California Avocado Cut-Outs and Garnish Ideas

Halves, slices and dices are just the beginning when it comes to cutting avocados. When I want to get fancy, have some fun with food or just need a little green garnish, cutting avocados into different shapes for an avocado garnish is just the ticket.

Avocado Garnish Ideas

Here are some tips to cut California Avocados into decorative garnish shapes:

Choose small cookie cutters

Small cookie cutters are perfect for cutting out shapes, which make for an excellent avocado garnish. Unless you have a very large avocado, large cookie cutters are too big for the job. Some of my favorite shapes are stars, shamrocks, hearts, ovals (great for Easter egg shapes), rounds with scalloped edges and leaves. I have a set of very small cutters that all fit in a little tin about the size of a mint box that I found at a cooking supply store, and others are available online. The number of cut-out avocado stars or other shapes will vary based the size of your cookie cutters, the avocados and the thickness of the avocado slices.

Prep the avocados

Start with firm-ripe California Avocados. Firm avocados work best because if they are too soft they will not hold their shape as well as if they were firm. Rinse the avocados first, then decide what shapes you want to cut and how large they need to be before making the first cut. For very small shapes of about ½ inch or less, pretty much anywhere on the avocado that you can make slices that are about 1/4-inch thick and at least a bit larger than your cutters will work.

The rounded end opposite the avocado stem is a good area for large round slices or for using a 1-inch cookie cutter, so for those shapes just cut off a small round at the very end, then cut additional ¼-inch thick slices until you reach the seed.

Cut out the shapes

Place cookie cutter over one of the slices you made and gently press down. Cut as many additional shapes as will fit on the avocado slices, then slide a small spatula under the cut shapes to lift them and place where needed.

Other kitchen tools can work too

I like to use an apple corer to cut cylinder shapes from avocado halves. Then I wrap the avocado cylinders with thin strips of other foods, like roasted red peppers, prosciutto or raw sushi-grade fish like in this recipe for Ahi and Avocado Spears. Melon ballers are great for avocado balls, although mine are never perfect – but then neither are my melon balls! For triangles, just cut diced avocado cubes on the diagonal. For another fun twist, I use a vegetable peeler to slice paper-thin ribbons of California avocado from peeled avocado quarters. Then I twist each ribbon into a corkscrew shape for a neat looking garnish.

Garnish away!

California Avocado cut-outs are great for cracker snack recipes like these Spicy Avocado Stars and Shamrock Avocado and Corned Beef Bites. (No need to wait for St. Patrick’s Day to come back around – vary the recipe with other avocado cut-out shapes and different deli meats.) Or try avocado cut-outs for fun omelet toppers, on baked potatoes, salads, open-face sandwiches and grilled meats.

Plan another use for the leftover avocado

Leftover avocado is never a bad thing to have. Just like when you’re making cut-out cookies, there will be some avocado leftover after you cut out your shapes. I like to mash any remaining avocado and mix it with a little lemon juice and salt and spread on a celery stalk for a snack, but it could just as easily go on a salad, or get stirred into a side dish.

Share this idea with your friends using any of the share buttons – then, combine cookie cutters and have fun!