Oaxacan Guacamole
Quick Look: Oaxacan Guacamole
- 🕒 Prep: 15 minutes
- 🫕 Cook: 8 minutes
- ⏱ Total: 23 minutes
- 🍽 Servings: 4
- 🌿 Diet: Gluten free, vegan
- 🌶 Flavor: Smooth, tangy, creamy (can be smoky)
- 🔥Cooking Method: roasting under broiler (or grilling or smoking)
- ⚡ Difficulty: Easy
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Table of Contents
What Makes This Oaxacan Guacamole So Good
This is not your usual guacamole. It’s a simple mashed avocado built on a roasted salsa verde base, and in Oaxaca it’s served as a sauce.
- I learned this recipe at a salsa class in Mexico, and out of everything we made that day, it was the recipe everyone loved the most. It’s THAT good!
- You get the tangy green salsa and creamy, cooling avocado all in one bite. It’s a pleasure for senses.
- To take it to the next level, you can grill or smoke the veggies to infuse smoky flavor to the guacamole.
- For a more authentic feel and experience, make this guacamole in a traditional molcajete.
- For an easier method, I include the blender method for a smooth and more sauce-like results.
- If you already have salsa verde on hand, the shortcut to Oaxacan guacamole is 1 avocado to ¼ cup or green salsa. I built this recipe to be from scratch so there are both options.
Ingredient Notes
- Tomatillos: Tomatillos are small, firm green fruits in a papery husk, common in Mexican cooking. They’re tart and bright, not sweet like a tomato, and that tangy punch is exactly what makes this guacamole different.
- Jalapeño: Jalapeños bring mild to medium heat depending on age and if you leave the seeds and membrane in. Leave the seeds and membrane in for more heat, or remove them for a milder result. Older jalapenos (ones left on the vine longer and have light brown veins on the skin) are more spicy as well.
- Cilantro: this is a traditional herb in Mexican dishes and one that brings a more authentic flavor. If you’re don’t like cilantro, swap it for flat-leaf parsley.
- Avocados: Hass avocados are the right choice here: buttery, rich, and they mash smoothly. They should yield to gentle pressure but not feel mushy.
Full ingredient list is in the recipe card below.
How to Make Oaxacan Guacamole
Roast the vegetables: Remove the husks from the tomatillos, rinse them well (they have a sticky residue under the husk), and cut into quarters. Cut the jalapeño in half lengthwise and leave the seeds and membrane in for heat, or scrape them out for a milder result.
Set your oven rack about 6-8 inches from the broiler and turn it to high. Spread the tomatillos, jalapeño halves, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet in a single layer. Broil for 5-8 minutes. You’re looking for charring on the edges and softening throughout; the tomatillos should look slightly blistered. Don’t pull them too early but do keep an eye on it.
Molcajete method: Transfer the roasted vegetables to a molcajete and mash until you reach your preferred texture. Stir in the cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
Blender method: Add the roasted vegetables to a blender with the lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Pulse until you hit the consistency you want, chunky or fully smooth.
Add the ripe avocado directly to the molcajete or blender and mash or pulse it in until combined. The avocado should be fully incorporated but you can leave it as smooth or chunky as you like. Taste and adjust salt and lime.
Storage Recommendation
- To best preserve it, store in an air-tight glass container with a squeeze of lime juice over the top and plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface to create a barrier against air. This helps keep the guacamole from oxidation, or turning brown on top.
- Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Not recommended for freezing.
Serving Suggestions
- Because this is traditionally a sauce, it really works well as a topping. Spoon it over carne asada tacos, grilled shrimp tacos, or shrimp tacos for an incredible combination.
- It’s also great on quesadillas like my chorizo quesadillas, tostadas, and grain bowls like chicken burrito bowl.
- You can absolutely serve it as a dip with tortilla chips alongside pico de gallo or my homemade salsa recipe.
Oaxacan Guacamole Recipe FAQs
No. Traditional guacamole is avocado-forward, mashed with tomatoes, onion, and lime, or just simple avocado, lime and salt. Oaxacan guacamole is avocado mixed into salsa verde, giving it a smokier, tangier flavor and sometimes a saucier texture.
Yes, but avocado browns quickly. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for up to a day. A squeeze of extra lime juice helps slow browning.
With seeds removed from the jalapeño, it’s mild to medium. Leave the seeds in for a solid kick. You can also swap in a serrano for more heat.
Yes. Use about ¼ cup per avocado and adjust salt and lime to taste.
More Avocado Recipes To Try
If you love avocado, here are some other recipes worth trying. Guacamole cups are a fun party-ready bite. For something more substantial, chicken salad stuffed avocado and shrimp salad stuffed avocado both make a satisfying lunch. The avocado corn salad is a bright, creamy summer side, and the avocado salmon rice bowl is a weeknight dinner worth bookmarking and you can drizzle it with my new avocado salad dressing.
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Oaxacan Guacamole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ripe Hass avocados
Salsa Verde:
- 2 tomatillos
- 1 jalapeno
- 1/4 white onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2-3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 1/2 lime – juice only
- salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Ingredients:
- Take the cusks off the tomatillos and wash them. Cut them into quarters. Cut jalapenos in half and you can choose to leave the seeds in to make it spicy or take seeds and membrane out to make it mild.
Roast the Vegetables:
- Set the oven rack to the middle position, about 6 inches away from the broiler. Turn the broiler on to high.
- Spread tomatillos, jalapenos, onion, and garlic on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the oven and let the vegetables cook for 5-8 minutes.
Make Oaxacan Guacamole:
- Once done, you can mash the roasted vegetables in the molcajete until all mashed or leave a few chunky if you wish. Mix in cilantro, lime juice and salt.Alternately, place the veggies into the blender, squeeze the lime juice into the blender, and add cilantro and salt. Pulse the blender until there is no more chunks.
- Add in ripe avocado and mash it in until combined. Again, make it as smooth or chunky as you wish.
- Enjoy with tortilla chips or as a topping.
Nutrition
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Categories:
Appetizer Recipes, Dip Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes, Mexican Appetizers, Snack Ideas, Toppings and Spreads,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
