Guacamole Salad is a refreshing salad that is loaded with fresh vegetables and crushed tortilla chips, topped with a homemade cilantro lime guacamole topping. It was slightly modified from the super popular Cheesecake Factory’s California Guacamole Salad.

If you love salads, be sure to try my Blueberry Spinach Salad.

California Guacamole Salad Inspired by Cheesecake Factory on a White Plate with Forks
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Guacamole Salad

If you have ever been to the Cheesecake Factory, you may have seen a similar salad on the menu, and that definitely inspired this recipe. Guacamole Salad is a salad that is perfect for springtime (and not just because of the spring lettuce😉). It’s actually a delicious and nutritious salad at any time of the year, made with fresh ingredients and a whole lot of taste!

Overhead Image of Ingredients for California Guacamole Salad from Cheesecake Factory

Guacamole Salad Ingredients

There are three important parts to this salad–the salad mixture (which is way more than just lettuce), the homemade cilantro lime guacamole topping. Then, the added toppings pull all of the flavors together for a delicious salad.

How to Make the Salad Mixture

Before you mix all the ingredients for the salad mixture together, be sure to separate and clean the butter lettuce and rinse and drain the black beans. To clean the lettuce, separate the leaves from the head of the lettuce, rinse them and dry the leaves using a dry paper towel to gently pat the leaves.  Or, if you have one, use your salad spinner to wash the leaves before chopping them.

Canned black beans need to be drained and rinsed well! When you open the can, you will notice a liquid in there that doesn’t look too appetizing. It’s simply a combination of salt and water and the starch from the beans. Rinsing the beans actually does more than just remove that murky substance, it lessens the sodium of the beans. You will not use the entire can of black beans in this recipe, so store the remaining beans in an airtight glass or plastic container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Once the lettuce is cleaned and chopped, and the beans are rinsed and drained, combine all of the salad ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and set aside while you make the dressing and guacamole mixture.

Cilantro Lime Guacamole Topping

With the salad mixed together, it’s time to make the cilantro-lime guacamole topping. Start by mashing the avocado with a fork and then add the diced tomato, jalapeno peppers, garlic, green onion, shallot, and cilantro. Mix well and then add in the olive oil, lime juice, honey, red wine vinegar, kosher salt, ginger, cumin, and black pepper.

To simply things you could always purchase Cilantro Lime Dressing and add to the avocado, diced tomato, jalapeno peppers, garlic, green onion, shallot, and cilantro.

Overhead Image of California Guacamole Salad Before Ingredients are Tossed Together on White Surface

Assembling the Guacamole Salad

To put the salad together, it’s easy to have everyone line up to take turns building the salad. Or, have the options spread out on the dinner table for people to choose from. Start with putting some of the salad mixture on a plate. Next, scoop up some of the guacamole topping to put on top of the salad. Finally, top it off with some parmesan cheese, feta cheese crumbles, and radishes. I like to add a few more chips to my salad, so you could also have some of those available as well. Serve it with a side of homemade breadsticks and enjoy!

Fork Picking Up a Bite of California Guacamole Salad With Cilantro Lime Dressing from White Plate on White Napkin

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California Guacamole Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Guacamole Salad is a refreshing salad that is loaded with fresh vegetables and crushed tortilla chips, topped with a homemade cilantro lime dressing and guacamole mixture.

Ingredients

Salad Mixture

  • 2 cups butter lettuce, chopped
  • 2 cups spring lettuce mix
  • 10-12 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 3-4 cups tortilla chips, crushed
  • ¼ cup corn kernels
  • ¼ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 medium avocado, diced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Cilantro Lime Avocado Topping

  • 1 medium avocado, diced
  • 1 Roma tomato, diced
  • 2 small jalapeno peppers, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 1 green onion, finely diced
  • 1 small shallot, sliced
  • ½ cup cilantro, finely diced
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Topping

  • ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 tablespoons feta cheese crumbled
  • 8 radishes, thinly sliced

Instructions

Salad Mixture

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the butter lettuce, spring lettuce, tomatoes, tortilla chips, corn, black beans, avocado, salt, and pepper and toss together. Set aside.

Cilantro Lime Avocado Topping

  • In a medium bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Then, stir in the tomato, jalapeno, garlic, green onion, sliced shallot, and cilantro.
  • Add olive oil, lime juice, honey, red wine vinegar, kosher salt, ginger, cumin, and black pepper. Stir together until well combined.

Assembly

  • Divide salad equally on 4 plates.
  • Scoop guacamole mixture on top.
  • Top with parmesan, feta cheese, and radishes.

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