Avocadoes are grilled and stuffed with a fresh, homemade pico de gallo in this grilled avocado recipe. The green color of the avocado becomes more vibrant after grilling, contrasting well with the grill marks and bright red filling, making for an aesthetic and delicious summer recipe idea.
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❤️ Reasons to Love Grilled Avocado
- Grilling avocados enhances their natural creamy texture.
- The slight char from the grill adds a smoky flavor that complements the avocado’s richness.
- The contrast between that creamy, warm avocado flesh and the cool, tangy pico de gallo creates a delicious eating experience.
- It's such an easy, quick and fun way to offer up a new summer side dish for your guests! I love serving it with carne asada (check out how to grill carne asada here), ground bison chili or bison steaks.
- But that's not all; grilled avocado is healthy too, providing you with nutrients and fiber.
🥑 Ingredients
- cherry tomatoes - Choose cherry tomatoes that are slightly firm and not mushy.
- red onion - If preferred, you can finely dice a shallot instead of a red onion. Both work in this recipe but the shallot is a little more mild.
- cilantro (not pictured) - This is a classic ingredient in pico de gallo but if you don't like it, feel free to leave it out.
- serrano chili pepper - Serranos look similar to jalapeños but they are smaller and hotter. You can easily tweak the spice level in this recipe. Add more serrano pepper for more heat, swap it with a milder pepper like a jalapeño or omit the peppers altogether.
- olive oil - Use extra virgin olive oil for best quality.
- lime juice - Fresh is best!
- avocados - If you are using small avocados, you should use double the amount. This recipe calls for 2 large or 4 small. You want them to be ripe but still firm.
*See ingredient amounts in recipe card.
📖 Alternative Filling Ideas
You can play around with the filling of the grilled avocado. Some examples would be:
- quinoa and diced veggies
- tuna or salmon salad
- ground meat taco filling
- kimchi slaw
- caesar salad with bacon bits
- bean salad
- caprese salad
- breaded shrimp with lime crema
- Mexican street corn salad
- chickpea salad
- bruschetta topping (diced tomatoes, Parmesan, basil, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar)
🔪How to Make Grilled Stuffed Avocado
Step #1. Make the pico de gallo. Preheat outdoor grill to medium heat. For the pico de gallo, combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, serrano chili pepper, olive oil and lime juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
Step #2. Slice the avocados. Slice the avocados in half and remove the pits.
👉 Pro Tip: Optional: You can scoop a little bit of the avocado out, if the pit was small, to make more room for filling.
Step #3. Grill the avocados. Lightly brush the cut side of the avocados with some olive oil or spray them with a cooking spray. Place the avocados, cut side down, on the preheated grill. Grill for 5 minutes or until you see some nice grill marks.
Step #4. Remove from grill. Remove from grill to serving tray. Spoon some pico de gallo into the center of each grilled avocado half.
Step #5. Serve. Sprinkle with some sea salt flakes. Serve the grilled avocado immediately!
♨️ Joss' Tips
- If your cherry tomatoes are on the bigger side, just make sure you dice them up more to fit nicely in the grilled avocado.
- You can also scoop a little more of the avocado center out to hold more filling. I do this when the pit is very small, making for a small cavity. The extra avocado can be tossed with lemon juice and refrigerated for up to 1 to 2 days.
- Be gentle when you brush the avocado flesh with the olive oil or you might leave some brush marks. A spray works better.
❓ Grilled Stuffed Avocado FAQs
Grilling the avocado doesn't actually change the flavor too much. 5 minutes on the grill is just enough to warm it through and give it a slight smokiness from the charred outer layer. The warm avocado against the cool, fresh pico de gallo provides a wonderful sensation on the tongue.
Grilling the avocado does soften the flesh a little as it is heated through.
It is best to serve the avocados immediately, but you can store them in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. They will still taste good but the discoloration may be unappetizing. The pico de gallo filling is good for up to 3 days.
I recommend pairing grilled avocado with light, refreshing beverages like a crisp white wine, a cold margarita (check out how to make a slushy margarita here), or a fresh herbal iced tea such as this iced peach tea.
🔥 More Delicious Grilling Ideas
If you tried this 🥑 Grilled Stuffed Avocado Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. And please share the recipe!
📋Recipe
Grilled Stuffed Avocado
Ingredients
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - diced
- ¼ cup red onion - diced
- 2 tablespoons packed fresh cilantro - chopped
- 1 serrano chili pepper - seeds/membrane removed and then diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - plus more to brush the avocados with
- 1 tablespoon lime juice - freshly squeezed is best
- 2 large avocados - or 4 small
- salt and pepper - to taste
- sea salt flakes
Instructions
- For the pico de gallo, combine the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, serrano chili pepper, olive oil and lime juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
- Preheat outdoor grill to medium heat. Slice the avocados in half and remove the pits. (Optional: You can scoop a little bit of the avocado out, if the pit was small, to make more room for filling.)
- Lightly brush the cut side of the avocados with some olive oil or spray them with a cooking spray.
- Place the avocados, cut side down, on the preheated grill. Grill for 5 minutes or until you see some nice grill marks.
- Remove from grill. Spoon some pico de gallo into the center of each avocado half.
- Sprinkle with some sea salt flakes. Serve immediately!
Equipment
Notes
- If you scooped out some avocado, just toss it in a small bowl with some lemon juice to prevent it from browning quickly and then refrigerate it. Consume within the next couple of days.
- Leave out the serrano chili pepper if you have a low heat tolerance. You can also substitute it with a jalapeño pepper if desired.
- If your cherry tomatoes are on the bigger side, just make sure you dice them up more to fit nicely in the avocado.
- Be gentle when you brush the avocado flesh with the olive oil or you might leave some brush marks. A spray works better.
- It is best to serve the avocados immediately, but you can store them in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. They will still taste good but the discoloration may be unappetizing. The pico de gallo filling is good for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
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