One of my favorite ways to eat avocado is simply slicing it in half and digging in with a spoon. That’s fine when I’m on the run and want a quick meal, but I always want my food to look pretty for guests or photos... and sometimes I just like to get fancy. Enter avocado roses. Avocado roses will beautify any plate, but they’re more than just a garnish; they make a substantial low carb side dish as well! In this post, I’ll show you how to make avocado flowers with a quick little video and step-by-step tutorial.

Select the perfect avocado. You’ll need to track down an avocado that is not too hard, not too soft, but juuuuuust right. Think: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Your avocado has to be ripe in order to easily peel the skin off. If you try this with an unripe fruit, the skin will stick to the flesh of the fruit instead of lifting right off. On the other end of the spectrum, if you select one that is overly ripe, the flesh will be soft and squishy, making it difficult to finely slice. Save the really ripe ones for guacamole. A firm, recently ripened avocado is your best bet for making avocado roses and flowers.
Cut avocado in half lengthwise. Use a sharp knife to cut the avocado around its circumference. Go top-to-bottom, right down the middle to evenly halve the fruit.
Remove the pit. Take your knife and pierce the seed of the avocado with the blade using a good amount of force. Wiggle the knife back and forth with the seed mounted on the blade to loosen from the flesh of the fruit. The seed should then easily lift out. Toss the seeds or save them for later.
Remove outer skin from avocado. If you followed the first step correctly, this will be a breeze. The skin should easily lift up from the fruit. Start at one edge and gently peel the skin back to reveal the bright green flesh underneath. Continue peeling until the tough skin has been completely removed.
Slice across. Lay the avocado halves flat side down. Using a sharp knife, make thin slices across the avocado, repeating down the entire fruit from end-to-end. Aim for each slice to be between 2-3mm thick. Although it can be tricky, consistent cuts and thickness will give more visually appealing results.
Fan the slices out. Keeping the cut pieces touching each other, encourage the slices to move into a diagonal orientation using your hands. Continue splaying out the slices until they form a thin line.
Roll into a spiral. Start curling the fruit inwards on itself at one end of your avocado slices. Continue rolling the slices until a spiral shape forms and your avocado flower begins to take shape. Ensure it is neatly twisted around itself in a compact circle, using your hands to correct the shape if needed.
Douse the fruit in lemon or lime juice. I’m assuming you are making an avocado flower because you want your food to look pretty. Skip this step and you will end up with a super ugly brown mess that no one will want to look at, let alone eat. As avocado sits out in the open air, it oxidizes and develops brown spots. The acid in the lemon or lime juice will prevent the avocado from turning brown and keep your rose beautiful until you’re ready to eat it.
Plate your avocado rose. Use a spatula or knife to lift the avocado rose off of the cutting board and transfer it to your serving dish. Marvel in its beauty. Add salt and pepper to taste or enjoy as-is.