Emulsifier Free Avocado Citrus Salad with Basil-Herb Dressing
This vibrant salad is a celebration of fresh, whole ingredients — creamy avocado, juicy orange and grapefruit segments, and a stunning emerald dressing that comes together in under a minute in a blender. The basil-herb dressing is where the magic really happens: fresh basil, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and a stream of good olive oil blend into something bright and herbaceous that coats every leaf beautifully. Because the dressing is made entirely from scratch with real, recognizable ingredients, there are no hidden additives to navigate — just herbs, citrus, and oil doing exactly what they're supposed to do. Store-bought dressings are one of the trickiest places emulsifiers tend to hide, so blending your own is genuinely the smartest move here. The combination of bitter greens, sweet citrus, and rich avocado hits every note at once, and the thin-sliced red onion adds just enough sharpness to keep things interesting. A pinch of flaky sea salt at the end pulls the whole thing together in the most satisfying way. It's the kind of salad that looks impressive on a platter but asks almost nothing of you in the kitchen.
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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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