An ancient 'superfood' sent from heaven
Whether you're making your 'mock guac' with fava beans, edamame, pistachio, or peas, you'll want to keep the usual guacamole staples. If you usually load it up with cilantro, chili, lime, and tomato, adding these will make a convincing replacement.
Pesto takes on different flavor profiles according to the ingredients used. For a milder, somewhat creamy taste, switch the basil or wild garlic for locally-sourced leeks. Walnuts can be switched for the pine nuts, too.
Rich in protein and low in fat, silken tofu has a creamy texture that can be used to replace avocado in smoothies and pasta sauces. Adding edamame or fava beans to the mix will add that all-important dash of green. Just be sure to look for a sustainable brand of tofu if environmental issues are your main concern.
Creamed mushrooms can mimic the feel of avocado, and bring a whole lot of nutritional benefits to the table. Add a splash of olive oil when making mushroom pâté to replace the monounsaturated fats found in avocado.
Blitzed in a blender with creamy ricotta, garlic, and a good bit of olive oil, pistachios make for a delicious dip that works well on toast or with nachos as an alternative to guacamole.
Loaded with protein, fiber, nutrients, and heart-healthy fats, nuts and seeds can do just the trick for anybody missing the quick-fix health boost of avocados. Most nut and seed butters require just one or two ingredients. Besides that, all you need is a decent blender!
Like avocado, asparagus is high in brain-boosting nutrient lutein, which also supports good eyesight. Blanched asparagus can be used to replace avocado in a dip, or topped with a poached egg on a thick slab of toast.
With their vibrant color, distinctive taste, and high level of nutrients, pistachios are a good swap for avocados. Like avocados, they are high in fiber, minerals, and healthy fats, and they have the highest lutein content of all nuts.
It's worth playing around with ingredients in the search for your perfect avocado replacement. A few tangy gooseberries can be added to homemade pistachio nut butter to give a tang to a mock guacamole.
The neutral taste and creamy texture of avocado makes it a success in sweet dishes and smoothies as well as savory ones. For a similar feel, smashed banana on toast can work, or blend the fruit with pistachios and coconut milk for a deliciously creamy smoothie.
Avocado on toast is so last year. Blanched fava beans fork-mashed with cilantro, olive oil, chili, red onion, and citrus zest is your new Instagrammable brunch treat. Blitz in a blender for a smoother texture.
Granted it doesn't look much like avocado, but pumpkin or butternut squash puree has a similar texture. If you're looking for a swap that will add a mildly-sweet flavor to your culinary creations, these can work wonders.
Fava beans (or broad beans) are another bright green substitute to avocados that can make for a successful replacement in guacamole and other savory treats. The beans are high in protein, loaded with nutrients, and low in fat.
Many health-conscious eaters love avocados for their cholesterol-regulating monounsaturated fats. Adding extra virgin olive oil to your diet can provide similar benefits in maintaining a healthy blood flow.
Edamame beans can rival the avocado in bright green hue and creamy texture, and is much lower in saturated fat. Whizzed up with olive oil, garlic, and tahini, the vitamin-packed bean makes a delicious toast topper.
The humble zucchini is something of a food superhero. Parents sneak it into cakes and muffins to give kids a dose of vitamins, it's used to make an alternative to noodles, and now it steps forward as a guacamole ingredient. Blend with your usual guac ingredients for a lower calorie, sustainable version of the much-loved dip.
Get your greens in fine style by making a citrusy, garlicky fava and edamame hummus to spread on toast. You'll barely notice the absence of avocado!
One of the beautiful things about pesto is that it can be adapted to incorporate different ingredients. Grab wild garlic when it's in season to create a flavor-packed paste that has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and heart-healthy properties. Combined with the magnesium, iron, antioxidants, zinc, and protein from the pine nuts, it's a nutritional powerhouse.
If you usually make your own poké bowls, play around with different ingredients to see what works best in place of avocado. Smoked tofu, by the way, is a tasty vegan alternative.
Avocado pops up regularly in tasty poké bowls, but it can be swapped out without losing too much in the flavor or nutrition departments. Adding seeds, blanched spinach, and plenty of crunchy, fresh vegetables to the mix makes for a satisfying dish.
Spinach is surprisingly creamy in itself, but adding a little soft cheese or silken tofu to the mix makes for a pâté that can rival avocado in the creaminess stakes. Add seasonings to taste, and you've got a healthy pâté that's much tastier than a spinach smoothie.
The nutritional benefits of spinach are well-documented and, like avocado, this leafy green makes a perfect companion to eggs. Sautéed with a little lemon and topped with a perfectly-poached egg on wholegrain toast, it makes for a healthy and delicious breakfast.
What's bright green, tasty, and packed with nutrients? Yes, avocado, but also peas! Rich in vitamins C and E, zinc, and antioxidants, peas can be blitzed with garlic, olive oil, and fresh mint for a deliciously photogenic alternative to avocado toast.
Low-fat, low-calorie mushrooms are a great source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants, and have a creamy texture when cooked and blended. Add some punchy blue cheese and cooked leeks for an umami-packed pâté that tastes great on toast.
Hummus is a decent switch for guacamole when it comes to chips 'n' dips, but beans tend to provide a creamier texture than chick peas. Add garlic, flax seeds, and paprika or chili to boost nutrient and flavor levels.
If you have fresh peas, great. But cheap-and-cheerful frozen peas can work just as well. They are also surprisingly successful as an avo alternative in guacamole.
If guac is your first choice for dipping, maybe it's time to shake things up. Spinach and soft cheese dip, spicy salsa, and pumpkin hummus all make tasty companions to nachos for a party or movie session.
If you want to ramp up the fanciness, try adding flavor-packed artichoke hearts. With Parmesan, soft cheese, plenty of garlic, and a dash of mayo or sour cream, this is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Sources: (The Guardian) (MindBodyGreen) (HEALable)
See also: Foods you might not know are naturally gluten-free
Leading the charge in the race to replace the avocado is the edamame bean. While soy has its own sustainability issues, these green soy beans have a relatively low water and carbon footprint, especially if you are able to buy locally-sourced. In general, avoid edamame beans from Brazil, where deforestation is an issue.
If your experience of pesto has been limited to the store-bought version in a jar, prepare for a culinary awakening. Fresh pesto made with basil and pine nuts blended with Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon, and extra virgin olive oil is vivid green and creamy, and features a tartness from the lemon and an umami kick from the strong cheese.
Avocado lovers may be waking up to the cold hard facts about the problematic nature of their favorite breakfast food, but it's not all bad news at the brunch buffet. The culinary world offers a wealth of alternatives, which can rival the delicious-but-unsustainable avocado in taste, texture, and benefits. So before you despair of never tasting a good guacamole again, it's time to check out your options.
Feeling hungry? Click through this gallery to discover some sustainable alternatives to avocados.
Sustainable alternatives to avocado
These options deliver guilt-free deliciousness to satisfy your guacamole craving
FOOD Healthy eating
Avocado lovers may be waking up to the cold hard facts about the problematic nature of their favorite breakfast food, but it's not all bad news at the brunch buffet. The culinary world offers a wealth of alternatives, which can rival the delicious-but-unsustainable avocado in taste, texture, and benefits. So before you despair of never tasting a good guacamole again, it's time to check out your options.
Feeling hungry? Click through this gallery to discover some sustainable alternatives to avocados.