Shrimp avocado salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and creamy cilantro dressing. It’s a filling salad to serve for lunch or dinner!

Shrimp Avocado Salad

You’ll love everything about this shrimp and avocado salad with creamy dressing! It’s crispy, fresh, and very satisfying. Not to mention it’s a breeze to make.

This is a great salad to serve on warmer days for lunch or dinner, alongside a veggie soup such as our Tomato Basil Soup or a Broccoli Cheddar Soup.

The base of the salad is romaine lettuce topped with crunchy cucumbers, sweet tomatoes, creamy avocado, and shrimp. Use leftover shrimp or pick up a bag of cooked frozen shrimp from the market.

The salad is tossed with creamy cilantro dressing, which is so good on its own!

Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make shrimp avocado salad.

For the dressing:

  • sour cream
  • mayonnaise
  • olive oil
  • lemon juice
  • cilantro
  • dill
  • garlic
  • dry mustard
  • salt and pepper

For the salad:

  • cooked shrimp
  • romaine
  • cucumbers
  • tomatoes
  • avocado
  • red onions
ingredients for shrimp avocado salad

How to Make Shrimp Avocado Salad

Make the dressing – in a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. The mixture is going to be thick. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cold water to thin out the dressing until desired consistency. Taste for salt and pepper. Set aside.

creamy cilantro dressing in a bowl

Prepare the salad – either in a large salad bowl or a platter, combine the salad ingredients. If making a tossed salad, then chop the shrimp into bite size pieces, otherwise, feel free to keep the shrimp whole with tails on or off.

Spoon some of the dressing on top of the salad and serve the rest on the side. Serve immediately.

shrimp and avocado salad with dressing

Tips for Making Shrimp Salad

  • To cut down on prep time, use cooked shrimp. Keep them whole or chop them up before adding into the salad.
  • Feel free to substitute sour cream with whole milk Greek yogurt. The dressing will taste tangier.
  • Double up on the dressing! It stores well in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and serves well over other green salads or as a dip for veggies and wings. The dressing will thicken upon standing. Stir in little water or olive oil to thin out.

Serving Suggestions

This shrimp salad is great on its own but it also makes a great meal. Here are some recipes that pair well with this shrimp salad:

shrimp avocado salad recipe

More Shrimp Recipes

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shrimp and avocado salad recipe

Shrimp Avocado Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Chopped
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Shrimp avocado salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and creamy cilantro dressing. It’s a filling salad to serve for lunch or dinner.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Dressing

  • 3 Tbsp. sour cream
  • 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp. minced fresh dill
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste

Salad

  • 1 lb. large cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 heads romaine hearts, chopped, about 810 cups
  • 2 mini/Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 ripe avocado, diced
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions

Instructions

Dressing

  1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients. The dressing will be thick. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to thin out. Taste for salt and pepper before serving.

Salad

  1. Arrange the salad ingredients on a platter or toss together in a salad bowl. Feel free to chop the shrimp into bite size pieces. Spoon some of the dressing over the salad and serve the rest on the side.  Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Shrimp: Frozen cooked shrimp works great in this recipe. Thaw out before serving and make sure it’s peeled and deveined. Keep tails on or off. Or feel free to toss in leftover cooked shrimp.
  • Substitute: Substitute sour cream with whole milk Greek yogurt. The dressing will still taste creamy just a little tangier.
  • Dressing: Dressing can be made up to 3-4 days in advance. Refrigerate until ready to serve. It will thicken upon standing. Stin in a little water or olive oil to thin out.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 244
  • Sugar: 5.2 g
  • Sodium: 184.6 mg
  • Fat: 15.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 11.5 g
  • Protein: 17.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 125.7 mg

Recipe published 5/5/2014. Updated 6/4/2021.