Food and Recipes Dish Dips Spicy Guacamole Be the first to rate & review! For the best spicy guacamole, you'll need two kinds of peppers. By Taylor Tobin Taylor Tobin Taylor Tobin is a freelance food and lifestyle journalist based in Austin, Texas. She has been covering home cooking and home bartending for over five years, with bylines in publications like Eater, HuffPost, Insider, Allrecipes, Wine Enthusiast, and The Spruce Eats. She's an avid home chef who's always eager to try new recipes, and she's constantly inspired by the culinary traditions of the exciting city of Austin, which she calls home. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on April 19, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Active Time: 8 mins Total Time: 8 mins Servings: 8 The appeal of guacamole, the avocado dip or condiment native to Mexico that's also widely-beloved throughout the United States, lies in its simplicity. Although some will try to gild the lily with add-ons and mix-ins (like the infamous pea guacamole that blew up the New York Times Cooking section in 2015), a great guac only requires ripe avocados, a hint of allium, cilantro, and a few simple seasonings. But if you like some heat in your guacamole, then chile peppers (like jalapeño and habanero) are essential. How To Spice Up Guacamole In this spicy guacamole recipe, we chose jalapeños for their moderate-but-vibrant heat level and habaneros for their citrusy flavor and high-octane heat, but those looking for a less-spicy guacamole could swap these peppers out for poblanos or Anaheim peppers. If even the habanero isn’t hot enough for you, you could try a ghost pepper or even the notorious Carolina Reaper. Ingredients 4 large Haas avocados 1/4 white onion, minced (about 1/4 cup) 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped 1 habanero pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 Tbsp.) 1 tsp. kosher salt Directions Prepare avocados: Gather your ingredients. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Slice the avocados in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl or molcajete. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add peppers: Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, habanero, lime juice, and kosher salt to the mixing bowl. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox With a fork (or, if you're using a molcajete, with the matching pestle), mash the ingredients until they’re fully mixed, but still retain some texture. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Add cilantro: Add cilantro leaves and use a fork to gently fold them into the guacamole. Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Season and serve: Season to taste with additional salt and lime juice. Garnish with additional cilantro leaves. Rate it Print