I’ve committed guacamole blasphemy and I’m not even sorry. I just couldn’t help myself after that pomegranate, feta and avocado toast last week. It’s festive, right? And delicious, too—creamy, classic guacamole contrasts surprisingly well with sweet, juicy, ruby red pomegranate arils.
If you really want to mess with a classic, try adding some feta on top of this pomegranate guac. I love it with feta and without, but I thought I’d leave the cheese out this time and present it as a party option that everyone can enjoy. It’s dairy free/vegan, gluten free, nut free, soy free, tomato free… and I suppose it could be cilantro free if you have any cilantro haters in the house. I am not one of them.
This guacamole has been my go-to snack over a busy weekend. I’ve been working my way through some serious post-travel, oh-hey-there-holidays overwhelm, but I have a few more wholesome party snacks to share this week. I know I’m not the only one who’s feeling swamped, so let me know if there’s a particular kind of recipe you’re looking for! I’d be glad to help.
Festive Pomegranate Guacamole
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Mexican
Homemade guacamole with fresh pomegranate makes a beautiful holiday appetizer! It’s a vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free snack that everyone will enjoy. This guacamole goes great with tortilla chips and prepared raw vegetables, like carrots and broccoli. Recipe yields about 3 cups of guacamole (enough for a small gathering) and could easily be halved.
Ingredients
- 4 medium ripe avocados, pitted and diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ medium red onion, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, mostly leaves, chopped
- 1 to 2 jalapeños (or 1 serrano pepper), seeded and chopped
- 1 medium pomegranate, deseeded (about 1 cup worth of pomegranate arils)
- Entirely optional: ½ cup crumbled feta
Instructions
- With a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the lime juice, garlic and salt. Mash the ingredients together with a large fork or potato masher until the avocado is nice and creamy.
- To ensure that the onion flavor doesn’t overpower the guacamole, rinse the chopped onion under running water (I used a fine mesh colander). Pat the onion dry with a paper towel.
- Add the onion, chopped cilantro and jalapeño to the bowl and mix well. Gently stir in ½ of the pomegranate arils. For extra presentation points, transfer the guacamole to an appropriately sized serving bowl now. Sprinkle remaining pomegranate arils over guacamole, along with some additional chopped cilantro and totally optional feta, if you’d like. Serve immediately.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless.
Storage suggestions: If you have leftover guacamole, cover the top with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface to minimize oxidation. Guacamole is best fresh but will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days.
If you love this recipe: You’ll also love my fresh margaritas, sweet potato and black bean tacos with avocado pepita dip, kale, black bean and avocado burrito bowl and blue corn nachos with homemade guacamole!
▸ Nutrition Information
P.s. Here’s a roundup of my favorite Mexican recipes!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Padaek
Wow! I love guacamole, but those pomegranate jewels and feta crumble really add spark to this already favourite dish. Thanks for sharing this. It looks fabulous. Merry Christmas. :)
★★★★★
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Festive indeed!! This guac looks awesome!
Gaby
I love guacamole!! Looks wonderful!
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
This looks fantastic. Do you have any tips on how to neatly and efficiently de-seed pomegranates? I love them, but usually refrain because they are so labor-intensive!
Anna
I’ve found the best way to prepare pomegranates is in a bowl of water. All of the little white pieces float to the top, and it minimizes the chances of the juice getting all over the place. A win-win for sure!
Kate
Good call, I like that method, too! I’ve skipped the bowl lately but that means I get little splatters everywhere.
Claudia
I found this helpful (and clean!) technique on another food blog I read:
http://www.thefauxmartha.com/2014/01/27/how-to-deseed-a-pomegranate/
Good luck!
Kate
Well, that is brilliant! I must have missed that one on Melissa’s blog. Thank you for sharing, Claudia!
Kate
Hey Daisy, pomegranates do take some work. I just heard about deseeded frozen pomegranate at Costco. I usually slice off the very top, then slice slightly into the seams so I can pull the pomegranate apart in pieces. Then I just use my fingers to gently pull off the arils. Here’s another method that sounds promising: http://www.thefauxmartha.com/2014/01/27/how-to-deseed-a-pomegranate/
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished
Thanks Kate!! Duly noted!!
Bethan
This looks ace, I would love to serve it on Christmas Eve!
★★★★
Tessa | Salted Plains
Beautiful! I hope this is going to make an appearance at the Christmas party… :)
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Festive indeed, love that pretty pom topping!
Joanna
I’m always so optimistic trying to deseed a pomegranate…! I always make a mess! I’ll give it a go and follow your recipe. For sure though, I will not be cleaning the kitchen! :)
Kate
Thanks, Joanna! Another reader just shared this splatter-free method, might be worth a shot! http://www.thefauxmartha.com/2014/01/27/how-to-deseed-a-pomegranate/
Katie @ Produce On Parade
How festive! I love the green and red together, what a creative dip!
Morgan
These photos are GORGEOUS!
Kate
Thanks, Morgan! :)
Mackenzie
I loooove all of your recipes Kate! I make them all the time and they have yet to disappoint :) I’m throwing a vegetarian dinner party over the holidays and would love any suggestions/recipes for a big veg main that’s party friendly
Kate
Hey Mackenzie! Good grief, I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I think this mushroom brown rice risotto would be a hit and it’s so easy! I think it would scale well, too. This butternut pasta would be a show stopper. This broccoli pasta always goes over well. If you want to go with a Mexican theme, these tacos are fun and so is this tortilla soup. I’m also a big fan of this hearty soup. Your question made me realize that I need more party dishes, I’ll work on those!
Ali | Gimme Some Oven
Soooooo good. (And gorgeous!)
Robyn @realfoodwholelife
This is gorgeous Kate! I’m obsessed with pomegranates lately, too. So good for you–plus they make everything pretty. :)
Deepa@onesmallpot
I’m sure the Guac-Gods would forgive you this one. The tartness of the pom would definitely brighten the creaminess of the avocado. Love this Kate!
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen
I love pomegranate guac! And, it’s so pretty!!
dixya | food, pleasure, and health
i want to dive right into this bowl.
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
I could eat that whole bowl. Looks delicious and very Christmasy without being overly Christmasy…if that makes sense!
Kate
Yep, makes sense to me! :)
Eileen
Ooh! Such a great idea, and a beautiful color contrast too! I bet the pomegranate seeds give that perfect little acid kick to each bite of guacamole.
laurasmess
I am obsessed with pomegranates, so much that Aaron made me a little 3D pomegranate avatar for my blog (which I no longer use as the pomegranate teeth looked a little evil… haha). They are so spectacular to look at and the flavour melds so well with both sweet and savoury. I love the idea of this twist on guacamole. I can imagine how good the little pops of pomegranate sweetness would be with the gorgeous creamy avocado. Yum xxx
Lee
OBSESSED with green and pink. LIKE LITERALLY. I need this in my life, like every day.
Sara @ Cake Over Steak
Love it! There’s a restaurant in Philly I’ve been to that does a pomegranate guacamole. I think theirs also has goat cheese and a balsamic reduction… Definitely different, but tasty. Either way, I always love having fruit in my guac for that sweet/tart contrast. This would be a great winter spin on guacamole for a holiday party for sure.
Joanne
I mean, this just looks like a party waiting to happen!
Nidhi@peppergarlickitchen.com
I have been looking for a healthy starter recipe…I know this is what i wanted..It looks yumm!!
Sini | My Blue&White Kitchen
I just love this version of the classic quacamole! Perfect, especially if you’re as obsessed with the beauty and deliciousness of pomegranates as I am :) Last Christmas, I even made a pomegranate infused vodka…
Kate
Thanks, Sini! I’m so smitten with pomegranates right now. Just enjoyed some on my morning granola. Your pomegranate vodka sounds marvelous. Happy holidays!
Allyson
Oh wow, this combination looks so amazing. Cant wait to try!
Candice
Hey Kate, I was wondering if you can help, I love cooking vegetarian weekdays for my husband and I but whenever I have company over I feel like I need to make something with meat, plus I stress over what to make. Any suggestions? :)
Kate
Hey Candice! That’s a really good question. I find that people are happy eating really hearty dishes (like my butternut chili) and umami-rich recipes, like my veggie fajitas with mushrooms or mushroom risotto. Hope that helps a little!
Karlie
Mmm I made this for Thanksgiving and it was a HIT! The presentation is gorgeous.. we skipped the feta and added a drizzle of honey. Perfect!
Dorothy Kim
I’ve used this recipe countless times – a definite palate and crowd pleaser. I love the added tartness and crunch from the pomegranate seeds to the familiar guacamole flavour.
★★★★★
Kate
That is great, Dorothy! It is a nice compliment. I appreciate your comment and review!
Jenna
Made this recipe today for an office guacamole contest…and won!
★★★★★
Kate
Congrats, Jenna! That’s great.
VS
Was delicious! Big hit with my teenage son! He said it was the best Guac he has ever had. Thank you for sharing! I added grated cotija instead of feta and skipped the step of washing the onion since I was in a hurry.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, VS! I appreciate your review.