Guacamole Greens Salad with Cilantro Lime Jalapeño Vinaigrette
Inspired by the popular salad chain, Sweetgreen, this guacamole greens salad is bursting with flavor and texture!
One of my favorite salad recipes got a makeover! I first introduced you to this Guacamole Greens salad over four years ago.
If you’re familiar with the popular salad chain, Sweetgreen, you probably recognize this salad. It has a been a mainstay on their menu for years.
Back when I lived in Washington, DC I would occasionally treat myself and grab one of these salads on the way home from work. It didn’t take long for me to decide right then and there to recreate it at home.
Can I make a confession? My version tastes better than the original. To this day, it remains one of my (and yours) favorite everyday salad recipes!
This guacamole chicken salad is brimming with all sorts of goodies: mixed greens, chicken, fresh tomatoes, red onion, avocado, lime juice, and crushed tortilla chips.
The salad is tossed with a zesty homemade cilantro lime vinaigrette! Infused with fresh jalapeño and ground cumin, this herby vinaigrette ties the entire dish together.
The easiest way to prepare the cilantro lime vinaigrette is in a small capacity food processor or high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix (affiliate link).
While the dressing can be prepared in advance, the herbs will oxidize and lose some of their color as it sits. Either way, be sure to shake it well just before tossing.
One of the reasons why I love this salad is that it contains only a handful of ingredients, all of which are easy to grab and find year round.
The recipe below prepares one large salad serving or two smaller servings. Feel free to adjust the quantities as needed.
Guacamole Green Salad Ingredients:
- Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette – my version of Sweetgreen’s popular vinaigrette is prepared with healthy avocado oil, lots of fresh cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno pepper, and ground cumin. Citrus forward with the slightest hint of heat, this vinaigrette tastes great on a variety of salads or grain bowls!
- Mixed Greens – mixed baby greens (or a combination of mixed greens and romaine) are my greens of choice in this salad.
- Chicken – feel free to use shredded rotisserie chicken or grilled chicken (seasoned with salt and pepper) in this recipe. If you wish to prepare a vegetarian version of this salad, crispy roasted chickpeas would be a great substitute.
- Tomatoes – halved or quartered grape or cherry tomatoes add great color and flavor.
- Red Onion – the finely diced red onion is one of my favorite components in this salad! If you’re sensitive to raw onion, submerge the diced onion in cold water for five minutes, then drain. This will take away some of their bite.
- Avocado – it wouldn’t be a guacamole salad without the addition of creamy avocado chunks!
- Tortilla Chips – we’ll add a handful of crushed corn tortilla chips to the salad. They add great texture and flavor, and make the salad extra satisfying.
- Lime Wedges – just before tossing, we’ll add the juice of half a lime. The burst of fresh lime juice is that final touch that pulls everything together.
Why You’ll Love This Guacamole Greens Salad:
It takes a lot for me to feel completely satisfied with eating a salad as my main course.
It better have a lot going on, and there better be lots of texture and flavor. This guacamole greens salad checks all of those boxes and is easy to prepare. Hearty, yet citrus-forward, light, and great for all seasons.
Normally this salad costs $12 dollars at Sweetgreen, and I love that by preparing it at home, it not only saves money and tastes fresher, but also allows me to control the quality of ingredients.
If you’re a fan of flavorful main course salads, be sure to try my Mediterranean Chicken Salad with Sumac Dressing next. It is a mainstay in our kitchen too!
Guacamole Greens Salad with Lime Cilantro Jalapeño Vinaigrette
Equipment
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Jalapeno Vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 small strip of jalapeno pepper seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
- ¼ cup avocado (or grapeseed oil)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- freshly ground black pepper
- kosher salt
Guacamole Greens Salad:
- 4 ounces grilled chicken breast or rotisserie or leftover roast chicken, cubed
- 3 ounces grape tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup (1 ounce) finely diced red onion
- 8-10 large (1 ounce) corn tortilla chips crushed lightly with hands
- 1 small avocado pitted and cut into medium chunks
- 3½ ounces mixed spring greens
- wedge of lime for serving
Instructions
- Prepare Vinaigrette: Combine all ingredients in a blender, or small food processor bowl. Puree or pulse ingredients together, until mixture just begins to come together, and cilantro is still finely chopped. Set aside in a small container. Shake before using.
- Assemble Salad: In a large bowl, place the cooked chicken, halved tomatoes, diced red onion, crushed tortilla chips, avocado, and mixed spring greens. Squeeze the wedge of lime over the salad, then toss the salad lightly with lime cilantro jalapeño vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
Video
- Vinaigrette can be prepared up to 2 to 3 days in advance and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Shake before using.
83 Comments on “Guacamole Greens Salad with Cilantro Lime Jalapeño Vinaigrette”
I am not chef saavy. Doesn’t vinagrette usually have some kind of vinegar in it? Balsamic, ACV, etc? Going to make this, just got me wondering if an ingredient is missing.
Hi, a vinaigrette can be made in a lot of different ways, but no – just a type of acid (which vinegar is). The lime juice is the acid in this dressing!
This sounds wonderful and I’m particularly interested the dressing. Definitely making this one!
This salad is incredible- and even better than sweetgreen considering it’s not $15 for one serving. I added spicy broccoli (like the one at sweetgreen) & goat cheese which level it up that much more. I’m obsessed!!
This is so good. I’ve missed the guacamole greens salad since moving away from DC. We were back last month and I ate this so much while there I had to find a dupe. This is spot on and delicious.
So glad you liked it!! One of my faves!
I found this recipe using the search feature on Pinterest. This recipe is spot on. I have never been this excited about a salad. I added some additional diced jalapenos and cilantro just because I had them on hand. I also had some Italian bread at home, giving this recipe the complete Sweetgreen feel. I have nothing but good things to say about this recipe. So glad I found it.
I make this recipe all the time! So good and easy. I make it vegetarian by using black beans instead of chicken.
What fun is this!!! It’s like Cinco de Mayo in a bowl! Thanks!
Literally the best salad ever. So fresh and delicious. The dressing is next level. I also added some fresh corn! 11/10 Would recommend
I used to work next door to a sweetgreen and have been missing this salad especially during COVID. This recipe is an exact replica and SO good! Highly recommend.
So glad that you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much for the feedback!
This salad is the best I love anything with avocado. It makes the salad so much more filling
I love guacamole salads. This one looks incredible!
I have made this twice so far in a month. You can add to or subtract from the salad ingredients – put in anything that is fresh locally where you live. The dressing is delicious and would be great with pork or shrimp also!
I love salads with lots of greens and fresh veggies! I make similar salad to this but the cilantro lime jalapeno vinaigrette is new to me and can’t wait to give it a go next time I have this salad for lunch! 🙂
I LOVE this salad and I can attest that it is better than the Sweetgreens version. I love the salad dressing, and I am very excited because I have an avocado which will be ripe any day now! Thanks, Laura!
Oh my gosh! So good. I spend 6 weeks to get out of the snow in Los Angeles during winter and discovered this salad at sweetgreens and absolutely loved the dressing! I live in the rural oregon with no sweetgreens in site! This dressing is amazing!! Thank you.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for this recipe! Found your blog while googling for SweetGreen’s cilantro jalepeno lime vinaigrette. I’m addicted to their warm taco bowl and was curious to see if I could recreate.
Your recipe for the vinaigrette was spot on! My mum said that the bowl tasted exactly the same!
Thanks for sharing this gem. The taco bowl is somehow the only thing I enjoy eating vegetables in, so this will help me get more consistent with vegetables in my diet.
Yes! Sooo good!
I lived in DC and this was the first salad I have ever eaten (I don’t like dressings) I miss it very much, but I am not a very good chef. Do you include the stem in the cilantro? Or just the leaves? What kind of oil do you suggest using?
I don’t personally include the stem with the cilantro for this recipe, but I do many times for other recipes. It has great flavor, and can definitely be eaten, I just prefer the leaves for this. I would recommend avocado oil – it’s very good for you, and has a neutral flavor that won’t overpower the rest of the ingredients. I love extra virgin olive oil, but find that a stronger tasting one doesn’t pair as well with the flavors of this particular salad. Hope that helps!
Holy moley! This was amazing!! So easy to make and sooooo freaking good.
So thrilled to hear that!
LAURA! You nailed this recipe, thank you! I cannot tell you how happy this made my husband that we can recreate one of our favorites at home. There is so much crisp, bright flavor in in this dish! I mean, that dressing! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing skills with us!
This recipie is actually wrong. I worked at sweet green and have all the recipie cards. You’re mssing the garlic that goes into the dressing and the porpotions on each ingrediant are off. But you’re getting close!
I lived in DC for a semester and became OBSESSED with Sweetgreen. When I returned to Texas, I called and practically begged for the ingredients to this salad dressing. You have it almost completely correct except that the very nice employee I spoke with said there is a splash of white wine vinegar in it. Either way, your version is incredibly close and delicious!
YAY! I think I might have once seen that it contained that, but I didn’t feel like it would add that much of anything to the vinaigrette and would mean one more ingredient for people to have on hand. So glad you love this salad as much as I do!
This happened to me, too! I just got back to Texas from spending some time in DC, and I made the mistake of falling in love with this salad while I was there! Unfortunately we still don’t have any Sweetgreens in Austin, or in Texas at all. Is there any chance you could share your version of the dressing with me? It would be much, much appreciated!!
Hey!! The recipe for the salad and my copycat version of the vinaigrette is in the recipe box at the bottom of this post!! Hope this helps!
Hi Laura! Can’t begin to tell you how ecstatic I am to have found a recipe for my all time favorite dressing and salad! I was wondering…how long can I keep the dressing in the fridge for?
Yay! So glad you love it too. Great question! I wouldn’t keep it in the fridge for more than a day or two tops. It will be fine, but the herbs start to lose color and it gets a bit less vibrant in flavor. Also, definitely shake it well before drizzling! I recommend adding a splash of fresh lime juice too, because it will give it a little burst of acid. Hope this helps! Thanks for the feedback!!
I was feeling very blue about moving out of NYC and leaving behind my precious sweetgreen (I still have the app on my phone). So happy to have stumbled on this so I can make my favorite salad!
Does this receive yeild one serving or two?
One very large serving, or two servings!
Oh yum! This was my favorite salad when I lived in DC. I currently live in Brazil and I have been craving a Guacamole Greens salad for a while now. I am so excited to try this. Thank you for doing the leg work!
I’m so excited to try this. I get this at sweet green at least once a week and need to stop giving them all my money! Thank you!
This dressing is da bomb! It doesn’t taste exactly like Sweetgreen’s Guacamole Greens to me, but I made the salad with romaine (that’s what I had on hand), and left out the chicken and chips. It was still very delicious though. I’m pregnant and trying to eat as healthy as possible, so I see myself making this dressing many times in my future!! Thanks again!
I just made this tonight and the dressing was spot on (and the whole thing made me very happy!) I threw on a tequila lime grilled chicken and it was exactly what I wanted, so thank you! I moved from the D.C. area to Germany last fall and have been craving some Guacamole Greens for months in between German cuisine deliciousness, of course! 😉
this salad looks and sounds go amazing – I love all of the ingredients so I am sure this is going to be a winner. pinned for future dinner ideas, thank you!
OMG so Sweetgreen has been popping up all over New York City and I started getting addicted to Guacamole Greens which is easily my favorite, but it was starting to become a pricey addition. I made this over the weekend using your recipe and had got enough to make for lunch for the entire week! The dressing is SPOT on and for the first time, I am actually looking forward to a salad I personally made which never happens. And this is saving me so much too!
Last time I failed your recipe, but I tried it again and nailed it this time. My daughter is a Sweetgreens Guacamole Green fan and she said that your recipe tastes even better than Sweetgreens. I still am not really sure what went wrong last time (Maybe because I used the wrong greens . I used the herb greens instead of spring mix) . This time I used Olive Oil and it taste great. Thank you so much for your help and your recipe! My family can now enjoy an authentic-tasting Guacamole Green meal for 1/5 of the price.
I’m so thrilled that you tried it again and it worked for you! I definitely think the Herb Green mix might have been the issue (they usually have dill and bunch of other herbs in there, right?). Spring mix and romaine hearts are the way to go! 🙂
Does your recipe call for 1/4 teaspoon of cumin? I noticed that you forgot to put the measurement amount. I just tried your recipe and it didn’t taste really like Sweetgreen’s Guacamole Green’s. I am wondering what step I did wrong. Maybe because I used olive oil instead of grape seeds oil?
Thank you so much for your help!
Yes! Yikes, that was a typo. I just went in to add the “teaspoon” measurement. Sorry about that! Hmmm. Olive oil definitely has a stronger flavor than grapeseed oil (which is very neutral and doesn’t overpower the lime/cilantro flavor as much), so that might have something to do with it, but it shouldn’t have had that dramatic of a change in flavor. I wish I could be more helpful! I’ve had the Sweetgreen’s salad on numerous occasions, and really think this recipe tastes very, very similiar (and have gotten the same feedback from other readers and family friends), but maybe every location prepares it a bit differently?
Would you consider olive oil a neutral oil? I’m dying to try this, but it’s all I’ve got! 🙂
For the most part, no, I don’t consider olive oil a neutral oil. I DO make dressings with olive oil all the time, but for this recipe I prefer a more neutral flavored oil so that it pairs better with the rest of the ingredients. With that said, you can definitely prepare THIS recipe with olive oil, and you should be totally fine (especially if its an everyday olive oil)! Let me know how it turns out!
I just made this for my work team and substituted the chicken for grilled halloumi cheese – everyone absolutely loved it!
Oh my gosh!!! I love that idea! Thank you so much Sandra. So happy to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂
I have an obsession with SweetGreen, and guacamole greens is my go-to salad, You are right: you nailed this one! This was amazing!! Your blog is also incredible; I can’t wait to try more recipes. Thank you!
So sorry for only just replying back to your incredibly kind comment Abby! Thank you so much. I’m SO glad you like the salad, I’ve been eating it constantly! 🙂
I am always down with salads if they’re as fun as this! That dressing is KILLING ME. I need it!
Love the blog, and the salad. I just made the vinaigrette, and -though I love salt – found it crazy salty. I used Morton’s kosher salt… Any chance the ingredient list/amount of salt is off?
Ooh. I’m really sorry–I don’t personally use Morton’s Kosher salt in my kitchen because it is almost twice as dense as other sea salts (and therefore will be substantially saltier). I should have clarified in the recipe, I apologize! Have you also tried it tossed with the whole salad, as opposed to just tasting on its own? That will make a big difference too! I will edit the recipe to let people know though. Thanks for the feedback Eily!
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Love everything about this salad Laura! My cup of tea, esp that avocado and simplicity of those ingredients! Can never go wrong with a good mexican salad.
What beautiful, bright colors! It’s definitely a little more filling than your regular salad!
Excuse me while I drool on my keyboard. This salad looks so amazing – all the stuff 🙂 and that dressing!! Yum.
I pinned this salad to try soon. It looks fabulous!
Thanks so much Barbara!
I don’t even have a certain dress to fit into, and I would gladly down this for dinner!
I envy you!!! 😉
Oh my gosh, I got so excited looking at the photos of this, thinking how it reminded me of Sweet Green’s version, even before I scrolled down and read that that was what you were specifically recreating! A Sweet Green opened up in Philly a few months before I moved away, and I *loved* this salad – I’m so glad I can make it at home now. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe 🙂
Ahhhh! That makes me so happy!! 🙂 Definitely let me know if you try it!
Loving that spice up in there!! This sounds crazy delicious!
Yum! I wish I had all the ingredients for this tonight! Having turkey tacos, but this sounds better! Definitely going to make the dressing with cabbage and carrot!
This looks so delicious Laura! Love the guacamole aspect – I’d be happy to eat this salad any day!
Thank you Millie!! <3
Oh I so agree! If I am going to have a salad as a main dish it better be loaded up! I love how many delicious elements you added to this!
Yes, yes, yes! 🙂
guacamole as salad?! this is brilliant. you’re going to convert me to being a salad lover. and omg wedding dress fittings!!!!! so exciting 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thanks girl!!! 🙂 Loved seeing your honeymoon pics, by the way!
I love this salad! I actually had it last night at Sweetgreen 😛 I think it’s my favorite on their menu and I can’t wait to make it at home.
Haha!! Too funny. You’ll have to make it and let me know how it holds up!!! Seriously. I’m so thrilled not to have to pay $9.25 every time that I have a craving.
9.95?!?!? Just got it in NYC. It’s at least $14 here.
I have everything on hand to make this tonight. You have no idea how happy this makes me! I love entree salads especially when my husband travels for work! I can’t believe I haven’t been to sweetgreens yet either…
I love when that happens too!! Nothing better. Be sure to let me know what you think!!
I love adding chicken to salads to justify them as a dinner – but you took it to a whole new level with this salad! Also, avo makes EVERYTHING better! 🙂
Me too! Thanks so much Sune! I totally agree, avocado makes everything better.
Didn’t realize meat had to be part of a meal for it to count as a meal. What in the world do vegetarians do?
Hi Erin – please be respectful to other readers in the comment section. Thank you!
We have Sweetgreen in Boston and the menu sounds SO appealing to me. I haven’t been yet, but this looks like the perfect make-at-home salad. A salad has to be really good to satisfy me, too, and I think this could do it!
Yes! I think Boston was the second city that Sweetgreen went to?! I can’t remember. It’s definitely a great place, and the salads are really nice, but it is a little pricey, so I’m so happy I was able to figure out how to recreate this one at home 🙂