Perfect for summer, cold Shrimp Avocado Salad with creamy yogurt dressing is ready in 15 minutes and requires no cooking.
Avocado makes any salad better! From avocado salad to avocado corn salad, chicken avocado salad and avocado spinach salad, this fruit is perfect for making salads!
Table of Contents
This shrimp avocado salad is perfect for summertime! It’s our favorite salad along with this cucumber tomato avocado salad and tuna avocado salad!
The base of the shrimp and avocado salad are vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper and avocado tossed in creamy salad dressing.
It would pair nicely with a summer soup like sun dried tomato soup or salmon soup.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick: You only need 15 minutes using store-bought cooked shrimp. You can also air fry shrimp.
- Tasty: Avocado shrimp salad is light, refreshing, creamy and zesty.
- Healthy: Made with fresh ingredients and loaded with fiber and protein. It is also low carb and gluten-free.
- No cook recipe: Keeps kitchen cool during hot summer days.
Ingredients for Shrimp Avocado Salad
To make shrimp avocado salad recipe you will need a few simple ingredients. You can use store-bought cooked shrimp or raw shrimp, if preferred. This salad recipe is also perfect for cleaning out the vegetable drawers, so use what you have on hand!
- Cooked shrimp: You will need one pound of shrimp. Buy large shrimp and chop it or use smaller sized shrimp and save money.
- Avocado: Choose avocado that is dark green in color and a bit soft to the touch. Don’t buy too soft avocado as it will become mushy in a salad.
- Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes will work the best in shrimp and avocado salad because they don’t leak.
- Bell pepper: Any color works, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, or even orange bell pepper. You can use green bell pepper if you like its less sweet taste.
- Cucumber: I use long English cucumber as you do not need to peel it. I recommend to peel garden cucumbers with thicker skin.
- Fresh cilantro: Feel free to use fresh parsley or fresh dill instead to add more flavor to shrimp avocado salad.
- Plain yogurt: Greek yogurt or regular yogurt with 2% fat or higher. You might have to thin out Greek yogurt with a bit of water to reach correct consistency.
- White vinegar: To balance out the flavors in salad dressing.
- Simple spices: Garlic powder, salt and pepper.
How to Make Shrimp Avocado Salad
Here is a quick overview how to make shrimp avocado salad. Full recipe card is located below.
Make the dressing: In a small bowl, add yogurt, vinegar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk with a fork and set aside.
Chop vegetables: Chop tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, avocado and cilantro. Add them to a large bowl along with cooked shrimp.
Combine: Pour dressing on top of vegetables and shrimp and mix gently to combine. Serve avocado shrimp salad chilled.
Tips for Best Results
Here are my top tips for the best shrimp avocado salad recipe in the world!
- Large shrimp: Cut in half or even more bite-sized pieces, so you can get juicy shrimp in every bite of a salad.
- Use ripe but firm avocados: Be sure avocado is not overly ripe and soft for a clean look. Add it last before mixing the salad.
- Not sure the best method to dice your avocado? Check out this detailed step by step guide on how to cut an avocado.
- Using Greek yogurt: Feel free to use Greek yogurt to make the dressing but make sure to thin it out with milk or water if the dressing turns out too thick.
Variations
This shrimp avocado salad is quite versatile. Here are a few ideas how to make it your own or use what you have on hand.
- Zesty shrimp and avocado salad: Add 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion.
- Add a touch of mayo: Replace a few tablespoons of yogurt with mayonnaise like I do in tuna egg salad or healthy potato salad.
- No vinegar? Use fresh lemon juice or lime juice instead.
- Make it spicy: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce or sriracha to the dressing.
- Grilled chicken: Instead of shrimp, use diced grilled chicken breast.
- Grilled shrimp: Add a layer of flavor with grilled shrimp skewers.
- Crab meat: You can buy canned crab meat which doesn’t have to be cooked and use instead of shrimp.
How To Store Shrimp Avocado Salad
Store: Place shrimp avocado salad leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Surprisingly enough, even all dressed, it keeps its shape pretty well in the fridge. Avocado may turn a bit brown but nothing catastrophic.
I do not recommend to freeze this salad as it has a lot of fresh vegetables that will be mushy upon thawing.
More FAQs
You can buy large shrimp or small shrimp that are already cooked, peeled and deveined. They can be frozen or fresh.
If you still need to cook shrimp for this shrimp avocado salad, you can grill shrimp or cook shrimp in air fryer. You can also quickly saute it in a skillet with oil or boil in a pot with salted boiling water until pink and opaque, about 3-4 minutes. Make sure to drain well.
Yes. To make shrimp and avocado salad ahead of time, add all vegetables minus the avocado and cilantro to a large bowl. Pour dressing on a side but do not stir. Or refrigerate dressing in a separate container and dress right before serving. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Yes, if you end up cooking the shrimp for the salad, be sure to cool it down before adding to the bowl with other salad ingredients.
Shrimp avocado salad is high-protein, low carb chock full of vegetables and healthy fats meal. So it is quite filling on its own. You can also serve it with a slice of crusty bread, pita or cooked quinoa on a side.
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
- Healthy shrimp salad
- Shrimp tacos with slaw
- Shrimp ceviche
- Shrimp stir fry
- Easy shrimp spaghetti
- Shrimp and zucchini
- Bang bang shrimp tacos
- Bang bang shrimp
- Shrimp egg roll in a bowl
More Salad Recipes to Try
Shrimp Avocado Salad
Ingredients
Yogurt Dressing:
- 3/4 cup regular or Greek plain yogurt 2+% fat
- 2 tsp white or white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Shrimp Avocado Salad:
- 1 lb cooked frozen shrimp thawed & drained
- 1 pint grape tomatoes cut in halves
- 1 lb long English cucumber chopped
- 2 large bell peppers chopped
- 3 medium avocados chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add yogurt, vinegar, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Whisk with a fork and set aside.
- In a large salad bowl, add shrimps, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, avocado and cilantro.
- Pour dressing on top and mix gently to combine. Serve chilled.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days (dressed is OK).
- Make Ahead: Just leave out avocado and cilantro. Pour dressing on a side but do not stir. Or refrigerate dressing in a separate container and add before serving.
- If using thick Greek yogurt, thin it out with a few tbsp of water.
- Smaller sized shrimp is great for this salad as it’s cheaper. If using large shrimp, cut in half.
This salad is absolutely gorgeous, Olena! I’m pinning it right now to make this week! Lovely photos, too!
Thank you very much, Caroline! I should find local sustainable shrimp and make it again too.
I just made to take to a potluck lunch. It is so good. Love that dressing.
How is this when made a day ahead?
Absolutely fine. There might be some juices at the bottom which you can drain. I keep this salad in a fridge for a few days.
Oh my, this salad was divine. The dressing I think I could just eat with a spoon – and the best is I could if I wanted without any guilt! This may be my new go to in a pinch dinner. Thank you!!
Fantastic recipe and great read!
Oooh! This looks really tasty! I think I’ll need to try this recipe out before I change my diet to a plant-based diet. I’m pescetarian right now but am transitioning slowly… 🙂
This looks divine! Perfect healthy salad recipe!
I am so making this for lunch tomorrow. Looks delish! Thanks for sharing.
Looks amazing!
It’s been a long time since we’ve had shrimp but now I want to get some and make your salad. It looks so good.