Elevate Your Dip Game And Add Charred Onions To Your Guacamole

If you've got ripe avocados that are hanging around and run the risk of spoiling, one delicious way to use them up is to turn them into fresh guacamole that's perfect for pairing with chips, spreading on sandwiches, or loading into tacos.

At its simplest, guacamole contains mashed avocados, lime juice, and some salt. However, many people choose to mix in other ingredients, such as diced tomatoes, garlic powder, and other veggies. While these additions taste great, one extra powerful option to stir into the dip is charred onions.

Charred onions will add an extra layer of smokiness to your guac while still maintaining the spread's delicious creaminess. At the same time, cooking onions this way intensifies their flavor and gives them a sweeter taste. It also adds a different color and texture to your dip. All of that results in a guacamole that's got a little more pizazz and uniqueness to it than your standard variety.  

When it comes to adding charred onions to your guac, the first thing to know is how to give the veggies that desired smoky flavor and dark color. To get started, you'll need to clean and preheat your grill and brush the grates with oil. Then, cut your onions into slices so that they're easier to work with.

If you want even more flavor, toss the alliums with a little bit of oil, salt and pepper, lime juice, and any other seasonings you like. Paprika, for instance, could enhance the smokiness of the onion, while garlic powder can add pungent undertones. With the onions prepped, spread them across your grill and cook them until they're charred on all sides, turning them as you go. This should take between seven and 10 minutes.

When your onions are cooked, remove them from the grill and chop them into large chunks. Then, add to your traditional guacamole recipe to taste.

While charred onions can certainly elevate your guac, they're far from the only add-in you can prepare this way to imbue big flavor in your dip. Another option to try that will give your spread some acidity is charred tomatillos. This can be a great way to intensify the citrus flavors in your dip that usually comes from the addition of lime juice.

You could also give the dip a bit of a kick by stirring in some charred jalapeños, or add a herby feel with charred scallions. Both offer a dash of spicy, pepperiness to guac that deepens its taste. And yet another charred veggie to play with is corn. This ingredient lends a bit of sweetness to the savory dip. 

Whichever addition you decide to mix in, you'll wind up with a tasty guacamole that's perfect for eating with store-bought or homemade tortilla chips.