sour cream, Cotija cheese, honey, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. 
3. Stir to combine.  Give the dip a good stir.
4. Chill.  Best if chilled at least 30 minutes before serving.

AVOCADO Dip VARIATIONS

I love this Avocado Dip in its simplicity, nonetheless, it is also fun  – and delicious-to dress up.  You can stir in: 

• Pico de Gallo
• Homemade Salsa
• Salsa Verde
• Pesto
• Extra Garlic
• Olives
• Sun-dried Tomatoes
• Artichokes
• Roasted Red peppers
• Whatever your heart desires!

WILL AVOCADO Dip TURN BROWN?

This Avocado Dip can be made and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  The lime juice will prevent the Avocado Dip from discoloring too much, but it will darken slightly.  A change in color of the dip doesn’t mean it’s going bad, it simply means the dip is oxidizing.  So, moral of the story, if you are making for this Avocado Dip for a party, I would make it just a few hours before serving so it is vibrant and beautiful.  If you are making for personal use, then make and store for up to 3 days.

You can help decrease the speed at which the dip brown by transferring the Avocado Dip to an airtight container for storage then placing a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the dip before adding the lid.  This will delay oxidization.

Is avocado Dip healthy?

Unlike many store-bought Avocado Dips, this homemade dip is made with nutritious, whole ingredients and no preservatives.  Avocados are a great source of monounsaturated fat which help to keep you feeling full longer and counteracts bad cholesterol (LDL’s).  They are also chock full of vitamins, minerals, and are a good source of fiber.   Some studies have shown they can reduce inflammation, diabetes, and help prevent some cancers – so Dip on!

Uses for Avocado Dip

This Avocado Dip is as versatile as guacamole – and then some.  Here are a few ideas: 

• Dip:  serve it with chips like you would guacamole, pitas like you would hummus, or raw vegetables such as carrots broccoli, cucumbers, snap peas or bell peppers.  It is even divine with roasted vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower.
• Spread:  serve it slathered on sandwiches, burgers, wraps or toast.
• Anything Mexican-ish: add a dollop to tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, fajitas, nachos – simply anything you would use guacamole, try this Avocado dip!
• Everything else:  add it to rice, pasta, eggs, beans, etc.
• Dressing:  transform Avocado Dip into a creamy avocado dressing by thinning with water and a little olive oil. Serve the dressing on green salads, pasta salads, potato salads. etc.
• Sauce:  Avocado Dip can also be thinned with water to create a creamy avocado sauce for pasta, rice, zoodles, spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, quinoa, potatoes, etc.

Looking for more Avocado Recipes?

• Avocado Hummus
• Avocado Pasta
• Tomatillo Avocado Ranch
• Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice
• Southwest Salad with Salsa Avocado Dressing
• Avocado Southwest Egg Rolls
• Avocado Chicken Salad Sandwich
• Taco Stuffed Avocados
• Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad

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Cotija Honey Lime Avocado Dip/Spread

This Avocado Dip or spread is ready in 5 minutes! It's creamy, tangy, salty, and as spicy-as-you-want-it! It tastes indulgently creamy yet is wonderfully healthy and makes everything better! This creamy Avocado Dip is fabulous plain or it’s wonderful as a dip for veggies, chips, pitas or as a spread on wraps, sandwiches, burgers, or pile it on your favorite tacos or enchiladas. No matter how you serve this dip, it makes everything better!

Servings: 12 servings

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1 large Avocado
• 1/4 cup Cotija cheese, finely grated
• 1 teaspoons honey
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ½ tsp EACH cumin, chili powder
• 1/4 tsp EACH garlic powder, pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, more or less to taste
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth.
• Transfer to an airtight container, press plastic wrap directly to the surface of the dip and chill at least one hour before serving.

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