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It’s the summer time which means lots of guacamole or if you live in south Texas like us every season is guac season.
Just like margaritas, how to make guacamole is taken very seriously here in South Texas. We subscribe to the ‘No Tomatoes’ philosophy, but our grilling of the ingredients is equally controversial. 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. This new approach has made this an unforgettable guac and might just become your new favorite.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
With just 6 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.
- Avocados: Grilling the avocados added smokiness and extra creaminess to the guacamole. You’ll actually want slightly firm avocados since they are being grilled, which sometimes is all you can find at the store anyway.
- Onions: We prefer to use white onion in our recipe as it is what is most commonly used in Mexico and is our taste preference. Red onions are a perfectly fine substitute but will add a little more bite.
- Jalapenos: This is our go-to pepper for guacamole but you can substitute poblano, Hatch, Fresno, or add a 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 it is not our preference and we do not recommend substituting for grilled tomatillos.
- Garlic: Grilling the garlic brings out its sweetness and removes the sharpness and pungency that raw garlic has.
- Limes: Just 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 with 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 smokey flavor to this guacamole, so you’re better off on a gas grill or on 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 displaying the segments. Finally, heat up your grill to medium-high heat; depending on how long it takes for yours to get hot you might need to start your grill 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 with the grilled limes, adding salt, pepper, and cumin. Using a potato masher or fork, mash everything together until you achieve the final texture you are looking for (we like ours a little chunky.)
4. Serve: Serve with your favorite tortilla chips, as a topping on tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, tostadas, nachos, burgers, or anything else you can imagine.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Firm, slightly under-ripe avocados work best.
- For spicier guacamole leave in some of the jalapeno seeds, or add a serrano.
- If your limes are a little hard, press and roll them on the countertop under your palm a few times prior to cutting and grilling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ripe avocados will have skin that is dark green to almost black in color. The skin will also be a little bumpy. When you gently squeeze a ripe avocado it will be slightly soft but not mushy. An underripe avocado will be firm when squeezed. Finally, check under the stem – if it is green then it is ripe and ready to eat but if it is brown then it is probably overripe.
The browning of avocados comes from oxidation which is when the flesh reacts with the air. The acidity in the limes will help slow down the browning process so don’t skip the limes in this recipe. When storing, cover it with plastic wrap, pushing the wrap so it is flush with the guacamole to prevent air pockets.
Yes! When freezing use a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer-safe ziplock bags with as much air removed as possible. Allow frozen guacamole to defrost overnight in the refrigerator for the best results.
More Grilled Recipes to Try
Fire up the grill! Try these other favorites from the grill:
- Grilled Marinated Flank Steak – This delicious marinade transforms flank steak into the showpiece of any recipe and is great as a topping for a salad, served with risotto, or for bringing a taco to the next level.
- Jamaican Jerk Spiced Chicken Wings – These wings scream flavor. First coated with 15 herbs and spices for a spicy punch and then cooked on a wood fire grill for the perfect layer of smokiness.
- Grilled Pork and Peach Salad – This easy recipes is made with fresh peaches, juicy pork chops glazed with peach sauce, and topped with goat cheese and walnuts.
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Grilled Avocado Guacamole
This recipe may contain paid affiliate sales links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my full disclaimer policy for details.
Equipment
- Gas Grill or Cast Iron Grill Pan
- Large Bowl
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 2 avocados, ripe but firm
- ¼ white onion
- 1 jalapeños
- 2-3 tomatillos, husks removed
- 1 limes
- 1 cloves of garlic, with skin attached
- â…› teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon course ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set grill to medium-high heat.
- 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 displaying the segments.
- Grill the tomatillos, jalapeños, onions, garlic, and limes for 5-10 minutes, checking them constantly for dark grill marks, then remove and set aside once.
- Grill the avocados cut side down for approximately 3 to 4 minutes or until grill marks form. Remove from the grill and set aside.
- Carefully remove the flesh of each avocado by scoring the grilled side with a knife into a grid, then scooping it out with a spoon into a large bowl.
- Remove the skin from the garlic cloves and then mince. Rough chop the tomatillos and dice the jalapeños. Add to the bowl with the avocados then squeeze with the grilled limes and add the salt, pepper, and cumin.
- Using a potato masher (or fork), loosely combine everything, stopping when you achieve the final texture you're looking for.
- Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and cumin over the top then fold everything together with a spatula.
- Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.