Grilled Avocado Guacamole

It’s summer, which means lots of guacamole. If you live in South Texas like us, every season is guac season. Like our Tex-Mex queso, how to make good restaurant-style guacamole is taken very seriously here. We subscribe to the ‘No Tomatoes’ philosophy. I have preferred grilling the tomatillos and onions for years, but it was a recent idea of Melissa’s to grill the avocado. We were surprised at how much it enhanced the flavor of all the ingredients, especially the lime.

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Serve it with homemade tortilla chips and mango habanero salsa for a fresh spin on chips and dips. And don’t forget the margaritas! We love our mangonada margarita or strawberry margarita for the perfect pairing, and we always have a batch of freezer-door margaritas ready during the summer.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

With just six key ingredients, this grilled avocado guacamole is a tortilla chip’s best friend.

The complete ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.

• Avocado: Grilling the avocados added smoky flavor and extra creaminess to the guacamole. You’ll want slightly firm avocados since they are being grilled, which is sometimes all you can find at the store anyway.
• Onions: We prefer white onions in our recipe, as they are what is most commonly used in Mexico and align with our taste preferences. Red onions are a perfectly fine substitute, but they will add a little more bite.
• Jalapenos: This is our go-to pepper for guacamole, but you can substitute poblano, Hatch (check out our how to roast Hatch chiles guide for roasting tips), Fresno, or Serrano if you want to kick up the heat a little.
• Tomatillos: Despite the name, tomatillos are not tomatoes – they come from an entirely different plant and are related to gooseberries. They are bright and acidic and are often found in salsas, tacos, soups, enchiladas, and our grilled avocado guacamole. While some guacamole recipes include tomatoes, we prefer not to, and we do not recommend substituting them for grilled tomatillos.
• Garlic: Grilling the garlic brings out its sweetness and removes raw garlic’s sharpness and pungency.
• Limes: Like the garlic, grilled limes have a sweeter flavor but still add that acidic punch.

How to Make Grilled Avocado Guacamole

Here are the quick, step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions, including the exact ingredients, in the recipe card below.

Pro-tip: Even though we prefer to grill meat over natural lump charcoal, it added too much smoky flavor to this guacamole, so you’re better off on a gas grill or a cast-iron grill on your stovetop.

1. Prep the Ingredients: Slice the avocados in half, remove the pits, and drizzle the flesh of each half with olive oil. Cut the onions into two or three ½-inch slices as if they were for onion rings, but keep them together. Slice the jalapeños in half length-wise, then remove the stem, seeds, and ribs. Cut the limes in half to display the segments. Finally, heat your grill to medium-high; depending on how long it takes to heat up, you might need to start it before prepping the ingredients.

2. Grill the Ingredients: Grill the tomatillos, jalapeños, onions, garlic, and limes, checking them constantly to look for dark grill marks. Once done, remove them from the grill and set them aside. Next, grill the avocados, cut side down, for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, or until char marks form, then remove from the grill and set aside.

3. Combine the Ingredients: Carefully remove the flesh part of each avocado by scoring the grilled side with a knife into a grid and then scooping it out with a spoon into a large bowl. Remove the skin from the garlic cloves and mince; roughly chop the tomatillos, and dice the jalapeños. Add all the ingredients to the bowl with the avocados, then squeeze the grilled limes over, adding salt, pepper, and cumin. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash everything together until you reach the texture you are looking for (we like ours a little chunky).

4. Serve: Serve with your favorite homemade tortilla chips or as a topping on our chicken street tacos, cola-marinated beef fajitas tacos, hatch chile chicken enchiladas, chicken salad tostadas, sheet pan nachos, green chile cheeseburger, or anything else you can imagine.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: Grill the avocados up to 2 hours ahead and store at room temperature until ready to mix. Don’t prepare the full batch of guacamole in advance, as it will oxidize and turn brown, even with lime juice.

How to Store: Keep guacamole in an air-tight container with plastic wrap pressed directly onto its surface (to prevent browning) for up to 24 hours in the fridge. The grilled flavor will become less pronounced over time. Let refrigerated guacamole sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving for the best flavor and texture.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Firm, slightly under-ripe avocados work best.
• For spicier guacamole, leave some of the jalapeno seeds in or add a serrano.
• If your limes are a little hard, press and roll them on the countertop under your palm a few times before cutting and grilling.

Frequently Asked Questions