Green Pea Guacamole
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Peas add a little sweetness and chunkiness to the guacamole; they also intensify the green color of the dip.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
This recipe once caused quite a stir online, 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 chef who created the molten chocolate cake, so naturally, I thought, how bad could it be? I gave it try, and honestly, it’s delicious! The peas add a subtle sweetness and make the dip extra green. I know it’s controversial, but I think it’s a fun twist. Give peas a chance?
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Pea Guacamole
Step-by-Step Instructions
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.
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.
Use a paper towel to scrape the skin off.
Combine the roasted jalapeño, raw jalapeño, peas and cilantro in the bowl of a food processor.
Process until almost smooth but still a little chunky.
Scoop the avocado flesh into a large bowl
Add the pea mixture, scallions, lime zest, lime juice and salt.
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 classic guacamole.
Green Pea Guacamole
Peas add a little sweetness and chunkiness to the guacamole; they also intensify the green color of the dip.
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
- 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.)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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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Hi Jenn,
I wonder this would freeze well?
Peas are a very cool idea, & lots of protein as well as fresh green Ness!
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.
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.
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!
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.