I've been trying to prep salad dressings ahead of time for the week, but whenever I make an avocado-based one, it turns brown and gross-looking by day 2 or 3. Is there a trick to keeping it fresh and green? Should I add lemon juice, store it differently, or just make it fresh each time?
Lemon or lime juice is definitely your friend here - the acid slows down oxidation that causes the browning, so squeeze in plenty! The real trick though is keeping air away from the dressing, so store it in an airtight container and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface before sealing. Even with these tricks, avocado dressing is honestly one of those things that doesn't last super well past day 3 or 4, so you might want to make smaller batches or prep the other ingredients separately and just blend in fresh avocado when you're ready to eat it!
The acid route is solid, but the real game-changer is actually how you store it. If you're seeing browning by day 2-3, oxidation is happening faster than lemon juice alone can prevent. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of your dressing before sealing the container - this cuts off oxygen contact way more effectively than just screwing a lid on. You want zero air pockets touching the dressing itself.
Beyond that, keep it in the coldest part of your fridge, away from the door where temperature fluctuates. A small glass jar works better than plastic since plastic can leach stuff and doesn't seal as tightly. If you're doing big batch prep, honestly consider making it fresh twice a week instead of once - avocado dressings aren't like vinaigrettes that actually improve over time. Three days is probably the realistic max even with all the tricks, so splitting your prep into two smaller batches keeps everything fresher tasting anyway.
Log into answer.
