Give Me A Recipe For Guacamole

Helpful Tips For The Best Guacamole:

• Use a pastry cutter to cut up the avocados. Its the fastest, and it leaves you with some texture rather than guacamole mush or paste. A long pronged fork works great too.
• Use the best, ripe avocados. I cant stress this one enough. It makes or breaks the guacamole. Avoid bruised and mushy avocados.
• Only use fresh lime juice. Bottled juice just wont give it near as good of a flavor.
• Add garlic for flavor. Some people might say authentic Mexican guacamole doesnt have garlic, I say I dont know whats official but I do know the garlic makes it taste better, so go with it.
• Rinse red onions to remove harsh bite of the onion. Rick Bayless suggests this, and I think it really does help. If you want a milder onion flavor, go with green onions instead.
• Dice everything small. Its just better this way, trust me.
• Make more than you think youll need. Somehow this is a tip for the best guacamole :). No, its just a little word of advice. This goes fast, so double up the batch for a party.

How Do You Store Guacamole

To my knowledge, theres no perfect way to store homemade guacamole to prevent it from browning. But I have found that storing fresh guacamole in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly on top of it slows the browning somewhat.

If youre worried about your guac browning before you eat it, my advice is to wait to make it until youre ready to serve. But believe it or not, this batch didnt brown all day sometimes youll just get lucky.

Every now and then Ill get great avocados that hold their color, but its not common so prep everything else earlier if you want, but wait to cut up those avocados.

Start With Great Avocados

You want ripe but not over-ripe Hass avocados, which are the standard grocery store variety with slightly bumpy skin. Look for avocados that yield a bit to a gentle squeeze, but avoid using avocados that are mushy or stringy on the inside .

If you have to choose between hard or mushy avocados, choose the hard ones and place them in a paper bag with a couple of bananas. The ethylene gas released by the bananas will ripen them up faster, but you still might have to wait overnight or up to a couple of days.

If you come home with perfect avocados but wont be turning them into guac right away, store them in the refrigerator to slow their ripening.

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How To Use Guacamole

If you do happen to have som guac left over, here are some ways that I love to use it:

• As a sandwich spread
• On toast with scrambled eggs or other toppings
• As a salad or bowl meal topper
• Mixed into deviled eggs

Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclaimer here.The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lets Talk About Spiciness

There is a subtle amount of heat from the jalapeño. I recommend removing the inner seeds for less spiciness . However, if youre not a fan of spice, simply omit the jalapeño in this guacamole recipe altogether. Additionally, an alternate form of spice would be red pepper flakes, about 1/2-1 teaspoon. It all depends on your preference level.

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Start With Ripe Avocados

The best guacamole starts with perfectly ripe avocados. A ripe avocado should be firm but will give to gentle pressure when you squeeze it. When you shop, choose avocados that will ripen in time for you to make your guacamole. Firm avocados will ripen in a few days if you leave them on your counter.

Expert Tips And Tricks

• Since this recipe only calls for three very simple ingredients, each ingredient is key! Here are my best tips for choosing an avocado for guacamole:
• Give it a gentle squeeze with your hand to check the firmness it should have some give but not so much that it feels mushy or bruised. If you feel very soft spots or if it feels like there is a bit of a gap between the skin and the inner fruit of the avocado, it is way too ripe, and you should skip it.
• Pull the stem off to check for color ripeness. At the top of the avocado there is usually a little stub of a stem, use your finger to roll it off and check the color underneath. If it is bright green, the avocado is likely not yet ripe enough. The color under the stem should be dark. A dark color under the stem and a little bit of give when you squeeze is the best combo!
• Make sure you are using FRESH squeezed lime juice. Do not use concentrate, as fresh-squeezed lime juice is key to the best guacamole flavor.
• I never ever use iodized/table salt for cooking. In fact, I dont even keep it in my pantry, I only use sea salt and pink/Himalayan salt. You can find these at any grocery store these days and they make SUCH a big difference in the flavor of your food. Sea salt or pink/Himalayan salt is especially important in your guacamole as it will give your guac the very best flavor. I like to use a salt grinder and crack the salt coarsely, or I use sea salt flakes.

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How Do You Make Guacamole

Slice three ripe avocados in half, remove the pit and scoop them into a mixing bowl. Then use a fork to gently mash them to your desired level of chunky or smooth. Add the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, garlic, lime juice and salt and stir everything together. Thats it. The most delicious, easy guacamole.

Other Ways To Use Guacamole

Guacamole has a role in the kitchen beyond a party dip. It’s great scooped on top of nachos and also makes an excellent topping or side for enchiladas, tacos, grilled salmon, or oven-baked chicken.

Guacamole is great in foods, as well. Try mixing some into a tuna sandwich or your next batch of deviled eggs.

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How Do You Choose The Best Avocados For Guacamole

It seems that picking good avocados is a fine art but its much easier with a few helpful tips:

• Check the color: Avocados with a darker green or blackish shade are more ripe, vibrantly green avocados are underripe and still need a few days to ripen.
• Gently press the avocado: hard solid avocados arent ripe yet, mushy avocados are overripe . They should have some give when gently pressed.
• Avoid those with patchy dark spots on the skin, these can be signs of bruising inside. Also avoid those with random soft spots as that is usually another sign of bruising.

How To Store Avocados

If youve picked avocados that are ripe and ready to use, either use within 1-2 days or throw in the refrigerator where theyll keep fresh for 5-7 days. The refrigerator seems to slow the ripening process.

If youve picked firm or unripe avocados, let them ripen on your counter at room temperature until no longer firm to the touch . Ripe avocados should have some give, but do not feel mushy when squeezed.

Add your ripe avocados to a mixing or serving bowl along with onion, jalapeño, cumin, salt, red pepper flake, and lime juice and mash to your desired consistency.

If you like a little chunkiness, take it easy and just aim to incorporate the flavors. If you prefer your guacamole on the creamier side, a potato masher can be helpful, or just use a fork and mash until smooth.

At this point you can add in your cilantro , along with any additional seasonings to taste. And thats it! Perfect guacamole every time.

We hope you LOVE this guacamole! Its:

Citrusy

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Build The Flavors In Layers

Add the onion, serrano chile, cilantro, and salt to the molcajete and grind until you have a uniform paste. The paste takes on a beautiful dark green color from the cilantro.

Grinding the ingredients releases the volatile oil of the vegetables and more evenly disperses the flavors throughout the guacamole.

What If You Can’t Find A Ripe Avocado

Finding a ripe avocado can feel like finding your soul mate the more you want one, the harder it is to find. To help turn an under-ripe avocado into a guacamole-ready one, you need to use the paper bag trick.

All you have to do is put the avocado and an apple in a paper bag. Close the bag and set it aside on your counter. In about a day, you’ll have a ripe avocado.

You can also put under-ripe avocados in your fruit bowl to help them ripen. The ethylene gas that fruit releases helps to ripen your hard avocado.

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Brown Guac Is The Pits

A popular theory of how restaurants keep guacamole from turning brown is by adding the avocado pit to the guacamole bowl.

Honestly, I have tested setting out a bowl of guacamole with and without the pit, and I found zero difference. Both bowls turned brown in about the same amount of time. If youd like to include the pit for presentation purposes though, feel free.

How To Pick Ripe Avocados

If youre unsure how to pick ripe, healthy avocados, I like to go for ones that are closer to black than green, are tender but not mushy, and dont appear to have any blemishes or mealy spots.

If youre unsure if the avocado is past its prime, you can remove the little stem at the top of the avocado. If it has a green color to it, its still fresh! On the other hand, if its gone brown, its probably past its prime.

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The Best Way To Seed And Peel An Avocado

Youve probably heard that you should prepare an avocado by cutting it in half and then piercing the pit with your knife to pull it out. Ive never done it this way because its not the easiest way and, honestly, its not safe.

Instead, you should first cut your avocado into quarters. Then you can easily pull the seed out with your hand. Finally, instead of scooping out the avocado flesh with a spoon, you can simply peel off the avocado peel.

Why peel instead of scoop with a spoon? The most nutrient-dense part of the avocado is the dark green flesh near the skin. If you scoop your avocado out of the peel using a spoon, you may leave the most nutritious part of the avocado behind!

Apparently, Im not the only one who preps avocados this way! Watch a video of how to safely cut an avocado.

How To Stop Guacamole From Going Brown

Avocado goes brown when it is in contact with air. So to stop it from browning, do as follows: pour into airtight container. Bang to remove air bubbles, smooth surface. Cover with a thin layer of olive oil or warm water. Avocado is so dense, it will not absorb it. Stays green for 2 whole days in the fridge!!

To serve, pour off liquid, give it a good stir. Add a fresh spritz of lime if needed then serve!

Game changer tip learnt from Claire at Sprinkles & Sprouts!

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Canned Versus Fresh Tomatoes

The debate between using canned versus fresh tomatoes can go on forever. But in my opinion, I think using canned tomatoes is best for the perfect salsa.

Unlike pico de gallo, restaurant-style salsa has a much smoother consistency and finer texture. Canned tomatoes help with that.

Restaurant-style salsa also tends to have more depth of flavor, compared to pico de gallo. You can get this layered depth from fire-roasted canned tomatoes , along with additional herbs, and seasonings.

If you decide to use just fresh tomatoes, I recommend roasting them. This will help add a rich, smoky flavor to salsa.

What To Dip With Guacamole

• Tortilla Chips. The classic! Make sure your chips are sturdy enough to stand up to those yummy chunks. I like scoop-style chips.
• Carrots. To make this an extra healthy guacamole recipe, serve it with fresh carrot sticksor baby carrots.
• Pita Chips. A similarly crunchy alternative to tortilla chips.
• Thinly Sliced Red Bell Peppers. Nutritious and delightfully crisp.
• Thinly Sliced Radishes. Their pungent sharpness contrasts deliciously with the cooling, creamy guacamole.

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How Do You Make Homemade Guacamole

Prepare yourself for the easiest recipe ever.

Cut your avocados in half, remove the pits and scoop the avocado out of the skin and into a bowl. Add a fat squish of fresh lime juice and then use the back of a fork and mash the avocados against the sides of your bowl. You can make your guacamole as chunky or creamy as you desire.

Next, add the onions, tomatoes, garlic, pepper, cilantro and salt and stir until everything is mixed together.

Pat yourself on the back my friend, you have just made some really good, homemade guacamole.

Pick Ripe Avocados For The Best Guacamole

The best guacamole starts with the freshest ingredients. Look for avocados that are ripe, but firm. You definitely dont want soft and mushy avocados.

So how do you pick good, ripe avocados? First, grab avocados that still have the stem attached. If the stem has been removed in the store, its more likely to have brown spots on the inside. Then, gently press on one end. It should be firm, but have a slight give to it.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

If you dont believe that our recipe helps you make the best homemade guacamole, take a look at what our readers are saying about the recipe! More reviews are in the comments section below.

This guacamole recipe was delicious and easy to make plus knowing that all my ingredients were fresh made it all the more appealing. Never going back to store bought guacamole! JoAnn

This recipe was very easy to follow and absolutely delicious! Megan

This is the easiest and best guacamole recipe I have ever come across. Easy to make and delicious!! Carol

This is the best guacamole that I have ever made! Emma

Is Avocado Good For You

YES in moderation! Avocado are packed full of vitamins, minerals, fiber and healthy fats! One of the few natural produce that contains a substantial amount of monounsaturated fatty acids which are good fats known to lower cholesterol and promote heart health.

With almost 20 vitamins and minerals, their potential health benefits include improving digestion, good for your heart, lower cholesterol, decrease risk of depression, and protection against cancer.

Avocado is also good for weight loss because its high in fibre and fats which will keep you feeling full for longer. Youre far better off loading up a salad with avocado than cheese, or smushing avocado on your morning toast than peanut butter! But because they are 77% fat, they do need to be eaten in moderation.

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How To Make The Best Guacamole Ever

You can find as many variations of guacamole as home cooks who prepare them.

• Traditional guacamole is made of avocado, salt, lime, onion, and a spicy element, such as jalapeño.
• Cilantro is also often added .
• I punctuate my guac with additional ingredients that add freshness, crunch, and punch: tomatoes and garlic, plus plenty of citrus juice and several good dashes of hot sauce to bring it to life.

You can keep this a simple guacamole recipe or try one of the variations Ive suggested below.

Ingredients & Common Substitutions

The ingredient list for a classic guacamole is pretty straightforward here are a few notes on whats in it and why.

• Ripe avocados. Your avocados must be ripe, or you wont be able to mash them into a smooth consistency. They should be a very dark green and give slightly when pressed with your thumb. For guacamole, its better to have avocados that are slightly overripe rather than not ripe enough, but of course they should not be watery or brown.
• Fresh cilantro leaves. Remove most of the stems for the best flavor and texture.
• Fresh lime juice. The citrus kick of lime makes all the difference to truly fresh and bright guacamole, so use fresh-squeezed limes if at all possible.
• Onion. My go-to is a standard yellow onion. White or red onion works, too, just depending on what you have and prefer.
• Kosher salt. You definitely want to use a grainy kosher salt, or coarse sea salt as a back-up. Table salt just wont be the same.
• Finely-dicd jalapeño. I could rarely find fresh jalapeños while we lived in Belgium and can attest this recipe is just as good without them, though I typically do include jalapeños now that were back in the US where you can find them with ease. A small amount of jalapeño will not make the guacamole spicy it just adds a touch of zip and heat.

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How Do You Make Guacamole Last Longer

According to Epicurious, there are 5 tested and proven methods that work to help make your guacamole stay fresh.

• First, you can seal it firmly with plastic wrap.
• The second method is to add in a lot of extra lime juice before sealing it tightly with saran wrap.
• The third way to keep it fresh is to sprinkle lime juice over the top of the guacamole, put the pit of the avocado into the center of the guacamole and then seal it with plastic wrap.
• Tip number four is to press olive oil onto the top of the plastic wrap and then firmly seal the plastic wrap over guacamole.
• The last tip is to sprinkle a little water over the top of the guacamole after you have pat it down. Firmly seal the plastic wrap over it and you will have fresh green guacamole and not brown!