Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad with Mozzarella and Basil Pesto is a healthy recipe packed with nutrients and lots of fresh ingredients! Perfect Spring and Summer salad! Serve it as a side dish or as a complete meal! This recipe can be easily made ahead and is perfect for potlucks, picnics, block parties, and other Summer festivities.
Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad
Small fresh Mozzarella cheese balls are delicious when combined with avocado in this easy salad that also features red and yellow cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions. The dressing for this tomato cucumber avocado salad couldn't be easier to make - just combine fresh basil pesto with lemon juice! Basil pesto makes a perfect salad dressing as it is packed with olive oil.
Healthy Summer Salad
One of many reasons that I love Summer is that it's a perfect time of the year to make salads. I've been making all kinds of salads, including my favorite beet salad with spinach, goat cheese, cashews, and strawberry spinach salad. Well, now I've got another favorite! This recipe just screams Summer! I love using red and yellow cherry tomatoes (each sliced in half), diced cucumbers, and diced avocado in this salad because they add natural color and look really good with the small fresh Mozzarella cheese balls and other diced ingredients. So easy to make! Just combine all the ingredients together, toss with a simple basil pesto dressing and the salad is ready!
The Ingredients
- ½ pound red cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ pound yellow cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 avocados, diced
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- ⅓ cup red onion, diced
- 8 ounces small fresh mozzarella cheese balls
How to make easy basil pesto salad dressing
My favorite salad dressing for salads is just plain olive oil. This is why basil pesto (which has olive oil as one of its ingredients) makes a perfect salad dressing for my avocado salad.
- To make the dressing, just combine fresh basil pesto (I used ¼ cup) with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- After you add the dressing to the salad, season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste.
I used to make my own basil pesto all the time, but these days you can buy really good pre-made fresh basil pesto in the store, so I just used store-bought basil pesto for this avocado salad.
What to serve with it
Many grilled types of meat, such as grilled chicken, grilled pork, and grilled or roasted lamb will go great with this salad. Also, since this avocado salad is very Mediterranean, any Mediterranean-style main dish will do. And don't forget about the fish. Such as salmon or trout. I cook fish a lot, and here are some of my favorite fish recipes that go with this avocado and mozzarella salad:
- Trout Recipe with Garlic Lemon Butter Herb Sauce
- Steelhead Trout with Caper-Garlic Lemon Butter Sauce
- Cilantro Lime Honey Garlic Salmon baked in foil
The following Mediterranean chicken recipes will also be perfect to go with this avocado salad:
Other salads with similar ingredients
- Balsamic dressing goes really well with avocados, tomatoes, and Mozzarella cheese. Try it for yourself in this recipe: Tomato Basil Avocado Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Dressing
- Greek-style ingredients, tortellini, and avocados? Why not: Greek tortellini salad with tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, feta cheese
- Berries and avocados are some of my favorite salad ingredients. Add mango and cashew nuts, and you will really enjoy this Summer salad: Strawberry Spinach Salad, with Blueberries, Mango, Avocado, and Cashew nuts
- For radish lovers, add avocados to your salad: Radish Avocado Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Green Onions
Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad with Mozzarella and Basil Pesto
Ingredients
Avocado Salad Ingredients:
Salad Dressing:
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine halved red and yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, diced avocado, sliced cucumber, diced red onion, small fresh mozzarella cheese balls.
- Add basil pesto and lemon juice to the salad and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Use more basil pesto, if desired.
- Want to make basil pesto from scratch? Here is a super flavorful and creamy 20-Minute Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi Julia! Saw your salad recipe on Pinterest and have made it twice now, to take to BBQ parties. It was a hit both times. I can't resist tweaking here & there though, sometimes out of necessity. Hitting the proper timing for ripe avocados has eluded me, so I had to omit those; hope to hit the timing better next try! Also since we have a garden full of fresh basil, I added basil leaves. Then it seemed like balsamic glaze would go well - which it did! Guess what? When I came back to your site here, I noticed your other /similar recipe with all those things. Welp! I may also omit the cucumber next time, as it doesn't seem to add much flavor which is otherwise here in abundance. Thanks for all your good ideas.
Loved it….. made it tonight to go alongside some delicious salmon….
No way we could eat this all up in 2 or 3 days. So before adding the dressing and avocado I divided the mixture in half. The naked half goes in the fridge to get finished later. I put one avocado and half the dressing on the other half and am enjoying it now and will have enough for lunch tomorrow. It is a lovely,satisfying salad. Thanks for this recipe!
Jackie, I am so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you for the helpful tips on how to make it ahead! ❤️
how long can this recipe last in the fridge?
Lizzie, I would say 2 days? The avocado will get brown, though.
I love this recipe! Have made it several times. Can I use regular tomatoes from the garden?
Cindy, yes, you can use regular tomatoes (not just cherry tomatoes) in this salad!
How long does this last in the refrigerator?
About 3 days.
This is looks amazing. I'm wondering how long it will last with the dressing on it?
Kris, this salad should last about 2 days in the fridge with the dressing on it. I would not add avocado until the last moment as it will brown.
This was a big hit! Lots of good flavors, definitely one of my favorites.
Angela, I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for the 5-star rating! 🙂
Light and refreshing. A new summertime staple! Thank you for sharing.
Rosemarie, I am so glad you love this salad. Thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment! 🙂
Tried it tonight with baked salmon. It was delicious! I will definitely make it again and again!!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to share your comment and the 5-star review! I appreciate it!
Todo se ve delicioso. Desde hoy empiezo a preparar sus ensaladas.
Thank you! Enjoy!
Delicious salad. Goes well with your mozzarella tomato basil pesto chicken bake.
Can't wait to try this. We have some many tomatoes coming out of the garden. Love the freshness of this recipe.
Enjoy! I hope you like it! 🙂
Hi,
May you put a "Print" button on your blog?
It will be more easier to us to save a recipe.
Thanks!
It's right below the photo in the recipe.
I added a smidgen of peach balsamic vinegar, and it turned out wonderful! I love it, and I'll make it again.
Stacey, I love the addition of balsamic vinegar. A peach balsamic vinegar - I've never heard of it before, but I love peaches!
This sounds great with a Balsamic Glaze. Perfect for summer.
Yes, this is a great salad to use with Balsamic glaze. In fact, I have a similar salad recipe here: Tomato Basil Avocado Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Dressing
We loved it! Very refreshing!
I just wish it had a serving size not how many servings .
Patty, I am glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 I think this salad can be served in small portions as a side dish, or in bigger portions as a more substantial meal.
I'm planning on making this tonight, but I was wondering how long it would last in the fridge? It looks amazing. Thank you!
I'm really upset that I've seen this question a bunch of times on this thread....and not any that have been answered by the blogger (at least not going back more than a few pages) she's answered more recent questions but not this one which has been asked at least 4 times on two pages of comments.....what gives?
You can refrigerate this salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Hi 🙂 I bought all the ingredients for this, but just wondering:
How far in advance can I make this?
How long does it keep in the fridge?
Thank you!
If you prepping in advance, don't put the avocado in until right before otherwise it'll brown up. It has lemon juice but I think it would still start to brown up.