If you’ve been searching for smoked salsa verde or smoked guacamole, this recipe combines the best of both worlds. It combines pellet smoked salt and spices, tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic, and avocados with fresh cilantro and lime juice.
New to guacamole salsa? It blends the creaminess of guacamole with the bright, tart, and fresh flavor profile of salsa verde. And, in this case, you get an awesome third element of smoke. This dish is guaranteed to elevate your next Taco Tuesday.
Ingredients for Smoked Guacamole Salsa
The key to this smoked salsa is developing as much smoke flavor as possible without cooking the ingredients. I’ve found one of the best ways to do this is by cooking at a low temperature like 165ºF to 180ºF and starting salt on its own while you prep the remaining ingredients.
Smoked Ingredients
- kosher salt, garlic powder, and ground cumin
- tomatillos
- jalapeño peppers
- white onion
- garlic
- avocados
Feel free to play with the ratios of certain ingredients, particularly the amount of garlic and type of peppers. I like using half serrano peppers and half jalapeño peppers for a spicier smoked guacamole salsa. Reference something like this pepper heat scale to get an idea of which peppers can crank the heat up.
Fresh Ingredients
- cilantro
- lime juice
- apple cider vinegar
You’ll see some cooks smoke cilantro and herbs, but I like to pick up smoke with all the other ingredients and keep the cilantro as fresh as possible.
As for the acidic ingredients, you can play around with the type of vinegar used or use lime juice exclusively. Your salsa, your rules.
You may also want to adjust the amount of lime juice and vinegar used to modify the consistency of your salsa. A little water can also thin out the salsa without affecting flavor, if that’s what you’re after.
Just be sure to season to taste at the end and make modifications slowly. It’s much easier to add than take away!
Keep the balance of salt, acidity, and sweetness (and even spice, to a certain degree) in mind. If you go too far in one direction, adding more of the others restore balance to the flavor force.
It’s also a good idea to consider how you will be using your smoked avocado salsa. If you’re serving as a dip for salty tortilla chips, you may not need to max out the saltiness. Likewise, the salsa will need to be acidic to punch up and brighten rich, meaty smoked tacos.
What to Serve with Smoked Salsa
Speaking of serving, I have a handful of recommendations.
- Traeger grilled chicken breast
- spicy BBQ smoked shotgun shells
- stuffed and smoked poblano peppers
- Traeger ribeye tacos with peppers and onions
- weeknight al pastor style ground pork tacos
- Texas style slow cooked beef shoulder roast
- weeknight steak tacos
There’s no wrong move here, and I trust you to wield its power with responsibility. I’ve included a recipe card below for you to print or save. If you have a question about ingredients or methods, feel free to ask away in the comments at the bottom of the post.
And if you try this smoked guacamole salsa and love it, I always appreciate recipe reviews!
Smoked Guacamole Salsa
Smoked salt and spices, avocado, tomatillos, peppers, onion, and garlic join forces with fresh cilantro and lime juice to make a creamy, smoky spin on salsa verde.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 6 Tomatillos, husked, washed, and quartered
- 4 Jalapeño Peppers, seeds and membranes removed
- 1-2 Garlic Cloves, peeled
- 1/2 small White Onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 medium Avocados, halved
- 2 handfuls Cilantro
- Juice of 2 small Limes
- 1-2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 165ºF. Mix the salt, garlic powder, and ground cumin together and place in a small dish. Once the fire is established on the smoker (no rolling white smoke), place the dish on the grill with the lid closed.
- Remove the husks and wash the tomatillos before quartering. Slice the peppers in half and remove any seeds and membranes. Peel and quarter the onion.
- Depending on the grates of your smoker, you may want to place the tomatillos, onion, and garlic on a wire rack or a mesh screen. The peppers can go right on the grates.
- Smoke for 45 minutes before halving the avocados, removing the pits, and placing on the smoker cut side up for 10 more minutes. You want the veggies to pick up smoke—not cook.
- Add everything to a food processor with the cilantro, lime juice, and vinegar. Blend on low to medium (not going above, to avoid whipping air into the salsa) for 3-5 minutes or until you reach your desired consistency. Salt to taste.
Notes
Pepitas or roasted pumpkin seeds are a great topping for this salsa. You can even make smoked pumpkin seeds.
If you're using a pellet smoker like a Traeger and have a Super Smoke or similar function, you can use that to boost the smoky flavor even more.
You can also let the salt hang out for longer on its own before adding the veggies to pick up more smoke.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1/4 cup (60g)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 90Total Fat: 9gCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 4g