Refreshing Avocado Grapefruit Salad
This avocado grapefruit salad is a delightful recipe that brings together the tangy taste of grapefruit, the creaminess of avocado, and the crunchiness of pistachios atop a bed of greens, all complemented by a homemade citrus vinaigrette for an amazingly delicious flavor combination.
This grapefruit salad is one of my favorite salad recipes to date! The combination of juicy grapefruit, buttery avocado, and crunchy pistachios paired with a flavorful citrus vinaigrette really makes for a well-balanced explosion of flavor. My family has come to request this salad rather frequently, so I figured it was high time to share it with you all. I hope you enjoy it!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- This grapefruit salad recipe is super quick and easy to prepare. You do not need a lot of time or a lot of ingredients.
- You get a bit of sweet, tangy, crunchy, and buttery — all in one bite! It is honestly SO good! A true celebration of citrus fruit and delightful textures.
- You can serve this citrus salad as a main dish (it makes a great light lunch!), or as a great side dish or pre-meal appetizer.
- Naturally vegetarian, dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free.
Grapefruit
Grapefruit is a versatile and tangy citrus fruit, celebrated for its diverse range of flavors and rich vitamin C content. The exploration into the different types of grapefruit reveals a spectrum from sweet to bitter, each offering unique nutritional profiles and culinary uses. Understanding when grapefruit season is is key to enjoying these fruits at their peak of freshness and taste. Typically, the grapefruit peak season spans the cooler months, ensuring that the fruit reaches its optimal sweetness and juiciness.
Avocado
Picking out a ripe avocado is key to enjoying its buttery texture and rich flavor. Choosing a perfect creamy avocado involves a gentle squeeze test; the fruit should yield slightly under pressure but not feel mushy. Additionally, the skin should be dark green to nearly black for Hass avocados, the most common variety. Another indicator is the stem; removing it should reveal a green underneath if it’s ripe. However, if it’s brown, the avocado may be overripe. By applying these simple tips, you can ensure you select avocados at their peak ripeness, ready to enjoy in this healthy salad recipe!
Ingredients and Substitutes
Mixed greens: I love to use a combo of spinach and arugula, but kale, chard, mustard, and radicchio also make great options. A store-bought spring mix works perfectly as well.
Grapefruit: Any variety of grapefruit works. I like to use Ruby Red, but whatever is available and nice and ripe will work best!
Avocado: A firm ripe avocado is a must for this recipe. You don’t want the avocado too firm and unripe or so soft it falls apart.
Pistachios: Crushed pistachios add such a delightful crunch and texture contrast to this salad. It really is delicious! If you are on a nut-free diet or not a fan of pistachios, feel free to use a different nut or seeds instead.
Citrus dressing: My citrus vinaigrette recipe pairs so perfectly with this recipe! Trust me. It only takes a few minutes to make and is well worth the effort. The touch of tangy citrus and vinegar, black pepper, and olive oil in this simple vinaigrette really brings the salad ingredients to life.
How to Make Grapefruit Salad
- Prepare the zesty citrus dressing ahead of time and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the grapefruit salad ingredients.
- Drizzle the ingredients with the dressing, then toss all to combine.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to pick out grapefruit and avocado at peak ripeness for the best-tasting salad.
- I like to chop the avocado and grapefruit into chunks, but you can also thinly slice them for a more delicate salad.
- Use a sharp knife when preparing the avocado and grapefruit to ensure you are able to make nice bite-size pieces that are easy to pick up with a fork.
Fun Variations
- Instead of pistachios, use another nut like sliced almonds or walnuts instead.
- Instead of nuts, use sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, or hemp seeds.
- Swap out the homemade citrus vinaigrette for a creamy dressing instead.
- Thinly sliced red onion pairs well with the flavors here.
- For a bit of spice, add a sliced jalapeno (trust me, it’s great with citrus!).
- If you are not vegan, a sprinkle of crumbled feta cheese or creamy blue cheese works brilliantly in this delicious recipe.
- Swap the mixed greens for iceberg lettuce instead.
- Another great addition to this salad is pomegranate seeds.
How to Store Leftover Grapefruit Salad
This salad is best served freshly made. If you want to do some prep work ahead of time, then you can prepare the salad dressing and chopped grapefruit, and store them in the refrigerator. I recommend not slicing the avocado until you are ready to serve the salad.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
Grapefruit Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh mixed greens any, I like to use spinach and arugula
- 1 grapefruit peeled and chopped
- 1 ripe avocado peeled, pitted and chopped
- 3 tablespoons roasted salted pistachios crushed
- 1 cup citrus vinaigrette
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the greens, grapefruit, avocado, and pistachios.
- Drizzle the salad ingredients with the citrus vinaigrette.
- Toss to combine.
- Serve and enjoy!
I usually prefer eating plain avocados but I wanted to make something special for friends this week, I will never eat avocados the same again – the tang of the grapefruit was SO good. This recipe is really a must try!
I love using grapefruit or pomelo in when I make salads! And this one was so good! It was my first time making one with avocado and I really loved the creaminess of the fruit and how it blends well with the other textures. Loved the citrus dressing too! So refreshing!
This salad is a winner! The mix of greens is a great combination that makes nice flavors. The citrus vinaigrette ties it all together. Love it!
This is my go-to salad recipe now! Absolutely love this avocado grapefruit salad recipe! The flavors are just amazing and so refreshing and it’s super easy to make. So yum!
Beautiful beautiful salad! And so delicious too! I sliced the avocado thinly for a more delicate presentation (channeling the artist in me), and it looked so elegant on the plate.