What To Be Mindful Of When Adding Pickled Jalapeños To Guacamole

There's no denying that the key to delicious guacamole is quality ingredients and add-ins that infuse it with flavor. To amp up your guacamole, pickled jalapeños are a great place to start for a signature spicy kick that brings a little tang to the party. But don't just reach for any jar of pickled jalapeños on the shelf. To balance the flavors of your guacamole, try to avoid pickled jalapeños with added sugars or sweeteners.

Also referred to as candied jalapeños, or cowboy candy, sweet pickled jalapeños can add too much sugar to your guacamole. All of the sugar absorbed by the jalapeños makes them extra sweet, so it becomes difficult to control the amount of sugar you're adding. If you enjoy a hint of sweetness in your guacamole, adding that flavor using other ingredients like honey or agave syrup is better. This way you can control exactly how much you're using, without having to skimp on fiery jalapeños.

Raw jalapeños may contain the most heat, but pickled jalapeños still retain a milder heat while adding tang to your guac. If you want to be in control of just how tangy, sweet, or spicy your pickled jalapeños are, you can try your hand at making a recipe for homemade pickled jalapeños. Pickled jalapeños also add a nice crunchy textural component. Just chop up those pickled peppers and mix them with your other guacamole ingredients and you're set.

You can even add a spoonful of the brine itself along with the chopped pickled jalapeños if you're out of lime juice or want to add even more acidity. (Just don't add too much or your guac could get too watery.) If you choose to add some of the brine instead of lime juice, the acid in the vinegar will help to prevent that layer of splotchy brown coloring as the avocados are exposed to oxygen. To keep it looking fresher even longer, try covering it with a layer of pico de gallo.

You may already know to include onion in your traditional guacamole recipe, but it's common for many people to request it without onion. For a truly crowd-pleasing guac, try soaking your diced raw onion in water for a few minutes to mellow it out. Including the pickled jalapeños already takes care of the bite, so you don't want to overwhelm the guac too much. Soaking the onion still keeps the crunch, but removes the intense, bitter flavor that bothers some people.

Along with helping keep the guac green, adding some pico de gallo on top makes for a beautiful presentation. You can opt to make things easy with store-bought pico de gallo or take those chopped onions and make some yourself. Roma tomatoes are your best choice here, as they have the least amount of juice and seeds so you don't end up drowning your guac. As you make your guacamole, taste and observe to strike a balance. Just avoid sugary pickled jalapeños, and your guacamole will be dynamic in flavor and texture and not too sweet.