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Grilled Avocado

Elevate your avocado game with the creamy, smoky goodness of grilled avocado. They take minutes to cook and are finished with zesty homemade pico de gallo.

Grilled avocado is a tasty, nutritious side (or snack). You may not think to grill an avocado, but high heat’s effect on the fatty fruit is phenomenal. The flesh gets softer, creamier, and the hint of smoke from the grill is fantastic. Although grilled avocado with a bit of oil, lemon, salt, and pepper is delicious, I decided to top them with pico de gallo. The contrast between the warm avocado and cold pico is delightful – the dish radiates freshness. The fact that it’s packed with healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals only makes the avocado better.  

Grilled Avocado

Why You’ll Love Grilled Avocado

  • Healthy – Avocado is one of the most nutritious fruits to eat. It is packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and folate. Grilling enhances its flavor and texture while preserving nutrients.
  • Delicious – Grilled avocado is creamy, smoky, and slightly charred. The acidity from the pico de gallo complements that well.  
  • Easy to make – This recipe takes mere minutes. The reason is that no actual cooking is involved. Grilling avocado simply warms the fruit and adds smoky char, so cook time is brief.

Grilled Avocado Ingredients

  • Avocado: Choose ripe but firm avocados that are medium to large. You don’t want them to be too soft, or they’ll fall apart on the grill.
  • Olive oil: Use extra-virgin olive oil. It offers more flavor and can withstand the grill’s heat, whereas regular olive oil cannot. Olive oil also prevents oxidation so that the avocados won’t turn brown. There is nothing wrong with brown avocado, but it isn’t very appealing.
  • Lime: Lime juice adds acidity and freshness to grilled avocado. If you don’t have lime, use lemon. Just make sure it is fresh. The juice also inhibits browning.
  • Salt and pepper: Simple seasonings enhance the flavor of avocado.

A complete ingredients list with amounts is in the recipe card below!

How to Make Grilled Avocado

  1. Preheat the grill: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. There’s no need for a two-zone setup.
  2. Cut the avocado: Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pit. Do this with a sharp knife. Once you make your initial cut, carefully make your way around the fruit. Then, pull the two halves apart and remove the pit. You can use the scoop technique using a spoon or remove the pit with a knife. If using a knife, hold the avocado half with a towel to protect your hand.
  3. Brush with olive oil: Brush the flesh of each avocado half with olive oil, follow with salt and pepper, then drizzle with lime juice.
  4. Grill: Place the avocado halves flesh side down and grill for 90 seconds, rotate for cross-hatch grill marks, and leave on heat for 90 more seconds. Do not rotate the halves if cross-hatch grill marks aren’t important to you.
  5. Make the pico: Do this while the avocado halves are on the grill. It’s as easy as stirring the ingredients together in a bowl. Save time and use store bought pico or put a delicious Shrimp Ceviche or Imitation Crab Ceviche on top!
  6. Serve: Plate the avocado halves cut side up, spoon pico into the hollow portion of each half, and enjoy.
Avocados With Grill Marks

Variations, Substitutions, and Cooking Tips

Clean your grill grates – Clean grates ensure tasty food and prevent sticking.

Choose the right avocados – Choose avocados that are ripe but firm. If they’re too soft, they’ll fall apart on the grill. If the avocados are underripe, they’ll be hard, and this will not change when grilled. The only exception is slightly underripe avocados. Haas avocados from Mexico or California are the most commonly available and the best for grilling.

Use different seasonings – If you prefer, use other seasonings like garlic powder, chili powder, or smoked paprika. The only seasonings to avoid are herbs since they burn quickly.

Switch up the topping – If you’re not a fan of pico de gallo, go with salsa, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, or a tangy vinaigrette.

What to Serve with Grilled Avocado

Serve grilled avocado with your favorite grilled protein, like chicken or steak, or enjoy it with a warm salad. Another option is ceviche. The contrast of warm avocado and cold seafood is very palate pleasing. Alternatively, you can incorporate grilled avocado (and pico, if you wish) into other dishes like tacos, burritos, nachos, and soups. Such a simple recipe presents a long list of possibilities.

Storage and Freezer Tips

I recommend eating grilled avocado right off the grill. Taste and texture are negatively impacted by refrigeration. A highlight of the dish is the warm temperature and creamy texture. However, if you have any leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container. Then, when you’re ready to eat, keep the avocado cold (you can use it to make an avocado sauce or guacamole) or reheat it in a 350-degree oven for approximately 5 minutes.

Grilled Avocado

Grilled Avocado

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 3 minutes

Elevate your avocado game with the creamy, smoky goodness of grilled avocado. They take minutes to cook and are finished with zesty homemade pico de gallo.

Ingredients

Avocado

  • 2 Ripe Avocados
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • Juice of 1 lime

Pico De Gallo (optional)

  • ½ cup finely chopped Roma tomatoes
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • ¼ cup chopped red onion
  • ½ jalapeño, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

    1. Prepare a grill for medium-heat cooking. Be sure to clean the grill grates beforehand.
    2. As the grill preheats, cut each avocado in half, carefully pull the halves apart, then remove the pit from each fruit.
    3. Brush the cut side of each half with olive oil. Follow with a sprinkle of salt and black pepper, then drizzle with fresh lime juice.
    4. Transfer the avocado halves to the grates, cut-side down, close the lid, and cook for 90 seconds.
    5. Open the lid and rotate the avocados 90 degrees.
    6. Close the lid and cook for another 90 seconds. This creates cross-hatch grill marks.
    7. Meanwhile, combine the pico de gallo ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.
    8. Remove the avocado halves from the grill. Top with pico de gallo and enjoy.

Notes

Save time and use store bought pico de gallo.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 196Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 274mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 7gSugar: 2gProtein: 3g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Monique McArthur
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