Most guacamole recipes tell you to leave the avocado chunky. This one does not. Cream the avocado into a smooth paste first, then fold in a food-processed mixture of red onion, ripe tomatoes, jalapeno, lime zest, and lime juice. The result is creamy, with smaller chunks of flavorings, and the taste is more integrated.
Letting it sit for thirty minutes before serving is a must. The lime, salt, and pepper need time to pull the tomato juices into the avocado base. Fresh guacamole tastes like separate ingredients. Rested guacamole tastes like one thing. This is the one I bring to every summer cookout and I am never allowed to stop.
Tips for Making Spicy Guacamole
Cream the avocado first
Mash the avocado in a large bowl until it is a smooth paste with no large chunks. This is the base, and it needs to be smooth before anything else goes in. 
Use a ripe avocado. If it does not give when you press it, it is not ready. Unripe avocado does not cream well and tastes bitter.
Pulse the vegetables, do not puree
Onion, tomato, jalapeno, lime zest, and lime juice in a food processor. A few pulses until finely chopped, almost a puree but not quite.
Over-processing makes the mixture watery. Under-processing leaves chunks that do not integrate with the creamed avocado. Stop when it looks like a very fine chop.
Spicy Guacamole
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Description
Creamy guacamole with avocado mashed smooth, then mixed with food-processed red onion, tomatoes, jalapeno, lime zest, and lime juice. Rested thirty minutes before serving.
Ingredients
- 1 ripe California Avocado
- 0.5 red onion
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 0.5 jalapeno
- 1 lime
- 0.5 bunch cilantro
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Cream the avocado in a large bowl into a smooth paste. Set aside.
- In a food processor, pulse onion, tomato, jalapeno, and lime zest and lime juice until finely chopped and almost a puree.
- Transfer the tomato mixture to the creamed avocado and mix well.
- Taste and season as needed.
- Let sit for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate to keep the guacamole from browning; it’s best the day it’s made.
- Half a jalapeno gives a mild kick — leave in the seeds or use a whole pepper for more heat.
- No food processor? Finely chop the onion, tomato, and jalapeno by hand instead.
- Use a soft, ripe avocado and ripe tomatoes for the creamiest result.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Resting Time: 30 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 100
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 150
- Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 9
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 0
Frequently Asked Questions
How spicy is this?
Half a jalapeno is mildly spicy. The seeds and membrane carry most of the heat. Leave them in for more heat, remove them for less. Taste the jalapeno before deciding.
How do I keep it from turning brown?
Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole, pushing out all air. Refrigerate. The lime juice slows browning but does not prevent it entirely. Eat within a few hours for the best colour.
Can I make this without a food processor?
Yes. Finely dice the onion, tomato, and jalapeno by hand and fold into the creamed avocado. The texture will be slightly different but still good.
Worth doubling for a crowd of twenty-five, or does the avocado start oxidizing past a certain volume?
Oxidization comes from the avocado coming in contact with air, not the amount of avocado. So you are safe to scale it up, but if you are making it in advance, make sure to very tightly wrap it at surface level Glenn!
Subbed in a yellow-flesh Florida avocado instead of the usual Hass and got a lighter color that tasted exactly right. Pulse-processed the tomato and onion just enough to keep some texture before folding it in. Cookout-ready in twenty minutes.
I let mine sit the full thirty minutes on the counter before bringing it to a friend’s pool party, and the difference between rested and fresh is exactly as you described. Lime and salt actually integrate. People who normally pick at guacamole emptied the bowl. Going to make a double batch next time.
Creamed the avocado first and then folded in the processed mix, amazing how different it tastes from the chunky version after sitting half an hour.