Give peas a chance: this pea guacamole is better for your wallet and the planet

It takes 2,000 litres of water to grow a kilo of avocados - peas are plentiful and a delicious alternative

Pea guacamole is a yummy alternative to an avocado version.

You might love mashing avocado into your toast every morning and snapping a picture for Instagram, but would you think about it differently if you knew how far breakfast has travelled to get into your belly? 

Every avocado that comes to our shores has travelled over 8000km to get here. Each kilogram of the fruit takes over 2000 litres of water to grow. Mexico, which is the largest exporter of avocados in the world now makes more money from exporting them than it does from exporting petroleum, and there have been reports of deforestation as a result of the demand.

On top of this, our love of avocados has made the price of the fruit soar, making it more difficult for those who live in the countries in which avocados grow to access food that has until now been a staple part of their diet. In 2019, the price of avocados soared to €3.60 a kilo - which is the equivalent of the daily minimum wage. 

In 2021, Ballymaloe alumni Thomasina Miers added an avocado-less guacamole to the menu at her chain of Mexican restaurants Wahaca. Billed as a "sustainable take on guacamole," Miers uses fava beans in place of avocado. The addition came in light of Wahaca's commitment to sustainability, said the restaurant. "Putting delicious food on people’s plates is at the heart of everything that we do at Wahaca, but it is closely followed by treading as lightly on the planet as we can."

Darina Allen's pea guacamole offers a delicious alternative to avocados. Peas are cheap, plentiful and packed with nutrition and when flavoured with the bold flavours of Mexico are a match for traditional avocado guacamole. If you want to add some extra interest, crumble over some feta and some toasted pumpkin seeds before serving. 

Pea guacamole

recipe by:Darina Allen

A sustainable take on avocado guacamole, this is just as delicious and nutritious

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Total Time

 5 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 250g frozen peas, cooked until skins are tender (but still green) and refreshed in ice cold water

• 1 jalapeno chilli, roughly chopped

• 1-2 cloves garlic

• 1 tsp ginger minced

• 8 basil leaves

• 5 sprigs coriander (stalks and all)

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 1 tomato, finely chopped

• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Purée all ingredients together except tomato in a blender or food processor until smooth.

2. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a little Tabasco if you like it spicier, and fold in chopped tomato.

3. Sometimes I blend in ¼ kg fresh blanched dried spinach leaves for extra iron.

4. Serve in a bowl with a selection of organic veggies (whatever you fancy), cut finger size, also fresh veggie crisps, flatbreads and crackers.

5. If you have any dip left over, it is also great used as a sandwich spread. Or you could add a bit of white wine vinegar and oil and use it as a salad dressing.