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Green Pea Guacamole

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Green Pea Guacamile

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Peas add a little sweetness and chunkiness to the guacamole; they also intensify the green color of the dip.

Green Pea Guacamole

Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)

This is the recipe that caused an uproar on the Internet a few weeks ago, when The New York Times tweeted “Add peas to your guacamole. Trust us.” People were outraged by the idea of messing with such a classic recipe, and Twitter blew up with funny replies. Even President Obama weighed in: “respect the nyt, but not buying peas in guac. onions, garlic, hot peppers. classic.”

The recipe comes from ABC Cocina’s chef-owner, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the guy who created the Molten Chocolate Cake. I thought how bad could it be? Ultimately, I made the “pea guac” and thought it was delicious, and so did everyone else who tasted it. You really can’t taste the peas, but they add a little sweetness and chunkiness to the dip; they also intensify the green color. I know purists might say that just because it tastes good doesn’t mean you should make it, but I think it’s a great recipe worth sharing. What do you think? Give peas a chance? ?

How To Make Green Pea Guacamole

ingredients for green pea guacamole

Begin by roasting just one of the jalapeño peppers (the other is used raw). I have a gas stove so it’s easy to just hold the pepper right over the flame to blacken the skin, but you can just as easily broil it in the oven.

roasting jalapeno pepper on gas stove

Place the blackened jalapeño in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let it steam for about 10 minutes. This helps to loosen the skin, making it easy to remove.

steaming roasted jalapeno pepper

Use a paper towel to scrape the skin off.

scraping the charred skin off of the jalapeno

Combine the roasted jalapeño, raw jalapeño, peas and cilantro in the bowl of a food processor.

peas and other ingredients (minus avocados and scallions) in food processor

Process until almost smooth but still a little chunky.

pureed ingredients in food processor

Scoop the avocado flesh into a large bowl

scooping avocado flesh into bowl

Add the pea mixture, scallions, lime zest, lime juice and salt.

all ingredients for guacamole ready to mix

Mash until well combined but still a little chunky. Garnish with more chopped cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.

Note: The original recipe, as published in The New York Times, called for garnishing the guacamole with some of the peas and also sunflower seeds. I thought the peas looked weird, so I chose to just mix them all in. As for the sunflower seeds, that’s where I draw the line! For a more traditional guacamole recipe, check out my Roasted Garlic Guacamole

Green Pea Guacamole

Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)

 

 

Green Pea Guacamole

Peas add a little sweetness and chunkiness to the guacamole; they also intensify the green color of the dip.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup thawed frozen peas
  • 2 small jalapeños
  • 2 tablespoons packed cilantro leaves, chopped, more for garnish
  • 3 medium ripe avocados, diced
  • 3 scallions, white and light green parts only, sliced thin
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons), plus more as needed
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • Tortilla chips, for serving
  • Lime wedges, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat broiler to high and broil one of the jalapeños on a heatproof pan. Cook, turning occasionally, until the jalapeño is completely charred. (Alternatively, if you have a gas stove, turn a burner to the highest setting and set your pepper directly on the flame. Use a pair of tongs to turn the pepper until the skin is completely blackened.) Place the blackened pepper in a small bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, use a paper towel to wipe off the charred skin. Halve, seed devein and dice the roasted jalapeño. Then halve, seed, and dice the remaining raw jalapeño. (If you touch the seeds of the jalapeño, just be sure to wash your hands well and avoid touching your eyes.)
  2. In the bowl of a small food processor, purée the peas with the roasted jalapeño, raw jalapeño and cilantro. Process until almost smooth but still a little chunky.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the diced avocado, scallions, lime zest, lime juice, salt and the pea purée. Mash until well combined, but still a little chunky. Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice as needed. Serve with tortilla chips and lime wedges, if desired.
  4. Note: To keep the guacamole from turning brown, press a piece of plastic wrap directly over top and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 180
  • Fat: 15g
  • Saturated fat: 2g
  • Carbohydrates: 13g
  • Sugar: 2g
  • Fiber: 8g
  • Protein: 3g
  • Sodium: 316mg
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Hi Jenn,

    I wonder this would freeze well?
    Peas are a very cool idea, & lots of protein as well as fresh green Ness!

    • — Preetya on December 20, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Preetya, I’ve never frozen guacamole so I can’t say confidently how it will impact it – I’m sorry! If you try it, please LMK how it goes.

      • — Jenn on December 20, 2022
      • Reply
  • Just made this recipe for the first time – fantastic! I also added one small fresh clove of garlic (grated) and ~ 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Garnished with chopped grape tomatoes and chickweed from my garden.

    • — Diane Marie on December 3, 2022
    • Reply
  • The peas really do as a sweetness to this recipe, but it is offset by the lime zest and onions, so it works well! Served as a dip with tortilla chips to rave reviews.

    A tip I just learned if you are making it ahead: store in a tall glass jar and top with water to prevent browning. Then just pour off the water and spoon the vibrant green dip into a serving bowl!

    • — Carla @ Foodie Digital on May 14, 2022
    • Reply
  • Made this for Super Bowl and my husband said “good guac”. The peas and the lime give it a nice fresh flavor. Thanks Jenn!

  • Hey Jenn, I am curious why did you choose to roast only one of the jalapeños?
    P.S. I made the butter chicken from the cookbook last night – so, so tasty.

    • Hi John, It’s not my recipe (it’s from ABC Cocina), but I assume the chef wanted a little texture from the crisp pepper.

  • Really delicious combination of avocados and peas. And the colour of the guacamole is much more vibrant with the addition of the peas. Everyone loved it!

  • I really like this recipe and have made it several times. When I served it to friends, they liked it as well and had no idea there were peas in it… I will keep using this recipe!

  • Can you puree peas in a food chopper?

    • Sure 🙂

  • This is delicious and easy to prepare! Even my sister who despises peas loved it. And I enjoyed telling her that she had just eaten peas!

  • Amazing! Thank you for posting this. I love love love the lime zest with the salt — it adds the limeyness that I’ve been craving in a guacamole. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what had been missing in all the other homemade and restaurant-made guacs that I’ve eaten.

    • Very Good!

  • This looks great, I’ve also made it with chick peas. Not sure you can call it guac then…maybe guacaummus? But its good too.

  • Made this tonight but left out the jalapeños as we are that Wimpy– and wanted kids to eat it. It was absolutely delicious, I did add a little extra lime juice to kick it up since left out peppers. I used a potato masher to mix, which led to a good consistency. You can’t taste the peas but they do add a nice consistency. Definitely good for company snacking!

  • Can this green pea guac be made in advance?

    • — Angela Battiston
    • Reply
    • Angela, It’s really best made fresh. Sorry!

  • This came at a perfect time as I was making a Mexican dinner last night! I wasn’t sure if I would like the peas after tasting them alone but when mixed in it was lovely, just a better texture than avocado alone. No one seemed to notice the peas either! So it’s a good way to sneak in extra veg 🙂

  • It’s shell pea season in New England. Could I use fresh peas for this? Would I blanch them first?

    • Hi Amy, Yes and yes 🙂

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