By Cecile Adkins EdD, RDN, LDN, Registered and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist
Originating in Mexico and Central America, avocados are now a staple food in the U.S. and are a popular food around the world (AMRC, 2024). In the U.S., they’re a sought-after healthy food commonly found in nearly all grocery stores. When buying, the best avocados have slightly green flesh that is perfectly firm and fork-mash tender (Hass Avocado Board, 2025b).
Although avocados lend themselves most commonly to being eaten fresh, they also perform well when baked into cookies or muffins and pair perfectly with other ingredients in sweet or savory dishes. Many recipes include avocado, but you can start by replacing a portion of fat-containing ingredients in recipes that contain mayonnaise, butter, yogurt, sour cream, or oil. The avocado will give a boost of nutrients, including healthy fats, many vitamins and minerals, and fiber (Avocados from Mexico, 2025a; Hass Avocado Board, 2025a).
The ideas provided here mainly incorporate avocado into chocolate-based or green-colored foods. This is to mask any green pieces or tinge, or to minimize brown discoloration from exposure to oxygen. If you don’t mind little bits of green throughout your food, feel free to explore additional options.
1. Avocado chocolate pudding
2. Avocado chocolate cookies
3. Mixed in with chocolate chip matcha cookies
4. In a green or chocolate smoothie
5. Replace butter or oil in zucchini muffins
6. Use it to replace mayonnaise on a sandwich (a little lemon juice will keep it from browning)
7. Avocado ice cream or frozen yogurt
8. Blended in with a ranch or green goddess salad dressing
9. Blended into a pesto (a little lemon juice or other acid helps prevent discoloring)
10. Gently tossed into a citrus fruit salad (Avocados from Mexico, 2025b).
References
Agrictulrual Marketing Resource Center [AMRC]. (2025). Retrieved from https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/fruits/avocados#:~:text=The%20value%20of%20U.S.%20avocado,well%20only%20in%20alternate%20years
Avocados from Mexico. (2025a). Avocado nutrients. Retrieved from https://avocadosfrommexico.com/avocado-nutrition/avocados-and-nutrients/
Avocados from Mexico. (2025b). 5 unusual avocado pairings. Retrieved from https://avocadosfrommexico.com/blog/cookingideas/5-unusual-avocado-pairings/
Hass Avocado Board. (2025a). Avocados, good fats, and heart health. Retrieved from https://loveonetoday.com/nutrition/avocados-good-fats-heart-health/
Hass Avocado Board. (2025b). How to pick an avocado. Retrieved from https://loveonetoday.com/how-to/pick-buy-fresh-avocados/#:~:text=If%20the%20avocado%20yields%20to,is%20perfect%20for%20that%20day
Free image link
Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board