Roasted Garlic Guacamole

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Roasted Garlic Guacamole

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In this recipe, roasted garlic takes the place of raw onions, making a guacamole that is flavorful yet mellow.

Roasted Garlic Guacamole

Sometimes there’s good reason to tweak a classic, and guacamole is a good example. I’ve always made the traditional version with chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro; it’s always a hit but all those raw onions take their toll, at least on me. So when I saw a recipe for Roasted Garlic Guacamole in Eating Well, I was intrigued. I wondered: Could roasted garlic give mild avocados the same oomph as raw onions? The answer is a resounding yes! This one is perfect for raw onion-phobes.

How To Make Roasted Garlic Guacamole

ingredients for roasted garlic guacamole

Begin by roasting the garlic: place the unpeeled garlic in a small skillet over medium heat. roasting garlic in skillet

Cook, turning occasionally, until soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes.

charred garlic in skillet

Cool, then slip off the skins.

slipping roasted garlic out of skin on cutting boardMash the peeled roasted garlic with a fork.

mashing roasted garlic with a fork

Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Carefully strike the pits with the edge of a sharp knife, then twist and loosen to remove. Holding each avocado half in the palm of your hand, use a butter knife to cut a grid in the flesh. Use a spoon to scoop the cubes of flesh out of the skin and into a medium bowl.

scooping avocado flesh into bowl

Add the roasted garlic, diced tomato, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice and salt. other ingredients in bowl with avocado

Coarsely mash everything together, being careful to leave some chunks. Taste and add more salt and lime juice if desired (you can also add some of the jalapeño core if you want more heat; just add it slowly).

Bowl of roasted garlic guacamole.

Transfer to a bowl and serve with tortilla chips.

Roasted Garlic Guacamole

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Roasted Garlic Guacamole

In this recipe, roasted garlic takes the place of raw onions, making a guacamole that is flavorful yet mellow.

Servings: 4 to 6
Total Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 3 ripe large avocados
  • 1 small tomato, seeded, juiced and diced (about ⅓ cup)
  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced (you'll need one pepper)**
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more if desired (you'll need about ½ lime)
  • ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Instructions

  1. Place the unpeeled garlic in a small skillet over medium heat; cook, turning occasionally, until soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool, then slip off the skins and mash the garlic with a fork.
  2. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise. Carefully strike the pits with the edge of a sharp knife, then twist and loosen to remove. Holding each avocado half in the palm of your hand, use a butter knife to cut a grid in the flesh. Use a spoon to scoop the cubes of flesh out of the skin and into a medium bowl. Add the roasted garlic, tomato, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, and salt. Coarsely mash everything together, being careful to leave some chunks. Taste and add more salt and lime juice if desired (you can also add some of the jalapeño core if you want more heat; just add it slowly). Transfer to a bowl and serve with tortilla chips. If not serving immediately, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole. Refrigerate for up to two hours; bring to room temperature before serving.
  3. *To prepare the jalapeño, use a small knife to slice straight down along one side, removing just the flesh. Turn the pepper and repeat with the remaining sides. All of the seeds and most of the veins -- the extra hot stuff -- should remain in the core. Mince the flesh and reserve the core in case you want to add more heat to your guacamole. Try to minimize contact with the seeds and be sure to wash your hands well after cutting; definitely do not touch your eyes.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 209
  • Fat: 18
  • Saturated fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 13 g
  • Sugar: 1 g
  • Fiber: 9 g
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Sodium: 204 mg
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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Comments

  • When we cook together, my Mexican friends always put the avocado pit in the guac when storing it. They also add a bit of lime to the surface. Remove the pit when serving, but return if there are left overs.

  • Hi Chef Jenn,
    Had a question about the charred garlic… does one include the charred black bits in the guac? Also, while mashing garlic after charring, I noted stringy parts that I did not include in the guacamole. Should I have included regardless of texture?
    We loved this recipe, but I like to learn from my mistakes for doing better next time.
    thank you!

    • Hi JooJoo, yes you do include the charred black spots that are on the garlic after you’ve peeled the papery covering off. And you can include the stringy parts of the garlic but if you prefer not to, that’s OK too. I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  • Always found the raw onions too strong for me in homemade guac. The roasted garlic is genius.

    I found that putting plastic cling wrap directly on top of the guac didn’t make much of a difference, though. The top layer still oxidized and turned dark green in a few hours?

    • Hi Sarah, Glad you liked this! As strange as this sounds, I find that sometimes the plastic wrap works to prevent browning and sometimes it’s less successful. You could try to add a bit of water or lemon juice to the surface of the guac before putting the plastic wrap on. See here for more information.

      • Adding a little sour cream keeps the guacamole from browning and it adds a wonderful creaminess. Got this straight from my friends Abuelita!

      • I learned to put olive oil on top of the guacamole then cover with plastic to prevent it from turning brown. It works.

        • — Deirdre Miles on December 3, 2023
        • Reply
  • Unfortunately, my husband does not like cilantro….What would this taste like without it? Should I add more tomato or ?? As always, I love your recipes….Thanks for your help.

    • — Wendy Schoenburg
    • Reply
    • Hi Wendy, It’s perfectly fine to just leave it out. 🙂

  • I made this for 4 adults to go with your Baja tacos and I should have doubled the recipe! Pan roasting the garlic was brilliant as the taste of fresh garlic or onions is to sharp for me. This will be my go to recipe for guac from now on.

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