Simple Smoky and Spicy Guacamole
This simple, smoky and spicy guacamole is so easy to make in under 10 minutes with just 6 ingredients. It has an addictively hot and smoky flavor that will keep you dipping chip after chip.
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Guacamole itself is simple: mash up avocado with lime, a few seasonings, and you’ve got a dip that will take any meal or chip from plain to amazing. I'm taking it up a few notches by adding spicy and smoky chipotle peppers in adobo into the mix for a mouthwatering chunky and spicy guacamole.
Scoop it up with tortilla chips or spoon it onto nachos, chicken carnitas tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, or your favorite Mexican dish.
Why this recipe works
- Quick. From start to finish, this recipe is ready in less than 10 minutes!
- Simple. Only 6 ingredients for smoky and spicy guacamole.
- Customizable. Want just a hint of spice? Add just ½ of a chili. Want your eyes to water? Kick it up to 2 or 3 chilis. It’s completely up to you!
Ingredient Notes
- Avocados - You’ll need ripe avocados for guacamole – which can sometimes feel impossible! Follow the tips below for finding the ripest avocados for your guac.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo -These little peppers in adobo sauce are deliciously smoky and can be spicy! Because of this, start with a small amount and work your way up to the level or spiciness you want.
Helpful Equipment
- You can use a traditional Mexican molcajete or mortar and pestle, which is similar. Or, use the back of a chef's knife and a little bit of coarse salt to grind the garlic and chipotle chilies together into a paste, then mix everything together in a bowl.
Step by step instructions
- Grind the garlic and the chipotle chiles in adobo sauce together until they make a fine paste.
- Add in the salt, avocados, and onion and mash until the avocados are mostly pureed but still a bit chunky.
- Mix in the lime juice and cilantro and adjust the salt if desired. Serve immediately with plenty of tortilla chips.
Tips for success
- Make this guacamole as smooth or as chunky as you’d like. For really chunky guac, cube the avocado before adding it, and mash just enough to combine the ingredients.
- Start with ½ to one chipotle chili unless you know you can handle the heat from 1-2 chilis! They quickly take this guac from mild to ultra-spicy if you’re not careful!
How to Buy and Ripen Avocados For Guacamole
If you’ve ever bought an avocado, you know they seem to go from rock hard to rotten in a matter of hours. While that might be a slight exaggeration, it can be tough to know exactly what’s under that rough brown skin!
Here are some tips for cutting open a perfectly ripe avocado every time.
- Check the color. Ripe avocados will have a dark green/brown/almost black color. Unripe avocados may have brighter green skin but can also be dark, so you can’t tell by color alone.
- Feel the firmness. Ripe avocados will give slightly when you apply gentle pressure. Unripe avocados are firm when squeezed, while ones that are too ripe will really squish under gentle pressure.
Avocados can take up to 5 days to ripen on the counter, so buy them ahead of time so they’re ready to mash when you make your guac! Once ripe, store the avocado in the refrigerator for 1-2 days to keep them from becoming too ripe before you can use them.
Storage
As soon as you cut into an avocado, oxidation takes place, and the bright green flesh slowly starts the ascent to brownness. For this reason, guacamole is best when eaten immediately, but you can store it for up to 12 hours with minimal color change if you do this one thing!
Once you’ve prepared your spicy guacamole, take a piece of plastic wrap and place it directly over the guacamole, gently pressing down so that all the air is pushed out of the space between the guacamole and plastic.
Oxygen is what turns avocado from green to brown, so keep as much of it away from the guacamole as possible. This should keep your guac fresh for up to 12 hours (maybe longer!).
Faq About Guacamole
Instead of the plastic wrap trick above, smooth out the top of the guacamole in a dish and squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice over it. The layer of juice will keep oxygen away from the avocado and help flavor the dip!
You can, but the texture, once thawed, won’t be the same. To freeze guacamole, place it in a plastic freezer bag, squishing the dip out so that no air pockets remain in the bag. Lay flat and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Dip Recipes
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Simple Smoky and Spicy Guacamole
Ingredients
- 1 small clove garlic smashed
- 1-2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe haas avocados
- ¼ small white onion minced
- ½ lime juiced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Grind the garlic and the chipotle chiles in adobo sauce together until they make a fine paste.
- Add in the salt, avocados, and onion and mash until the avocados are mostly pureed but still a bit chunky.
- Mix in the lime juice and cilantro and adjust the salt if desired. Serve immediately with plenty of tortilla chips.
Notes
- Make it as smooth or as chunky as you’d like. For really chunky guac, cube the avocado before adding it, and mash just enough to combine the ingredients.
- Chipotle chiles can be pretty spicy, so adjust the amount according to your tolerance. Start with ½ to one whole chilie to start and add more after tasting. They quickly take this guac from mild to ultra-spicy if you’re not careful.
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Wow autocorrect screwed that up...guacamole***
I make meals out of guacamole and chips too - it's totally balanced!!! 🙂 and no, its never too early to start getting your Margarita on! Happy Cinco de Mayo, wish we could celebrate together...I think we'd do some gauacaome and margarita damage haha!
Yes! Maybe we can grab some when you're home next week!
Yes please!!!! I'll call you when I get into town 🙂
Perfect!
Coley, this is a terrific recipe! A couple things make this interesting. First, there is no such thing as a decent pre-packaged guacamole so everyone should be making it. Next, the chipotle in adobo is the culinary equivalent of a narcotic - once you start using it, you will become addicted and it will find its way into nearly everything you make. And finally, guacamole needs a champion like you! We use it as a condiment in place of ketchup or mustard, as a topping instead of yogurt or sour cream, as a side dish with some protein, mixed in with hash and/or breakfast potatoes. It is the best instead of butter lightly spread on corn-on-the-cob.
More guacamole recipes, please! And more serving suggestions, Coley Boley Guacamole! That's hilarious.
Glad you dig it! This was one of those recipes I never even thought about sharing because it's something I just whip up so naturally. I'll be posting more for sure! Love the corn-on-the-cob idea!
It's all those Chaine des Rotisseurs dinners that inspire me...
Sara & I will see you soon!
You're so right! Hope to see you both soon!