The Tangy Avocado Dip For When You Want a Guacamole Break

We're not only devotees of avocado on toast—we like it every which way! We partnered with the California Avocado Commission (@CA_Avocados) to riff off a few of our favorite #f52grams, penning new avocado recipes of our own.

Avocados take to dip like herbs take to pesto, or olives to tapenade. Chopped and mashed for a play of textures or whizzed into a puree all silky and lush, they're made to be mixed with all kinds of flavors. And not just those you associate with guacamole like lime juice, onion, and spicy pepper.

When we saw this avocado-sour cream play on Instagram, our brains started whirring for more ways to stir in some tang.

And because you'd be hard-pressed to introduce me to an avocado dip I didn't like, I took my own whack at it with this version, our take on the one 'grammed above. A simple mash of avocado, crème fraîche, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, it's quite the centerpiece for a spread of fresh market vegetables like carrots, radishes, and grilled scallions.

The recipe is simple enough, and dressing it up doesn't take much—which you should do to make it your own. This time we swirled it with a quick cilantro pesto, but that's just a start.

Here are 9 other ways to soup up your new favorite dip:

• Aleppo pepper, olive oil, toasted pine nuts
• Toasted and chopped hazelnuts, blue cheese, honey
• Chopped strawberries and basil
• Furikake
• Charred corn kernels, diced red onion, crumbled feta, cilantro
• Cooked and crumbled bacon and chopped tomatoes
• Sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, chives
• Savory granola
• Smoked almonds and olive oil

The California Avocado Commission represents the nearly 4,000 avocado growers in the state of California. They harvest avocados only a few months out of the year (like right now!). Find out more about California Avocados, and where to get them, here.