11 Unique Ways You Should Start Using Avocados

If you love avocados, then we have some good news. The superfood has quite a few nutritional benefits, including boosting your immune system and even lowering the risk for certain kinds of cancers, according to Medical News Today. It is a great food to feed your brain on a regular basis, too. And if you like avocado, you probably have no problem incorporating it into your salads, your breakfast, or your tacos. But, just like any of our favorite foods, avocados can get a little boring after a while — especially if you are used to preparing them in the same way every time you eat them.

Most everyone these days knows all about the various guacamole and avocado toast recipes out there, but what about the more unique ways of incorporating this ingredient into your meals? You can add avocado to more foods than you may realize, and the fruit can also act as the main ingredient for many different dishes you may not have considered before. Whether for your next smoothie, your next barbecue, or even your next cocktail, you may find that an avocado is the perfect addition.

Did you know you can drink an avocado? Since it's a fruit, it should lend itself perfectly as a unique ingredient to toss into your blender the next time you want to whip up a smoothie. The creamy texture makes for an excellent addition to your smoothie recipe in the morning, not to mention the fact that your beverage will get an added boost of nutrients. Avocados can be added to a variety of different recipes, like a traditional mango smoothie, a flavorful tropical smoothie, or a more dessert-like chocolate smoothie.

In order to incorporate an avocado into your smoothie, all you need to do is scoop out the flesh and toss it into the blender. You do not need a ton of avocado either; one half is plenty for a single serving. Or if you have a half of an avocado left in the refrigerator and you're not sure what to do with it, add it to your morning smoothie and reap all of its nutritional benefits while also adding a nice burst of creaminess to your drink.

While we all love homemade baked goods, we will admit that it is a category of food we should avoid eating every single day. But what if there was a way to flip the script on baked goods and sneak in the trusty avocado? Other fruits are widely known for their ability to be seamlessly integrated into baked goods, like apples and bananas, so why can't avocados fall into the same category? They are, in fact, a great ingredient to add the next time you want to make a batch of cookies or brownies, or even if you want to make an entire cake for an upcoming gathering.

But you don't have to only look to desserts when it comes to thinking of unique ways of incorporating avocados into baked goods. As it turns out, they also work as an ingredient for more complex recipes, like bread. From avocado sage cornbread to chocolate avocado bread, this fruit truly proves its versatility when you realize how many dishes it can appear in.

Sliced avocados commonly find themselves on top of many salads, providing a creamy texture as well as added nutrients. But there is another way you can sneak more avocado into your salad that you've perhaps never thought of before, and that is through the dressing itself. Dressings can instantly elevate the most pedestrian of salads into a tasty treat, but they can also throw the salad's health benefits off balance. Heavy dressings like ranch and blue cheese, or any store-bought dressing for that matter, may taste delicious. However, the calories, sugars, and sodium added can make the salad more on par with a dessert than a healthy meal.

Instead, turn to a homemade salad dressing, made easy with the help of avocados. You can make a creamy avocado dressing with ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. The best part is that you only need to stock up on two avocados to yield a dozen servings. So whether you're making salads for the week or you're serving a crowd, your healthy dressing will be a major highlight.

If you have a grill in your backyard, you might be looking for new and creative ways to fire things up. If you're tired of just making hamburgers and hot dogs time and time again, we have some good news: Just about everything can be cooked on the grill, as long as you have the right tools. Many foods can be placed right on the grill, including, you guessed it, avocados.

As you might imagine, avocados do not need much time at all on the grill — just a couple of minutes is plenty. You can then top your avocado with your favorite ingredients for a healthy alternative to serve your family and friends this summer. The smoky flavor pairs wonderfully with the avocado, and you can use that as the base for grilled avocados stuffed with tomato and feta. Or, you can scoop the grilled avocado out and make a mashed, smoky guacamole.

When it's time for Happy Hour, we love to default to our favorite go-to drink recipes to get the party started. If your drink of choice is a margarita, you may be used to whipping up a traditional lime beverage, or maybe you like adding some fruit like strawberries or mangos. If you are in the market for a new margarita recipe, why not incorporate an avocado? No, really, we're serious.

It may sound strange at first if you have never tried one, but avocado margaritas are actually more common than you think. Aside from the bonus nutrients you will get by adding avocados into your cocktail, just like smoothies, avocados add a nice, creamy texture to your drink, too. If you enjoy a little heat in your drinks, you can also try a jalapeño avocado margarita. You do not need much avocado at all to make a great margarita. Just take one or two slices and muddle like you would any other fruit until you have hit that ideal creamy consistency. Then, simply mix that puree in with your other ingredients.