Guacamole

It’s easy to make fresh and flavorful guacamole at home in just 10 minutes with 6 simple ingredients! This authentic Mexican guacamole recipe is perfect for dipping up with chips or topping nachos, tacos, fajitas, or Chipotle-style burrito bowls.

In my opinion, every kitchen should have their own go-to guacamole recipe. Nothing fancy, just a basic, authentic, easy guacamole recipe that can pair with just about any Mexican meal!

Whether it’s chilaquiles for brunch, pulled pork tacos for dinner, or paired with chips and a Paloma at happy hour, this is my go-to guacamole recipe. It’s made with six simple ingredients that help the almighty avocado shine through!

If there’s one thing you’ll always find in my kitchen, it’s avocados. Living in San Diego, just a few miles from the Mexico border, we get an abundance of avocados from California, Mexico and even our neighbors with huge avocado trees in their backyard!

When I moved to San Diego in 2003, I was immediately hooked on the abundance of fresh avocados and guacamole at every restaurant and gathering I attended. It was back then that I set out to make THE BEST basic guacamole recipe.

This is the tested and perfected recipe that I’ve now been making for over two decades! It makes an appearance at every party I host and most Taco Tuesday nights at our house. It’s made with the same ingredients as Chipotle, so if you love adding that extra scoop on top of your favorite burrito, salad or bowl, this is the recipe you want, because guac isn’t extra at home!

Ingredients

• Avocados – when picking out avocados, you want to give them a gentle squeeze to find the ripe avocados. If they’re hard as a rock, they’re not ready yet. If your finger sinks into the skin of the avocado, it’s too ripe and likely brown inside. You want avocados that have a little give when gently squeezed.
• Salt
• Lime juice – you can also use lemon juice, or go half lime juice and half lemon juice like Chipotle. I do always recommend fresh squeezed for the best flavor!
• Cilantro – traditional guacamole always contains fresh chopped cilantro. If you’re someone that can’t stand the taste of cilantro, you can leave it out, but I do recommend replacing it with another fresh herb, like green onions or flat-leaf parsley.
• Jalapeno – for this recipe, we’re only adding a tablespoon of minced jalapeno, so it adds flavor to the guacamole without making it too spicy. If you’d like a spicier guacamole, you can always add more jalapeno, or a spicier minced pepper, like serranos or habaneros.
• Red onion – this is the traditional onion used for making guacamole. You can use white or yellow onion, but it will have a slightly different flavor.

Instructions

1. Use a knife to slice the avocados in half. Twist the avocado open, then slice each half into quarters, making it easy to remove the pits from the avocados.
2. Peel the skins from the avocados. Discard the skin and place the avocado in a large bowl.
3. Add the salt and lime juice to the bowl of avocados.
4. Use a fork or potato masher to mash the avocados. I recommend mashing them until they’re slightly chunky so there’s some nice texture to the guacamole.
5. Add fresh chopped cilantro, minced jalapeno and minced onion.
6. Stir all of the ingredients together. Scoop the guacamole up with a chip to taste it and add additional salt or lime juice, if needed.

Guacamole can be served immediately at room temperature, or you can place it in the refrigerator to chill before serving.

You can serve it with chips for dipping, or for a healthier option, serve the guac with sweet mini peppers or sliced bell peppers for dipping. This is a wonderful Whole30 approved snack option!

Easy additions

This is a simple guacamole recipe, so it only includes the most basic ingredients used to make traditional guacamole. It’s easy to add to this basic recipe and make your own variations. Here are some popular additions and some more unique additions that you can try.

• Tomatoes – you won’t find tomatoes in authentic Mexican guacamole, but you will find them added to a lot of guacamole recipes in America. I’m a fan of adding chopped tomatoes, but my husband is not, so sometimes I add them, sometimes I don’t, but whenever I do, I always use roma tomatoes. You want a tomato that’s firm and not too juicy, so that it does not make your guacamole runny. This is why I use roma tomatoes. You could also use diced plum tomatoes or quartered cherry tomatoes. I recommend adding 1/2 cup diced tomatoes to this recipe.
• Cumin – I love adding ground cumin to Mexican recipes. It adds a earthy, warm flavor and you can definitely taste it in a recipe. If you’d like to try it in your guacamole, I recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon and tasting the guacamole before adding any more.
• Garlic – crushed fresh garlic cloves add the strongest garlic flavor to guacamole, whereas 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder will give it a lighter garlic flavor. You can also add dried minced garlic for added flavor and texture in the guacamole.
• Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt – this is my husbands secret ingredient when he’s making guacamole. Instead of salt, we add about 1 tablespoon of this seasoning blend. On the label it says that it’s a combination of salt, herbs and spices, dehydrated onion and dehydrated garlic. If you’ve never had it, I recommend giving it a try, it adds a unique flavor and texture to guacamole.
• Serrano or habanero peppers – if you want to make a spicy guacamole, I recommend adding 1-2 minced serrano or habanero peppers.
• Mango – peel and dice fresh mangoes for a tropical, fruity addition to the guacamole. I recommend adding 1/2 cup diced mango to this recipe.

Frequently asked questions

• How do you store fresh guacamole in the refrigerator? Place the guacamole in a bowl, or plastic container, then place a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Press the plastic wrap down to cover all of the guacamole tightly. (Pictured above.) This will prevent air from getting into the guacamole and causing it to turn brown. You can store guacamole like this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend adding a squeeze of lime juice and stirring up the guacamole before serving it each time.
• Can you freeze guacamole? Yes, this recipe is actually perfect for freezing, because chunkier guacamoles with added tomatoes and other ingredients don’t do as well in the freezer. To freeze the guacamole, place it in a freezer-safe bag and press all of the excess air out of the bag. Freeze it for up to 3 months. When ready, defrost the guacamole overnight in the refrigerator. Remove it from the bag and add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to brighten it up. The frozen guacamole will not have the same flavor as fresh guacamole, but it’s good for adding guac to burrito bowls or tacos.
• Can you add mayonnaise, sour cream or greek yogurt to guacamole? Sure you can, but I would highly recommend against it. People will add these ingredients to stretch the guacamole without using extra avocados, but it does not have the same flavor as a traditional guacamole. And to me, it tastes more like an avocado dip, than guacamole when these ingredients are added.
• Is this guacamole recipe chunky or smooth? It’s somewhere in the middle. A traditional guacamole recipe will still have some chunks of avocado, without being so chunky that it’s more like an avocado salsa. If you want a completely smooth guacamole recipe, I recommend trying this Creamy Avocado Salsa. If you want something with chunks of avocado, instead of smashed avocado, I recommend trying this Chunky Avocado Salsa.

Ways to use it

A bowl of homemade guacamole and a bag of tortilla chips has to be one of the best chips and dip combos of all time. But guacamole can also be used for so much more! As a topping on tacos, a dip for breakfast burritos or an addition to nachos. Try pairing this guacamole recipe with any of these popular Mexican recipes.

• Vegetarian Burrito Bowl
• Grilled Shrimp Tacos
• Taco Soup – add cheddar cheese and a dollop of guacamole on top of this soup for a fun spin on Taco Tuesday!
• The Ultimate Pulled Pork Nachos – hello, game day goodness!
• Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos
• Cheesy Baked Taco Dip – this layered baked taco dip is even better with a dollop of this guac on top!
• Chipotle Carne Asada Bowl – no need to go to the restaurant when you can make these epic burrito bowls at home!
• Chicken Enchiladas
• Slow Cooker Vegan Chili
• Breakfast Burritos
• 7 Layer Dip

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