Make Ahead

Guacamole Quinoa

Name: Guacamole Quinoa
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced; Juice of 1 1/2 limes; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 3 cups cooked quinoa; 1 garlic clove, crushed with a press or minced and ground into a paste; 1 Roma tomato, diced; 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (I only add SOME of the seeds to the dish. Do as you please).; 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro; 1/4 cup diced red onion; 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

by: foxeslovelemons

May 22, 2013

1 Ratings

Photo by James Ransom

Serves 4

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Author Notes

This is the result of my crazy idea to just mash guacamole ingredients into quinoa (or rice, or barley, or pretty much any grain), and it turned out really well. The instructions are three short sentences -- it's SO simple. It's perfect as a portable side dish, because it can easily be doubled or tripled for a large batch to take to a party, and can be served warm, room temperature, or cold. Additionally, against all odds, it stays bright green for 3 days in the fridge! —foxeslovelemons

Test Kitchen Notes

This recipe was a twofer for me: the first day it had the character of an avocado quinoa salad, and as such was tasty and delightful. The second day, though, was when the guacamole kicked in The flavors had a chance to meld, the avocado softened the quinoa, and we really had a guacamole on our hands. It was delicious both ways and I could see using it both as a salad and as a dip, depending on the schedule. Definitely a great one to take along to a picnic or a potluck. I did tinker slightly with the proportions: 3 cups of quinoa cried out for more than one avocado, or maybe we had extra small ones. This is a dish that I will make again. —lmikkel

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
¹/₄ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups cooked quinoa
1 garlic clove, crushed with a press or minced and ground into a paste
1 Roma tomato, diced
¹/₂ jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (I only add SOME of the seeds to the dish. Do as you please).
¹/₄ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¹/₄ cup diced red onion
¹/₄ teaspoon ground cumin
¹/₂ teaspoon cayenne

Directions

In a medium bowl, mash together avocado, lime juice, and salt. Add remaining ingredients, then toss to combine well. Serve warm or cold.

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21 Reviews

Taylor S. January 15, 2018

Fun and easy salad that I want to eat all the time! I made everything the day before but just kept the quinoa separate. I also just chunked up the avocado instead of mashing it, personal preference :)

Melissa June 19, 2017

This was delicious and satisfying! I wouldn't change a thing. We even had to sub bottled lime juice, and it was still great! It would definitely be a great lettuce topper, too! make this today!

Cheryl March 15, 2016

This was terrific. Thank you! I added the garlic to the quinoa while cooking, as I don't like the raw garlic taste, used an extra 1/2 avocado and upped the chopped cilantro to 1/2 cup. Put the chopped onions in the cooked quinoa while it was cooling. Next time I would taste the lime juice before putting it all in, as it was a bit too much for me. Would also add an extra clove of garlic since I essentially cook it with the quinoa. Delicious over dressed chopped romaine and an addition of black beans.

Cheryl C. November 11, 2015

This was so good! To make it a dinner, I chopped up another avocado and added some Beyond Meat Chicken strips. Yum!

Mulzee January 18, 2015

I just made this for lunch today and it was great! I'm glad I have extras for lunch tomorrow too! I ate it with a side of blue tortilla chips to add a bit of crunch and extra salt. Very delicious. Thank for sharing a fun way to mix it up with quinoa. A great summer recipe! Cheers from Australia

TattooersWife July 31, 2014

This was great! mine stayed green for 5 days and tasted great each day. I doubled the avocado but it wasn't "dippy" which was great. I'll be making a triple batch this weekend for a family BBQ. Great recipe!

Kirin July 5, 2014

Delicious and nutritious! For a party I changed it into more of a dip by doubling the guacamole part and halving the quinoa. With sturdy tortilla chips (or super salty potato chips for some) in hand, guests just stood around dipping directly from the bowl; a sure sign of success!

foxeslovelemons July 6, 2014

Awesome idea, Kirin! So glad it was a hit!

Alyssa M. March 22, 2014

So delicious! Perfect fresh flavors for spring-- I added a couple of small bell peppers and green onions to add to the texture of the dish.

foxeslovelemons March 22, 2014

So glad to hear you liked it, Alyssa McQ!

Wendy March 6, 2014

Just a thought on it staying green… I worked at a Mexican restaurant. We would put plastic wrap DIRECTLY TOUCHING the guac. Shields it from oxygen and keeps it green. Also, citric acid from lime or lemon helps.

Allison K. January 17, 2014

I love this recipe. I've made it twice in 2 weeks. So easy, satisfying and delicious. Thank you!

foxeslovelemons January 17, 2014

Thanks so much, Allison. So glad you likeit!

laurenlocally September 14, 2013

Eating this for lunch today with a fork and loving it. Added in some cooked black beans which I had in hand too. Thanks, foxeslovelemons.

foxeslovelemons September 14, 2013

So glad you loved it, Lauren! Black beans are a GREAT idea!

inpatskitchen September 12, 2013

Congratulations on the CP Lori!! And another beautiful James Ransom photo!

foxeslovelemons September 12, 2013

Thank you! It IS a beautiful photo!

susan G. May 22, 2013

Does the color hold in leftovers. Either way, that won't stop me from making it.

foxeslovelemons May 22, 2013

Yes, the color holds perfectly! My husband ate the leftovers 2 days later, and it was still bright green! He didn't re-heat it before eating it though - just ate it cold.

inpatskitchen May 22, 2013

Oh YUM!!! It IS a crazy idea but what a great one!!