This Mango Cantaloupe Avocado Salad is a healthy and nourishing fresh fruit salad with a refreshing melon dressing. Make it for a quick and easy lunch, afternoon snack, or delicious side. Refined-sugar-free and vegan-friendly.
Personal Note: This is a revamp of one of my mom’s recipes! She used to make this salad in the summer when it was 100+ degrees in Texas. To say this is the COOLEST salad ever would be an understatement. Haha! Today we’ve swapped out the sugar for honey or sugar substitute to make it better for you.
I love this healthy fruit salad for a lot of reasons, but primarily because it’s so versatile. It’s not overly sweet like some fruit salads are, so it can be eaten any time of the day. Just like this warm breakfast salad, you can enjoy this mango avocado salad for breakfast, lunch, or even a light summer dinner.
Melon Mango Avocado Salad Ingredients
Building the salad is all about using whatever is fresh and local for you. I think we all know how difficult it can be to find fresh avocado that isn’t bad straight out of the produce bin. Or, ones that go bad within 2 days, right?
For The Salad
- Avocado – To tell if an avocado is ripe, go by color and firmness. It should feel firm and yield a little bit when you gently squeeze it. If the stem breaks off easily and you see green underneath, use it immediately.
- Red lettuce – If you can’t find any red leaf lettuce, use radicchio.
- Spinach or arugula – If you don’t like the bitterness of these greens, buy the baby versions of them. As a result, they’ll be a little milder. Personally, you can’t go wrong with either spinach or arugula.
- Cantaloupe or papaya – Chop the fruit and keep the seeds for dressing. The seeds are FULL of good nutrition.
- Fresh mango – I don’t think using frozen mango is good for much other than making smoothies and ice cream. Oh, or melon wine cocktails!
- Fresh lime
For the Dressing
- Raw sugar or sugar substitute
- White vinegar – I have made this with red wine vinegar as well!
- Dry mustard
- White onion – Yellow onion or the white part of scallions are good substitutes.
- Olive oil or avocado oil
- Honey (optional) – Omit for vegan
- Sea salt – Fine sea salt works best.
- Melon seeds – Or papaya if you are substituting for cantaloupe.
Nutrition Note: Cantaloupe (versus other tropical fruit) is almost all water, which makes this salad very hydrating. 1 cup of cantaloupe also contains 100% vitamin C.
Plus, if you use the seeds, which are edible, then you get an extra boost of minerals and fiber. Don’t waste them; try adding them to a key lime smoothie or to the melon salad dressing!
How To Make Avocado Mando Salad
This dressing is super easy to make!
Just add all of the ingredients (except for the seeds) into a blender or food processor and start it up. A minute or two later, you’ll have a creamy, light, super flavorful dressing.
Then, add the seeds and blend for another 30 seconds or so and pour the dressing over your salad. That’s it…done!
Storing The Dressing
Just be aware that the recipe makes a LOT of dressing. It’s possible that you won’t use it all (I didn’t), so you may need to store leftovers.
If so, place them into a covered mason jar or some other covered container and keep it in the refrigerator. It should keep well for three to four days.
Or, you can just grab some raw veggies or homemade tortilla chips and use the dressing as a dip!
More of Our Favorite
Fresh Salad Recipes
Melon Mango Avocado Salad with Melon Dressing
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 5 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Melon mango avocado salad is a healthy fruit salad with a light melon dressing. Make this easy recipe for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. Vegan friendly, with no refined sugar!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 heads of red lettuce, chopped
- 3 cups of spinach or arugula
- ½ cantaloupe or other melon (papaya may be substituted) – chop the fruit and reserve the seeds for the dressing
- 1 ripe avocado, chopped
- ½ cup chopped mango (1 small mango)
- Lime or Lemon slices to garnish
Dressing:
- ½ cup sugar or sugar substitute
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 Tablespoons fresh melon seeds (or papaya if you are substituting for melon)
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional) -Omit for vegan
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
Instructions
- Put all salad ingredients into a salad bowl
- Add all dressing ingredients to a blender, adding seeds last. Blend or process on high for a minute, or until the dressing is creamy.
- Pour dressing over salad (I don’t use all the dressing). Can refrigerate any leftover dressing up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: salad
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups with dressing
- Calories: 253
- Sugar: 6.5 g
- Sodium: 526.4 mg
- Fat: 21.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 14.9 g
- Fiber: 4.4 g
- Protein: 3.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Can’t wait to try this recipe. I don’t like cantaloupe because it’s too sweet for my taste, this recipe will be a good choice when someone gifts me one 😉 Thank you for sharing!
This is truly a great and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
You’re welcome! Thanks!
I added a the honey and it was so perfect!
Yaayy! glad to hear that!
The flavors in this salad are incredible! The dressing takes to the next level. I want to make it again already!
Thank you for the feedback! So glad to hear you love it!
I seriously love the combination of fresh fruits in this salad! So yummy!
Yaayyy!! Thanks, Toni!
Yummy! This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks, Beth! Hope you enjoy it!
What a light, refreshing salad! I love everything in here1
Thank you, Lauren!