This Citrus Salad with avocado is healthy, fresh and easy to make. Seasonal citrus fruit, salad greens, avocado slices and toasted pistachios are drizzled with the best Basil Vinaigrette!
I love citrus fruits, they are so refreshing, packed with vitamins, good for you and although their peak season is winter, the supermarkets always seems to have a great supply of oranges, tangerines and grapefruits during spring and summer.
If you are looking for easy salad ideas, look no further! This Citrus Salad with basil vinaigrette dressing is the absolute best! Just a few simple ingredients – lots of colorful citrus, creamy avocados, salad greens, nuts and fresh basil dressing makes this the perfect side dish or main dish salad.
This delicious salad is a bit different – not your usual green salad for sure. This unique salad is the perfect dish to serve at brunch, during the holidays and special occasions.
Citrus Salad Ingredient List
One of the best things about this quick and healthy salad is the fact that you can customize the ingredients depending to your taste and produce availability. The salad ingredients list is just a guideline, use citrus fruit that is fresh and available.
- Citrus: Navel Orange, Ruby Red Grapefruit, White Grapefruit, Blood Orange, Pomelo, Cara Cara Oranges, Tangerines.
- Salad Greens: Mesclun salad, baby spinach, baby arugula, kale or butter lettuce are great options.
- Avocado: You can skip it if you prefer.
- Pistachios: Use any nut you like or omit if you have allergies. Some good options are sliced almonds, candied pecans and pine nuts.
Easy Basil Vinaigrette
The basil vinaigrette dressing is easy to make, delicious and versatile. This vinaigrette recipe yields about 3/4 cup of pure salad dressing perfection! Drizzle the salad to your taste and if you have any leftovers, use it to top baked fish, grilled or baked chicken or to season green beans or asparagus.
Basil Dressing Ingredients
- Basil: Fresh.
- Olive Oil: You can use a mild salad oil if you prefer.
- Honey: You can use sugar also.
- Garlic: I use fresh garlic.
- Red Wine Vinegar: White wine vinegar or champagne vinegar are good substitutions.
- Dijon Mustard
- Salt and Ground Black Pepper
How To Make The Best Citrus Salad
- Make the basil salad dressing. Place the basil leaves, garlic cloves and red wine vinegar in a food processor or blender.
- Cover the blender and blend on high speed. You may need to stop and push down the ingredients with a spoon or a spatula a few times.
- Add the Dijon mustard and honey and blend. With the motor running on a lower speed, add the olive oil. I then turn the blender to medium high and blend until smooth.
- Peel and slice the citrus and avocado. Place the mesclun, spinach or salad greens at the bottom of a platter. Arrange the orange slices, grapefruit slices, tangerines and avocado slices on top of the greens. Top with toasted pistachios, Drizzle the basil vinaigrette and garnish with basil leaves. Enjoy!
Fruit Facts
- One orange gives you all the vitamin C you need for a whole day!
- Did You know that avocados contain more potasium than bananas? An avocado contains 975 ml of potassium, a banana only contains 487 ml.
- There is usually 10 segments inside an orange! Next time you cut one, count them!
- Avocado is the fruit with the highest protein content!
Citrus Avocado Salad Recipe Tips
- This tasty and healthy salad is vegetarian and gluten free.
- Make this unique salad your own by making a few additions. Here are a few salad ingredient ideas for you: Thinly sliced fennel, thinly sliced onions, sliced beets, chopped fresh mint, extra honey drizzle, thinly sliced shallots.
- Make this winter citrus salad (or summer salad) a dinner salad by serving it with this easy Oven Baked Salmon.
- Learn how to peel and slice an orange (grapefruit or any other citrus fruit) like a pro!
- You can make this citrus salad ahead of time! Peel and slice the citrus fruit the day before and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- You can also make the amazing homemade basil vinaigrette ahead of time. Store the basil dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days.
Take A Look At These Easy Recipes:
- Oven Baked Pork Chops
- Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken
- Grilled Chicken with the Best Balsamic Herb Vinaigrette
- Instant Pot Whole Chicken (Rotisserie Chicken)
- Jalapeno Popper Quiche
- Pan Seared Steak
This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated to provide the reader with additional information. The recipe remains the same.
Citrus Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ cup olive oil
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
For the Salad
- 1 pink grapefruit
- 2 oranges
- 2 blood oranges
- 2 tangerines
- 1-2 avocados, seeded, peeled and sliced
- 5 ounces mesclun mix (baby spinach, arugula, butter lettuce or kale can be used)
- ¼ cup pistachios shelled and lightly toasted
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
To Make the Vinaigrette
- Put the basil leaves, red wine vinegar and garlic cloves in a blender. Cover the blender and blend on high speed. You may need to stop and push the ingredients down with a spoon.
- Add the Dijon mustard and honey and blend for about a minute. With the motor running on a lower speed, add the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and blend on high for a couple of minutes or until smooth. Reserve.
To Make the Salad
- Carefully peel the citrus, removing as much pit as possible. Slice into wheels. Remove any seeds. Peel the tangerines and separate into segments.
- Arrange the salad greens on a platter or large bowl. Arrange the citrus and avocado slices on top. Top with pistachios and lightly season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with desire amount of vinaigrette.
Recipe Notes
- The citrus ingredient list is just a guideline, use whatever citrus fruit you like.
- You can make this citrus salad ahead of time! Peel and slice the citrus fruit the day before and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- You can also make the amazing homemade basil vinaigrette ahead of time. Store the basil dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-6 days.
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