Made with sweet juicy tomatoes and silky avocado with a tangy vinaigrette and lots of fresh basil on top, this avocado tomato salad is a simple summer salad that elevates any meal!
Welcome to the salad you will physically not be able to tear yourself away from this summer! Spoiler alert: it’s a good one.
Good in the sense that it’s freaking packed with flavor and also just about the easiest lil side dish you’ll ever put on the table.
Did I mention you’re going to want to faceplant in it? To absolutely no one’s surprise, of course…
We love a good easy summer salad this time of year and this beauty just ticks all the boxes. We’re keeping it so simple and letting those luscious summer tomatoes and rich avocados shine with just a few embellishments.
Embellishments meaning a tasty as heck vinaigrette drizzled over top along with all the toppings we can fit. This is summer bliss, y’all.
This Salad features…
- Juicy summer tomatoes and silky avocado
- A tangy white wine herb vinaigrette
- Herby basil, toasted pine nuts, tangy feta, and capers for topping
- Minutes to make with only a handful of basic ingredients
Making the Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- White wine vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Tomatoes
- Avocados
- Feta cheese
- Capers
- Pine nuts
- Basil
Choosing Your Tomatoes
This recipe works great with a variety of tomatoes! We typically prefer a larger on-the-vine tomato or heirlooms so that the tomatoes can be sliced the same size as the avocado, but you can also use cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or romas.
When choosing your tomatoes at the store or farmers market, look for ones that are slightly firm to the touch and have a strong tomato aroma. This signifies the tomatoes are ripe and will taste super flavorful served fresh in this salad.
Tips for Perfect Salad
- Cut tomatoes and avocado in uniform size – not only will it make for a beautiful presentation, but it will make this salad easier to eat.
- Build salad on a serving plate – this allows every little slice of the avocado and tomatoes to get evenly coated. Plus it looks gorgeous!
- Salt and pepper tomatoes and avocado – a little dusting of salt and freshly cracked black pepper brings lots of flavor out of the tomato and avocado.
- Build salad just before serving – this is one of those salads you’ll want to make just before serving if possible. This keeps all the ingredients fresh and prevents the avocado from turning brown.
- Garnish salad with toppings – we use a simple mix of fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, capers, and feta to top this salad. You can easily omit any of these ingredients if you don’t have them on hand or don’t care for them.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad!
- Add more veggies – sliced cucumber, sweet pepper, red onion, or spinach would all work great in this salad.
- Try a different cheese – try fresh mozzarella, burrata, grated Parmesan, or scoops of ricotta cheese.
- Skip the pine nuts – if you’re not a fan of ’em, you can easily leave out the pine nuts or replace them with another nut.
- Use a bottled dressing – use 1/2 cup bottled Greek or Italian dressing in place of the homemade dressing.
Serving Suggestions
This salad goes well alongside a variety of dishes! It’s incredible alongside grilled steak, chicken, or seafood for a summer dinner. You can also serve it alongside pasta dishes or as an appetizer with fresh bread for dipping.
There’s just something about this salad that invokes a pure sense of the summer. The tangy white wine vinaigrette goes so well with the sweet tomatoes and soft avocado slices while the toppings take things from good to utterly insane. The toasted pine nuts are my personal fav of this whole deal.
Hello, summer perfection! We’ve been waiting for you.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Watch this salad made step-by-step on Google web stories.
More beautiful summer salads to try next!
Tomato Avocado Salad
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 medium tomatoes, cored and sliced into 1/4-in slices
- 3 medium avocados, pitted and sliced into 1/4-in slices
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1/4 cup fresh torn basil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until dressing is smooth. Season dressing with salt and pepper to taste.
- Arrange avocado and tomato slices on a serving plate. Season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle dressing over top of tomatoes and avocado and garnish with feta, capers, pine nuts, and torn basil. Serve salad immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 8/24/23.
Kelly // The Pretty Bee: Cooking & Creating says
This looks really good and fresh! I love avocado and tomato together!
Sarah says
Thanks, Kelly! I love how we were both on salad kicks yesterday. 🙂
marcie says
This looks so good, Sarah, and would be the perfect side dish with grilled meat. I can’t get enough of all the delicious tomatoes right now, and avocado is always at the top of my list!
Sarah says
Thanks, Marcie! And IKR? I’ve been eating tomatoes pretty much every day and I don’t think I could ever get tired of them! Ditto for avocado, obv. 😉
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
What a gorgeous salad, Sarah! I absolutely love all of the ingredients in here. And isn’t garlic herb feta the best?! I use it in practically all of my salads! 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks, Gayle! And YES, I am completely in love with this new feta.—I’ve been putting it on preeeeetty much well, everything. 😀
Mary says
Feta – Check
Pune Nuts – Check
Basil – Check
I can not wait to try this one
Sarah says
You’re going to LOVE it. Let me know how it turns out, Mary! 🙂
Olivia - Primavera Kitchen says
Dear Sara, this salad looks so tasty! Tomato, avocado and feta are great combo! It must be great with a grill meat 😉
Sarah says
Thanks, Olivia! And yes, this salad is the total BOMB with grilled meat. 🙂
Danielle says
Sounds like I need to get my hands on some garlic herb feta too! I love how fresh this dish looks. I’ve never had avocado and feta together, but boy do they look like a match made in heaven in this dish!
Sarah says
YES. I cannot recommend the garlic herb feta highly enough. Get some ASAP, Danielle! 😉 And oh my gosh, you will LOVE feta and avocado combined—it’s the best thing EVER. 🙂
Kathy @ Olives & Garlic says
I can see how this can easily become an staple side dish in my house. It has all of my favorite ingredients. Yummm.
Sarah says
It’s already quickly become a favorite lunch item around here, Kathy! You MUST try it, girlfriend. 🙂
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
This salad looks amazing Sarah! I love pine nuts, avocados AND feta. 🙂 So, this is a win-win for me, and I love the fact you’re freakishly optimistic today – because girl that is catchy and I’m feelin’ it! 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks, Kristi! This salad sounds RIGHT up your alley, girl. You totally need to try it.
And LOL yay! I’m glad my good mood is rubbing off! 🙂
Kelly - Life made sweeter says
This salad looks awesome, Sarah! Love tomatoes and avocado together and then you threw in some feta too? Sounds amazing!
Sarah says
Thanks, Kelly! You’ve gotta try this salad, girlfriend. 🙂
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says
Love this salad and the addition of the pine nuts sounds delicious!
Sarah says
Thanks, Cindy!
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life says
Girl, I need some pep for my Tuesday – this looks like a perfect pick me up! AVOCADO for the win ALWAYS. Pine nuts get underappreciated and I love the extra crunch they add to this salad. So colorful and healthy, too!
Sarah says
Avocado will make ANY Tuesday better. Fact. 😀 And ikr? Pine nuts never get enough credit—they’re one of my fav nuts! Thanks so much, Mary Frances!
Isadora says
“give me feta or give me death” haha, you are hilarious , Sarah!! Feta really is one of the best things in the world!! I’m love all of your summer garden recipes and this one is no different! It has all of my favorite ingredients in it! That is so awesome that they send you a box full of nuts! I think I would have gone for the pine nuts first too!
Sarah says
Gahh! YES. Finally someone who understands my feta-obsession! We’re feta-buddies you and I! 😉 You would TOTALLY love this salad, girl!