Fried avocado and avocado fries are not what immediately springs to mind when thinking about Mexican cooking. However, this is one of those healthy/naughty treats! Take something super-healthy and then deep-fry it in a beer batter . . . what’s not to love? The combination of the crispy batter and the soft avocado center is amazing, even before you dunk it into the creamy chipotle dipping sauce.–Ben Fordham and Felipe Fuentes Cruz
☞ READ: A GUIDE TO DEEP-FRYING
Fried Avocado Dippers FAQs
It’s easy to make your own self-rising flour. For the 1 1/3 cups called for in this recipe, combine 1 1/3 cups (165 g) all-purpose flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons baking powder.
Definitely. Our testers found that they reheated the best when placed on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and heated in a 350°F (175°C) oven until crisp, about 10 minutes.
Fried Avocado Dippers
Ingredients
For the beer batter
- 1 1/3 cups self-rising flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground avocado leaf powder (optional)
- One (11-ounce) bottle Sol beer, or any lager of choice
For the chipotle dipping sauce
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons chipotle paste or puréed canned chipotles in adobo, plus more, if desired
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
For the avocado dippers
- 6 to 8 ripe avocados
- Mild vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Instructions
Make the beer batter
- In a medium bowl, combine the self-rising flour, salt, cumin, oregano, paprika, pepper, baking powder, and avocado leaf powder, if using, and mix well.
- Gently stir in the beer until the batter is smooth.
Make the chipotle dipping sauce
- In a blender, combine the mayonnaise, chipotle paste or purée, and garlic and blend until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Taste and, if desired, add more chipotle. Scrape mayonnaise into a small serving bowl.
Make the avocado dippers
- Cut each avocado in half, then peel and remove the pits. Slice each half lengthwise into 1/2-inch (1.25-cm) pieces.
☞ TESTER TIP: We don’t recommend slicing your avocados thinner than 1/2-inch as they become difficult to coat and fry.
- In a high-sided medium saucepan, pour enough oil to reach halfway up the side. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, 350 to 375°F (177 to 191°C).
- Working with one avocado at a time, dip the slices in the batter until thoroughly coated, then use a slotted spoon to carefully lower each slice into the oil.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you’re having difficulty getting your batter to stick to your avocados, try lightly coating each avocado slice with flour before dipping in the batter.
- Fry each batch until the batter is light gold in color and crisp, about 1 minute. Remove the slices with a slotted spoon and place on a wire baking rack or plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Repeat with the remaining avocado slices.
- Arrange the avocado dippers on a large serving platter and serve with the chipotle mayonnaise on the side.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I don’t usually deep fry at home since it is such a process, but I had fried avocado tacos at a restaurant once that were so unexpectedly delicious that I had to give this a try. My final feeling is that these avocado fries are unique and good enough to deserve a TC, but I think I will leave the deep frying to the professionals. (I’d love to see an alternative cooking method with less oil!)
The recipe headnote for these fried avocado fries is not wrong… the crispy batter plus the creamy avocado really is amazing. To that end, I think thinner avocado slices work best here. I found that 1/2 inch thick slices had the best batter to avocado ratio, which may be more than 4 pieces per half in a larger avocado. I also had some trouble with the batter not sticking to the avocado fries, if I made it again I’d try lightly coating the slices with flour before dipping in the batter to give it something to cling to.
The chipotle dipping sauce was a nice spicy balance to the creamy avocado, and I added a bit of lime juice and salt which rounded it out nicely.
These fried avocado dippers are very tasty. A nice beer-battered crispy crunch and buttery inside. I personally don’t like to fry things but really enjoy trying new vegetarian dishes. This one hit the mark.
These did not take long at all to make. My husband really liked them because the heat was mellow. I like it a bit spicier.
