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Avocado Caprese Salad (Keto, Vegan, Paleo)

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This avocado Caprese salad is bursting with fresh flavors from the garden. It’s a deliciously simple dairy-free, gluten-free, paleo, and vegan summer salad that’s also keto, low carb and Whole30 friendly.

Avocado Caprese Salad with heirloom tomatoes and basil fresh.

This simple fresh tomato avocado salad is a perfect appetizer for these hot summer nights.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

What you’ll need

Traditionally, Caprese salad includes layers of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. Well, this is my dairy-free take on the classic so you won’t need any mozzarella.

I substitute avocado for the fresh mozzarella and layer it with heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden. The avocado adds a creaminess that contrasts with the sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes.

The key to this easy avocado salad is having perfectly ripe produce. You want your heirloom tomatoes and basil at their peak of flavor, and the avocado perfectly ripe and creamy.

And, of course fresh basil is what really takes this salad over the top. If you have an herb garden, you can just cut off what you need to top the salad. I keep a pot of basil growing on the deck or in the kitchen to use in recipes.

Other than that, you’ll need a few basic pantry ingredients like extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and a clean balsamic vinegar if you like. Be sure to look for one with no sugar added.

How to put it together

Slice the avocados horizontally to make perfect rounds so they fit neatly on the tomato slices. Watch the video to see exactly how to do it!

Don’t forget to toss the avocado slices in a little lemon juice to prevent browning. Dress the salad simply with the best quality extra virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper.

Caprese salad with tomatoes and basil fresh.

You can also drizzle with a nice aged balsamic vinegar if you like. The tangy balsamic pairs perfectly with the creamy avocado and EVOO. That’s it—it really is that simple to make a gorgeous summer salad.

With summer produce at its peak of freshness, you hardly have to do anything to it. Let the fresh summer flavors shine through and enjoy this quick and easy tomato avocado Caprese salad recipe any night of the week.

More easy salads

If you love fresh simple salads, here are some more easy recipes to try:

  • Broccoli Salad with Bacon
  • Antipasto Salad with Easy Italian Dressing
  • Avocado Tuna Salad
  • Shrimp and Arugula Salad
  • Easy Tomato Cucumber Salad
Print Recipe
3.5 from 2 votes

Avocado Caprese Salad

A dairy-free take on the classic Caprese salad.
Prep Time10 mins
Total Time10 mins
Course: Salad, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Quick and Easy
Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 197kcal
Author: Lisa Wells

Ingredients

  • 4 medium heirloom tomatoes
  • 3 medium avocados
  • 1 large bunch fresh basil
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil
  • aged balsamic vinegar optional
  • sea salt
  • fresh ground pepper

Instructions

  • Cut the avocado around the equator and remove pit. Slice into rounds, then remove the peel. Lightly toss avocado slices in lemon juice.
  • Slice tomatoes and salt lightly.
  • Layer tomato slices, avocado slices, and basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, if using. Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Recommended for this recipe:
  • tomato knife
  • extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed organic and GMO-free
  • course Celtic sea salt
  • stainless steel pepper grinder

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 11mg | Potassium: 681mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 830IU | Vitamin C: 23.2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.8mg

 

Avocado Caprese Salad (Keto, Vegan, Paleo)Avocado Caprese Salad (Keto, Vegan, Paleo)
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Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Salads Tagged With: dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, keto, low carb, paleo, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, Whole30 Posted by: Lisa Wells 14 Comments

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Next Post: Coffee Ice Cream (Paleo, Vegan, Dairy Free) »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. KalynsKitchen

    September 02, 2014 at 9:24 am

    I really love this recipe. Wanted to let you know that I featured it in my monthly round-up of 25 Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes. I hope a lot of my readers will come over here and try it!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      September 11, 2014 at 11:07 pm

      Thanks Kalyn! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Nina

    April 22, 2015 at 6:59 pm

    This is so good! We did with lemon instead of vinegar because of allergies…and used reg. tomatoes because didn’t have heirloom. We have made twice in two days – yum! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      April 23, 2015 at 11:57 am

      Yay! This salad is a favorite with my family too! 🙂

      Reply
      • Nina

        May 29, 2015 at 3:04 pm

        Finally got an heirloom…yum! Also put some slices of red onion with it. We are eating it so much we are experiment with it:) Gave it a nice spicy bite. Thanks again!

        Reply
  3. Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day

    August 24, 2016 at 3:27 pm

    This looks really delicious! I love the idea of using avocado instead of a plant-based cheese.

    Reply
  4. stephanie

    September 06, 2016 at 10:14 pm

    Love the video! I’ve never thought of making avocado rounds and seeing the video made it look so easy.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      September 07, 2016 at 3:07 pm

      Thanks Stephanie!

      Reply
  5. Roseanne

    August 15, 2017 at 11:59 am

    This is” whats for dinner” Honey!!! and add a little the red onion…oh so good.
    Thank for for sharing

    Rox G

    Reply
  6. Sabrina B.

    August 31, 2017 at 4:11 pm

    thank you for this recipe and video, saw this in the recent Labor Day list of posts and already love all of these ingredients but have refrained lately from eating or making caprese since I don’t want/need a layer of bread!

    So, great reminder and great illustration of why the bread isn’t even necessary, probably won’t miss it the more ripe the tomato-avocado are

    Reply
  7. Kim

    January 01, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    I made this recipe this morning as part of breakfast. I didn’t have any balsamic vinegar and didn’t want to make a substitute. I also used different tomatoes. Not sure what kind they were but they were small but twice the size of cherry tomatoes. I also left out the lemon, salt and pepper. It was a big hit. My daughter even made a special request to have it made more often.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      January 02, 2018 at 1:33 pm

      I’m so glad she loved it Kim!

      Reply
  8. madison

    January 29, 2018 at 11:45 am

    I really love this recipe! A real good food recipe that makes my family feels so good and healthy!

    Reply
  9. Frank

    February 07, 2018 at 8:36 pm

    This is a clever version of the famous Caprese salad for vegans. I love the video, short but to the point. Great recipe!

    Reply

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