Citric Acid Free Avocado Citrus Salad with Basil-Herb Dressing
Bright citrus segments, creamy avocado slices, and a vivid green herb dressing come together in a salad that feels genuinely celebratory — the kind of dish that looks like it took way more effort than it did. The basil-herb dressing is blended from scratch using fresh basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil, and a touch of ground ginger, so you know exactly what's going into every drop. Avoiding added citric acid can be tricky with store-bought dressings, which often sneak it in as a preservative, but making your dressing at home sidesteps that entirely. The citrus here comes straight from whole navel oranges and grapefruit, carefully segmented so you get clean, juicy bites without any processed additives. Tender mixed greens and paper-thin red onion round out the base, while flaky sea salt at the end pulls all the flavors into focus. It's the kind of salad that works as a light lunch, a stunning starter, or a side that steals the show at any table.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the basil-herb dressing
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
For the salad
- 5 oz mixed tender greens (such as arugula, spinach, or butter lettuce)
- 2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and sliced
- 2 navel oranges, peeled and segmented
- 1 grapefruit, peeled and segmented
- ¼ small red onion, very thinly sliced
- flaky sea salt, to taste
For serving
- fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Make the dressing: combine the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, and ground ginger in a blender or food processor. Pulse 4–5 times until the herbs are roughly chopped. With the motor running on low, stream in the olive oil until the dressing is smooth and bright green, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- 2
Segment the citrus: working over a bowl to catch the juice, cut away the peel and white pith from the oranges and grapefruit. Slice between the membranes to release each segment. Discard the membranes.
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