This healthy avocado spinach salad with boiled eggs and walnuts is fresh, filling, and easy to make for lunch or a light dinner.
Creamy avocado, tender green beans, leafy spinach, crunchy walnuts, and protein-rich eggs create a balanced salad with plenty of flavor and texture.
It’s a simple high-protein salad packed with healthy fats, fiber, and everyday ingredients. Serve it as a quick work lunch, meal-prep salad, or nutritious side dish when you want something light but satisfying.
If you’re into fresh, protein-packed salads, these are worth bookmarking too:
- Pineapple Cucumber Kiwi Salad with Honey Mint Dressing
- Black Bean Roasted Sweet Potato Avocado Salad
- Egg Muffins with Spinach and Bacon- Egg “Muffin” Cups
- Sweet Macaroni Salad
Ingredients You’ll Need
The base is fresh baby spinach and ripe avocado, with boiled eggs (cut in half) adding protein and green beans and walnuts bringing crunch. It’s a simple ingredient list, honestly, which is part of why this salad works so well as a weekday staple. Swap walnuts for pecans if that’s what’s in your pantry, but the toasted flavor really makes the salad stand out.
Print
Ingredients
5 oz fresh baby spinach
2 ripe avocados, sliced
4 large eggs, boiled and cut in half
1 cup green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil and gently lower in the eggs.
Boil for 9 to 10 minutes for a fully set, pale yellow yolk with no gray ring around the edge (7 to 8 minutes if you like it slightly soft in the center).
Drain and transfer the eggs straight into a bowl of ice water for a few minutes so they stop cooking and peel easily.
Once cool, peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise.
This is the step people rush, and it shows.
Give the eggs the full ice bath and the shells slide right off. - Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil and add the green beans.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, just until they turn bright green and crisp-tender, not floppy or dull looking.
Drain immediately and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and lock in the color.
Pat dry with a clean towel before adding to the salad, otherwise the dressing gets watered down.
Trim the ends before or after cooking, whichever is easier for you.
I usually trim first so I’m not fussing with hot beans. - While the eggs and beans cook, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat.
Stir them often and pull them off the heat as soon as they smell toasted, about 3 to 4 minutes.
They go from perfect to burnt fast, so don’t walk away.
Set the walnuts aside to cool slightly, then roughly chop them.
A dry skillet works better than the oven here since you can see and smell exactly when they’re done. - In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
Whisk until the dressing looks slightly thickened and emulsified.
Taste it on its own (I always do this) and adjust the lemon or salt before it goes anywhere near the spinach.
If it tastes too sharp, add a touch more olive oil.
It should taste balanced, not like straight vinegar. - Add the fresh baby spinach to a large, wide bowl or platter first, since it wilts fastest and needs the most room.
Layer the sliced avocado, green beans, red onion, and chopped walnuts over the top.
Arrange the boiled egg halves around the edge (they’re pretty enough to be the centerpiece, honestly).
A wide, shallow bowl works better than a deep one here.
It keeps everything visible instead of buried at the bottom.
- Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad right before serving.
Toss gently, or just serve it as-is and let people mix their own plate.
This part matters more than it sounds like it should: dressing too early turns the spinach limp within minutes.
If you’re prepping ahead, keep the dressing in a separate small jar until you’re ready to eat. - Serve chilled and enjoy!
Important Recipe Notes
- Use fresh baby spinach, not the mature kind. Baby spinach is more tender and doesn’t need any stemming, so the salad stays soft instead of chewy, and it holds up better once the dressing hits it.
- Boil the eggs ahead of time, then cut them in half right before serving. You can boil and peel the eggs a day in advance and keep them whole in the fridge (slicing them in half too early dries out the yolks and makes the whites rubbery).
- Toast the walnuts every time. Raw walnuts taste flat next to this many bold flavors. It’s an extra three minutes, but it’s worth it, and it’s the difference between a salad that tastes finished and one that tastes like it’s missing something.
How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe
Serving:
This salad works well as a light lunch on its own or as a side next to grilled chicken or salmon. Serve it slightly chilled, straight from the fridge, with the dressing added right before it hits the table.
A final crack of black pepper over the egg halves doesn’t hurt either, and a squeeze of extra lemon brightens the whole plate.
Storage:
Keep the undressed salad components in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 2 days. The spinach and avocado don’t hold up well once dressed or once cut open, so add those last. Boiled eggs (still in the shell) keep for up to a week in the fridge, which makes them worth boiling in a bigger batch.
Customization:
For a heartier version, add grilled chicken or chickpeas to turn this into a full dinner instead of a side, or toss in some cherry tomatoes for extra color.
Organic Green Avocado and Spinach Salad with Boiled Eggs, Green Beans and Walnuts
Course: Recipes4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalIngredients
5 oz fresh baby spinach
2 ripe avocados, sliced
4 large eggs, boiled and cut in half
1 cup green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Boil the eggs 9-10 minutes, cool in ice water, peel, and cut in half.
- Blanch the green beans 3-4 minutes, then shock in cold water and dry.
- Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet 3-4 minutes, then chop.
- Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, salt, and pepper into a dressing.
- Layer the spinach, avocado, green beans, onion, and walnuts, then arrange the egg halves.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving.
- Serve chilled and enjoy!
Notes
- Use ripe but firm avocado so the pieces hold their shape when tossed.
- Add the avocado just before serving to prevent browning.
- Toss the spinach and green beans with the dressing first, then gently fold in the avocado, eggs, and walnuts.
- Add grilled chicken, tuna, chickpeas, or extra eggs for more protein.
- Estimated Nutrition Information
Calories: 500–540
Protein: 19–22 grams
Carbohydrates: 23–27 grams
Fiber: 10–12 grams
Total fat: 39–43 grams
Saturated fat: 7–9 grams
Sugar: 4–6 grams
Sodium: 250–450 milligrams, before extra salt
Cholesterol: approximately 370 milligrams
