Pistachio Guacamole
Plain guacamole gets a boost of amazing flavor and texture from roasted pistachio nuts. The nuts actually lend a touch of sweetness, and using the nut-infused oil only adds to the wonderful flavor of this delicious dip.
Fresh onions can be so strong and overpowering that they don’t let any of the other flavors of a dish shine through. By freezing them first (I chopped them and put them in a ziploc with a pinch of salt), it lessons their potency and helps to release all their moisture.
After toasting the chopped nuts in oil, place them on a plate and reserve the oil in the pan to drizzle over the dip once it’s finished.
Once the onions are out of the freezer, press them through a sieve (or wrap them in cheesecloth and squeeze). You’ll be amazed how much liquid will be released. If you didn’t take the time to do this, all that moisture would be released into the dip making it thin and watery.
Now combine everything together, season to taste with salt and drizzle with the reserved oil.

Pistachio Guacamole
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup pistachios coarsely chopped
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup onion finely minced
- 3 avocados coarsely mashed
- 2 Tbsp canned green chilies minced (or 1 Tbsp fresh jalapeños)
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- Zest from 1 lime
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a skillet heat oil until hot, then add pistachios. Stir until lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with a bit of salt. Set aside to cool completely (reserve oil).
- To mellow the flavor of the onion, after chopping mix with ¼ tsp of salt and freeze for 1 hour in a ziploc bag (the salt will help release more moisture). Place onions in a sieve and use a spoon to press out as much of their moisture as you can (or wrap in a piece of cheesecloth and squeeze liquid out). Blot with paper towel if necessary.
- Coarsely mash avocados in a bowl, then stir in the onions, the remaining ingredients, and all but 2 Tbsp of the nuts. Gently mix until combined and spoon into a serving bowl.
- Drizzle with reserved nut oil and reserved pistachios.
Notes