If You Love Guac, You’ll Fall for Meghan Markle’s Favorite Dip

I’ve made guacamole so many times I could probably do it with my eyes closed. As long as there are ripe avocados in the fridge, I can improvise with whatever else is around to make a killer guac. I’m always game to try something new, though!

Enter Meghan Markle’s favorite dip: Munira Mahmud’s Green Chile and Avocado Dip. It has many of the elements of a good guacamole—besides the title ingredients, it includes cilantro and garlic. But then it leaves guacamole territory with additions of yogurt, mayonnaise, and the zest and juice of two whole lemons.

A remarkable group of women put together the book that includes Meghan’s dip of choice. It’s featured in Together: Our Community Cookbook, a charity cookbook she helped to get published. The recipes are contributions from women survivors of the Grenfell Tower Fire. They banded together to form a community kitchen in the aftermath, and a portion of the book’s proceeds went toward helping them extend their operating hours. 

Why I Love Meghan Markle’s Favorite Dip

This dip falls somewhere between a guacamole and a crema. If you’ve ever had the Don Pancho Cilantro Lime Crema Costco sells and includes in its taco kits, this dip is what that stuff dreams to be! The flavor is bright, bright, bright from all of the lemon zest and juice, with plenty of zip and kick from the garlic and green chiles.

So far, I’ve enjoyed it with crudités and tortilla chips. It would also be fantastic on tacos, burritos, or anywhere else you’d use crema or guacamole. Beyond its obvious uses as a party dip or an accompaniment to Mexican food, it’d be excellent with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. I can imagine spooning some onto a falafel, shawarma, or gyro wrap.

How I Made This Dip My Own

When I made this dip, I decided to go with jalapeños for the green chiles. I’m almost certain that Munira meant for smaller, zippier chiles to be used, but my three-year-old won’t go for anything too spicy. The dip still had plenty of flavor, but you can use a serrano or a Thai chile if you want more heat.

If there’s one change I’d make to this recipe, it’s to use a little bit less garlic. I did use four pretty large cloves—maybe Munira’s were smaller! In any case, after the dip sat in the fridge for a day and the flavors had a chance to meld, it was a real garlic bomb. I’ll try it with one big clove next time. And while the mayonnaise is optional, I really like how it makes the dip creamier and silkier in texture. I tasted it with and without the mayo and preferred it with.

The recipe calls for blending the dip in a food processor, but a blender or a stick blender in a jar would work just as well. Use whichever you have on hand, then channel Meghan as you serve it up!