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If you’ve been searching for the best ever guacamole recipe, look no further! This is hands down the best recipe for fresh, healthy guacamole!
A creamy bowl of delicious guac is essential for a successful Mexican night, served with our favorites like Chicken Tacos, Ten Minute Oven Baked Tostadas or Homemade Taquitos.
BEST GUACAMOLE RECIPE EVER
My sister used to throw the best parties – super simple with just good friends and good food. Her husband was often the cook for the event, the grill king and the guacamole master. I always hated guac until I tried his. It was love at first bite and I would watch him every time so that I could perfect my own at home.
It’s been years since I’ve attended one of their parties, and therefore way too many years since I’ve tasted that guacamole. But the longing for the perfect guac recipe still lingered, and I’ve finally come up with THE BEST guacamole recipe around. I won’t even eat the guac at Mexican restaurants anymore because I am completely addicted to the fresh homemade stuff. Add some homemade tortilla chips and it’s pure heaven.
WHAT IS GUACAMOLE MADE OF?
Guacamole is a Mexican dip recipe that is usually served with chips for a delicious appetizer or snack, and is also served with a variety of dishes like tacos and tostadas.
Guacamole consists of avocados seasoned with salt and lime and often contains onions, cilantro, diced tomato, garlic, and peppers.
HOW TO MAKE GUACAMOLE
This recipe for guacamole is super simple, requires minimal ingredients, but the ratios here are very important for getting just the right flavor.
- Start by prepping all of the ingredients and cut into the avocados last to avoid them turning brown. Dice red onion and tomatoes, seed and dice jalapenos, mince cilantro and slice lemons and limes in half. Set aside.
- Start with ripe avocados, not too soft and not too firm. Slice in half and remove the seed carefully. Gently scoop the pulp out of the skin and into a large bowl.
- Sprinkle a little salt over the avocados and squeeze in lemon and lime juice. Gently mash it all together with a fork. My hand gets a little tired or cramped sometimes from smashing with a fork so I will alternate with a potato masher.
- Add the other ingredients and do taste test. Add more salt, pepper and/or citrus. We love lime in our guacamole so I tend to go way overboard with it, but cooking is all about what tastes good to you, so add as little or as much as you like.
GUACAMOLE TIPS:
- Know your avocados. You want Haas avocados that are nice and ripe, but not over ripe. In the store, give the avocados a little gentle squeeze in the palm of your hand (using your finger can bruise the flesh). You want the avocado to have some give to it, but still be slightly firm and not at all mushy. If all that is available are hard avocados, take those and place them in a paper bag for several days to speed up the ripening process.
- Texture is important. Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. You can slice it in the skin if you want, but your hands get pretty slippery and it just tends to make more of a mess than it’s worth. Mash the avocado gently with a pastry cutter, potato masher or a large fork until your guac is just slightly chunky. Those chunks give your guac texture so you want them there. Make sure to finely dice the onion, cilantro and jalapenos so they will mix well with the avocado.
- If you want to be a true avocado aficionado, grab yourself an avocado slicer – this is my favorite kitchen gadget! It will slice the avocado open, remove the pit and slice the flesh, all in one cute little gadget. It’s totally worth the $10!
- To tomato or not to tomato. My guac has chunks of sweet, ripe tomato in it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It heightens the flavor, provides an additional burst of acid and just looks pretty! There are definitely different opinions out there on this topic, so if you’re not a tomato lover or you can’t find ripe tomatoes, just leave them out.
- Lime it up to prevent browning. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the freshly cut avocados will prevent initial browning while you add the remaining ingredients. The acid is a necessary element in your guac to compliment the creaminess of the avocado. Make sure to get your lime to avocado ratio just right – this can take some testing, but who minds that?!
- Keep your guac fresh and prevent browning. Like an apple, avocados will begin to brown almost immediately as they oxidize when they are exposed to air. There are a few different ways to store your guacamole dip to keep it from browning on top. My favorite method is simple placing some plastic wrap on top and pressing it tightly on top of the guacamole, making sure all of the guac is touching the plastic wrap. You can also pour a little water on top of the plastic to keep it from lifting. To keep your guac bright green while serving, insert an avocado pit or a chunk of onion into the guac.
IS IT SAFE TO EAT GUACAMOLE AFTER IT TURNS BROWN?
Yes! It’s safe to eat for up to three days after preparing your guacamole. Just scrape the brown layer off and enjoy!
CAN YOU FREEZE GUACAMOLE?
Yes and no. Avocados freeze quite well but watery ingredients like tomatoes and onions, do not. The trick is to freeze just the mashed avocado.
- Slice avocado, then peel and seed them. Mash the avocados with a the juice from half of a lemon or lime, then place mashed chunks into a freezer bag and squeeze out as much air as possible. Freeze your guacamole starter for up to four months.
- If you want to freeze whole chunks of avocado, slice, seed and peel them. Brush each avocado half with lemon or lime juice, then wrap individually and tightly with plastic wrap. Place each half in a large ziploc bag and freeze for up to six months.
Wondering what to top with this delicious fresh guacamole? Try these great Mexican recipes:
- Homemade Taquitos
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Sheet Pan Nachos
- Chicken Taco Salad
- Turkey Taco Stuffed Peppers
- Easy Mexican Lasagna
WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE HOW QUICKLY THIS EASY GUACAMOLE RECIPE COMES TOGETHER!
Guacamole Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 large ripe Avocados diced* (see notes)
- 1 lime
- ½ of a lemon
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1 small bunch cilantro minced (about ½ cup)
- 2 jalapenos seeds removed
- ½ cup diced red onion
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Place diced avocados into a large bowl. Squeeze juice from half of a lime over the avocados to prevent them from browning.
- Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and juices, so just the firmer flesh remains.
- Dice tomatoes and add them to the bowl, along with the finely minced cilantro, jalapenos and onions. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper and stir to combine well.
- Add lemon juice, more lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with tortilla chips, tacos, burritos and more.
Notes
- Know your avocados. You want Haas avocados that are nice and ripe, but not over ripe. In the store, give the avocados a little gentle squeeze in the palm of your hand (using your finger can bruise the flesh). You want the avocado to have some give to it, but still be slightly firm and not at all mushy. If all that is available are hard avocados, take those and place them in a paper bag for several days to speed up the ripening process.
- Texture is important. Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit and scoop the flesh into a large bowl. You can slice it in the skin if you want, but your hands get pretty slippery and it just tends to make more of a mess than it’s worth. Mash the avocado gently with a pastry cutter, potato masher or a large fork until your guac is just slightly chunky. Those chunks give your guac texture so you want them there. Make sure to finely dice the onion, cilantro and jalapenos so they will mix well with the avocado.
Nutrition
Needs more lime. Great recipe.
Yum! I could eat that.
What’s the lemon for? I don’t see it mentioned except for in ingredient list! Thanks!
Good catch – it’s added with the lime juice at the end.