Avocado Grapefruit Salad
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Published Jan 22, 2025
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This grapefruit salad is the perfect winter salad with a blend of spicy arugula, avocado, blue cheese and juicy grapefruit. Serve it as a side salad or add protein for a full meal.
I’m a Valentine’s Day baby, so the holiday has always felt extra special — filled with chocolate, hearts, and sweetness! That said, going out on February 14th can be a hassle. Restaurants are packed, menus are limited, and everything feels overpriced.
That’s why Isaac and I usually celebrate at home with a homemade dinner, and this avocado grapefruit salad was born from one of those cozy nights in. Grapefruit, in season during the winter, adds a pop of color that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day vibes. It’s a great side salad to serve alongside for a full meal.
The combination of spicy arugula, creamy avocado, tangy blue cheese, and juicy fruit is a total winner. Serve it as a starter, side salad to my my cottage cheese pasta or penne alla vodka or add protein like grilled shrimp, grilled chicken, or air fryer salmon to make it the star of your meal!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Salad
- Quick and easy – With just a few simple ingredients and no cooking required, this salad comes together in minutes.
- A balance of flavors and textures – You’ve got it all: sweet, tangy, creamy, and crunchy in every bite.
- Perfect for any occasion – Whether you’re making a quick lunch, serving it as a dinner side, or adding it to your holiday spread, this salad fits right in.
- Customizable – Swap ingredients to match your preferences or what you have on hand —it’s super flexible!
Ingredients Needed
- arugula – the peppery bite of arugula adds a bold, fresh base for this salad.
- grapefruit – juicy and tangy, grapefruit brings a refreshing citrusy pop that pairs perfectly with the other ingredients. I used a red grapefruit for this salad, but feel free to use your favorite variety of grapefruit.
- avocado – creamy avocado adds richness and balances the tartness of the grapefruit.
- walnuts – chopped walnuts provide a satisfying crunch and a dose of healthy fats.
- blue cheese – crumbled blue cheese adds a tangy, creamy flavor. If you’re not a fan, swap it out for feta, goat cheese, or even shaved parmesan.
- dried cranberries – sweet and chewy, these add a touch of natural sweetness that ties the flavors together.
- balsamic dressing – a simple balsamic dressing enhances all the flavors in this salad, bringing a touch of tangy sweetness to every bite.
Recipe Variations
- Make it more filling: Turn this salad into a complete meal by adding this apple cider vinegar chicken, grilled shrimp, or my air fryer salmon bites. For a plant-based option, try roasted chickpeas or baked tofu. You could also add quinoa or another grain of choice like farro to help beef up this salad.
- Use a different green: If you’re not a fan of arugula or don’t have it on hand you can use spinach, baby kale or mixed greens.
- Swap the citrus: Instead of grapefruit, use oranges, blood oranges, or mandarins for a sweeter citrus flavor.
- Swap the walnuts: Swap walnuts for pecans, almonds, or pistachios. Or try sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or hemp seeds for a nut-free option.
- Use a different cheese: If you’re not a fan of blue cheese feel free to skip it or swap it with goat cheese or feta cheese. Both are great substitutes!
How to Make Avocado Grapefruit Salad
This grapefruit and avocado salad is super easy to make! With just a few minutes and some simple ingredients, you’ll have a fresh salad ready to enjoy. Here’s how to make this grapefruit salad recipe:
Step 1: Blend the balsamic dressing ingredients or shake them in a jar until combined.
Step 2: Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl, drizzle with dressing, toss gently, and serve.
Brittany’s Tips!
- Master the grapefruit – Take your time when segmenting the grapefruit. Use a sharp knife and carefully cut away the peel and pith — nobody wants bitter bites! Trust me, it’s worth the effort for those juicy, clean segments. See my tips below on how to cut a grapefruit for this salad.
- Pick the perfect avocado – You want an avocado that’s just ripe and soft enough to be creamy but not so mushy that it falls apart when you slice it. If it’s underripe, you’ll miss out on that dreamy texture!
- Toast those walnuts – Toasting the walnuts takes their flavor to the next level and adds a warm nuttiness to the salad. Just a couple of minutes in a dry skillet makes a big difference.
- Dress it up last – Wait to drizzle the balsamic dressing until you’re ready to dig in. This keeps the greens fresh and prevents any sad, soggy bites.
How to Cut a Grapefruit
You’ll want to cut the peel off the grapefruit so there’s no bitter rind or pith. Here’s how I like to cut the grapefruit for this salad:
- Cut off both ends of the grapefruit so it has a flat base to stand on.
- Stand the grapefruit up and slice off the peel and pith (the white part), following the curve of the fruit.
- Once the peel is off, hold the grapefruit over a bowl (to catch the fresh juice) and slice along the membranes to remove the segments. Segmenting the grapefruit removes the bitter pith and makes for a sweet and juicy smoothie without any bitter aftertaste.
How to Store Leftovers
This grapefruit avocado salad is best enjoyed fresh, but if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day. To keep it fresh, store the dressing separately and add it just before serving.
How to prep in advance: You can prep the individual ingredients in advance. Segment the grapefruit, chop the walnuts, and make the balsamic dressing ahead of time and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat your salad. Assemble the salad and slice the avocado right before serving to keep it looking and tasting its best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grapefruits are in season from November through June, with the peak season being from January-March, depending on your location. That said, you can usually find grapefruits year round in most grocery stores.
Yes! Simply skip the blue cheese or replace it with a plant-based cheese alternative.
Of course! While balsamic dressing is a classic choice, feel free to use your favorite dressing. A citrus vinaigrette, lemon vinaigrette or white balsamic vinaigrette would be delicious, but olive oil with a squeeze of lemon juice would also work beautifully. Feel free to check out all of my salad dressing recipes for more ideas.
More Salad Recipes
- Baby Beet and Clementine Salad
- Winter Salad
- Arugula Salad
- Fattoush Salad
- Easy Spinach Salad
- Green Goddess Salad (Viral Recipe)
Be sure to check out all of my salad recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Avocado Grapefruit Salad
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups fresh arugula, or baby greens of choice
- 1 grapefruit, segmented
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 2-3 Tablespoons walnuts, chopped
- 2-3 Tablespoons fresh blue cheese, crumbled
- 2-3 Tablespoons dried cranberries
Balsamic Dressing
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme and/or basil, or ½ teaspoon dried, optional
Instructions
- If you’re making your own balsamic dressing, blend the ingredients together, whisk them in a small bowl, or shake them in a jar until well combined.
- In a large bowl, layer the arugula, grapefruit segments, avocado slices, walnuts, blue cheese, and dried cranberries.
- Drizzle ¼ cup of balsamic dressing over the salad just before serving. Toss gently, if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
- Storing: This salad is best enjoyed fresh, but if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day. To keep it fresh, store the dressing separately and add it just before serving.
- Prepping in advance: You can prep the individual ingredients in advance to save time when you’re ready to serve. Segment the grapefruit, chop the walnuts, and make the balsamic dressing ahead of time and store in the fridge separately. Assemble the salad and slice the avocado right before serving to prevent it from turning brown.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published on February 8, 2019 and republished on January 22, 2025.
This reminds me a bit of one of my favorite salads – Avocado, Grapefruit, Butter Lettuce, Toasted Cashews with a light soy-citrus vinaigrette…I add shredded poached or roasted chicken sometimes for protein. I’m excited to try your version!
Ohh yummy! You’ll definitely have to let me know if you try this recipe and what you think of it.
happy early birthday!
my boyfriend and i are staying in and making dinner:)
Happy Birthday tomorrow! That salad looks amazing – and I’ll think I’ll have a pre-Valentine’s Day meal of it today! Have a great birthday AND Valentine’s Day!
You really can’t go wrong with avocado and blue cheese. Yum!
Cute idea! Kyle and I are staying in for V-day this year, and this salad might make it onto the menu. Have fun in NYC!
Update. . . . made this salad last night and it was a hit! Thanks for the great recipe!
YAY! So glad you enjoyed the salad Lauren!! Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
It does seem just perfect that you are a V-day baby. You are just too sweet not to be one! I think Ryan and I are going to stay in too. It is too crazy in Austin on that night. We like to go out before or after the big day to avoid the long waits, busy and tired kitchens, and the traffic! I hope you have a wonderful Sunday…and an even better Monday. Rest, rejuvenate and spread some love!
I love that you are a Valentine’s Day baby! It’s one of my favorite holidays and now i like it even more. 🙂
That salad sounds like my dream salad. I have such a hard time finding arugula in the grocery story though; I usually have to pick it out of one of those mixed greens packages! wtf?
I LOVE avocado in salads!
Great recipe! Seth and I will be staying in as well, since I don’t get out of class until 8:30PM!
Hey, I work at a restaurant and we do not jack up our prices on vday..but we do have several reservations! But your blog is really nice, I love all of the healthy living tips, thank you!
Now that salad looks amazing. Yum! All my fav flavors for sure. Have a great time in NYC. 🙂
V-Day Plans: I will be going on a beach crusier bike ride followed by with lots of tasty food and treats. 🙂
I’ll be loopy from Valium and recovering from getting the cavities on the right side of my mouth filled. 😀
Have SO much fun in NYC girl!!! And happy early bday to youuuuuuu! I’m actually really excited for Valentine’s day this year – but totally not for the right reasons as you well know haha 😉
Clearly, starting off with a salad means there’s more room for dessert…right? 😉
Happy early birthday!!
I just made such a similar salad last night and I was so close to putting blue cheese on it but I wasn’t sure how it would go with the grapefruit. Now I’m sad I missed out!
I’m not celebrating, but I’m not depressed over it. It’s just another day to me!
My best friend from college is a V-day baby too! I think she kind of hates it haha… I am 2 days after V-day myself so from my fiance’s perspective the holidays usually just get lumped into one anyways…
I don’t usually celebrate valentines day so it’s a first this year! I’m going all out and going to a fancy shmancy dinner!
Awhh that’s a great birthday to have! And funny you posted this – a valentines day arugula salad is on my menu for the 14th too! I’m doing beets in mine for the red 🙂 my plans are cooking dinner with steve and another couple (heart shaped gourmet pizzas are on the menu) low key and fun!
I was totally going to recommend that you pair this salad with pizza!!! Good minds think alike. 🙂
that salad looks yum im gonna have to try it. valentines day will be with my best single girlfriends 🙂
I’ll be making one a JibJab valentine’s day cards/videos – so funny! Our plan is to probably cook dinner in, and I might bake some treats.
I’ve never known a 2/14 baby before! I imagine it being a very fun holiday as a kid and a tough one as an adult, as you say. I’m quite romantic but think it’s a bit over-rated….I mean, really, florist, do you need to quadruple the price of flowers??