Grilled Avocado Bowls

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Today I’m sharing how to grill an avocado! We’re adding that grilled avocado to an incredible veggie bowl with an irresistible creamy cilantro sauce.

Grilled Avocado Bowls make an amazing vegetarian meal or you can pair the bowl with some grilled steak or grilled chicken.

Up-close photo of the finished Grilled Avocado Bowls.

It’s no secret I love avocado and find any excuse to add it to every recipe I can, but GRILLED AVOCADO? In the least dramatic way I can say this: life will never be the same.

Okay, but really, if you’re an avocado fan, you need grilled avocados in your life… preferably with grilled sweet corn, fresh cherry tomatoes, and a saucy cilantro dressing. While this recipe didn’t begin as a meal for the blog (I mean, it is a little…random?) it is too good to not share. It’s veggie-packed, low carb, low calorie, and amazingly flavorful all while being simple to make.

Today I’m going to cover the basics of grilling an avocado and how to grill corn. I’ll share how to make cauliflower rice and a shortcut to make this meal even quicker (frozen cauliflower rice FTW). Toss all these ingredients together and cover them in an addictive sauce and we’re talking about a vegetarian meal you’re going to crave year-round. That’s a lot to talk about, so let’s get started!

Process shots for preparing grilled avocados.

Grilled avocado: how to

First, prep the grill. Heat the grill fully and then clean the grill grates. Generously oil the grill grates. I do this by drenching a rolled-up paper towel in vegetable (or canola oil) and (holding with tongs) rubbing it over the hot grates. (Add the avocado right after greasing.)

To grill an avocado, start by cutting a ripe avocado in half and removing the seed. Drizzle the flesh with fresh lime or lemon juice and brush lightly with olive oil.

Gently place it cut side down on the grill, over medium-high heat (~400 degrees) for 2-3 minutes. Using a metal spatula, pull the avocado off the grill and sprinkle with fine sea salt.

You can grill the corn at the same time as you grill the avocado.

Up-close photo of fresh corn about to be grilled.

How to grill corn

To grill corn, follow the steps in the section above to heat and prepare the grill. While a lot of grilled corn recipes require you to keep the husk on, I prefer shucking and removing the silk first.
 
Once the corn is shucked and silk strands removed, rub vegetable oil all over the kernels and sprinkle with fine sea salt. Add the corn directly to the (greased 400-degree) grill rack and cook (with the lid closed) for about 12-20 minutes, flipping 4 times total, every 3-5 minutes.
 
Process shot for ricing cauliflower.

How to rice cauliflower

Let’s start with how to cut cauliflower into rice. First, remove the core and then give the cauliflower a coarse chop to cut it into florets. Add those florets (in 3-4 batches) to a large food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is in small pieces and has the texture of rice or couscous. 

Be careful to not overprocess the cauliflower or it will get mushy. Repeat until all the cauliflower has been processed. Now it’s time to cook.

Toss the cauliflower “rice” with a little olive oil, garlic powder and salt; spread into a single layer. Roast until golden and use it in this recipe!

Alternatively, you can use frozen cauliflower rice for this recipe to make it quicker. If I’m using frozen cauliflower rice, that means I’m pressed for time, so I usually don’t have the time for it to bake for 25 minutes. In that case, I sauté it in a skillet with a little olive oil (don’t add water as indicated on the package).

When using frozen cauliflower rice, I like to use one that is seasoned with garlic. (If not seasoned, I recommend adding a little fresh minced garlic.)

Overhead view of the inside of a food processor, showing the sauce ingredients for the grilled avocado bowls Finished sauce and cherry tomatoes, to be used in the Grilled Avocado Bowl.

Add protein to your Grilled Avocado Bowl

While we’ve got lots of veggies in this dish and healthy fats from the avocado, there isn’t much protein. Below are a few ideas if you’re looking to add protein.

  • Hard-boiled eggs (tutorial on this deviled egg recipe)
  • Beans
  • Lentils
  • Grilled meat (beef, chicken, pork, etc.)
  • Grilled salmon or shrimp

What to do with leftover sauce

While the sauce is easy to halve, I love making a big batch to use throughout the week. (Cook once, enjoy several times!) Here are some of the ways you can use leftover sauce beyond on top of a grilled avocado.

QUICK TIP

Grilled avocado sauce quick tip: If you can, I recommend making the cilantro sauce up to a day in advance. The sauce gets more and more flavorful the longer it sits. It’s still great freshly made, but we love it after it has sat for a day.

Finished Grilled Avocado Bowls with sauce on top.

More amazing vegetarian meals

 

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Grilled Avocado Bowl

5 from 1 vote
Today I'm sharing how to grill an avocado! We're adding that grilled avocado to an incredible veggie bowl with an irresistible creamy cilantro sauce.
Print Recipe

Grilled Avocado Bowl

5 from 1 vote
Today I'm sharing how to grill an avocado! We're adding that grilled avocado to an incredible veggie bowl with an irresistible creamy cilantro sauce.
Course Dinner, Main Course, Vegetarian
Cuisine American
Keyword grilled avocado
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings (with extra sauce)
Chelsea Lords
Calories 371kcal

Ingredients

Bowls

  • 2 (10 ounces EACH) riced cauliflower (Note 1) frozen or homemade
  • 1 large avocado sliced in half and pit removed
  • 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • olive oil
  • 3/4ths of 1 pint petite medley cherry tomatoes (I like the mix of red, orange, & yellow; about 12 tomatoes)
  • 2 ears fresh corn
  • Optional: fresh chopped cilantro
  • Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

Cilantro/Jalapeno Sauce -- Note 2

  • 1/2 cup regular full-fat mayo
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (I use fat-free)
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves including stems, firmly packed
  • 1 jalapeno coarsely chopped (remove seeds and ribs - Note 1)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (reduce if sensitive to garlic)
  • 1 large and juicy lime (3 tablespoons juice + 1/2 teaspoon zest)
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

  • SAUCE: Add the mayo, sour cream, firmly packed cilantro, coarsely chopped jalapeno (add 1/2 for less spicy/less flavor and the full jalapeno for more spice/more flavor), minced garlic, lime juice and zest, and cumin to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Cover and refrigerate until everything else is ready. Sauce lasts a week in an airtight container in the fridge.
  • CAULIFLOWER RICE: Frozen - Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet and add in the frozen (unthawed) cauliflower rice. Cook for a total of 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until crisp-tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
    Fresh - Wash and thoroughly dry cauliflower; remove all greens and core. If using a box grater, cut the cauliflower into large chunks and grate into "rice." For a food processor, cut cauliflower into small pieces and use the grater attachment to grate into "rice." Spread the riced cauliflower evenly on a large sheet pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder if desired. Stir to combine. Bake in a 425 degree F oven for 10 minutes, stir and bake for 10-15 minutes or until toasted and crisp-tender.
  • GRILLED AVOCADO and CORN: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, about 400 degrees F. Cut avocado in half brush on 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Rub sides together and let stand for 1 minute. Meanwhile, shuck and remove silk from corn. Rub oil all over the sides of the corn (about 1/2 teaspoons per ear) and lightly sprinkle with sea salt.
    Back to avocado: Drain any leftover lemon juice and add about 1/2 teaspoon oil per half. Place flesh side down on a prepared grill for 3-5 minutes with the grill closed. (Check at 3 mins for dark grill marks and tender flesh.) Place corn next to the avocado and with the grill closed, turn every 3-5 minutes (check at 3 mins) (flipping 4 times total) until corn is nicely charred and crisp-tender. Remove avocado and corn from grill. Allow to slightly cool.
  • ASSEMBLE: Place an even amount of cauliflower rice on two bowls/plates. Cut the corn off the cob and divide the corn between the two bowls. Halve (or quarter if large) cherry tomatoes and place next to the corn in even amounts per bowl. Add one half of grilled avocado to each bowl. Drizzle sauce generously over bowls. Enjoy immediately.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: If not using frozen cauliflower, use 20 ounces fresh cauliflower.
Note 2: the sauce makes more than you'll want for these bowls, but I like having lots to top meals/salads throughout the rest of the week. If you don't want extra, it halves well. For more recipes to use this sauce on, see the post.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 213mg | Potassium: 416mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 528IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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