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Best Ever Guacamole
A good Guacamole is simple – just ripe avocados, salt, and a squeeze of lime. The best Guacamole recipe takes it up a notch with ingredients like cilantro, diced tomato, and red onion to make a dip worthy of being the star of your party.
Serve homemade guacamole on all your favorite Mexican dishes, like tacos and burritos, or as a hearty dip with tortilla chips, pita chips, crackers, or veggies.
Table of Contents
What’s in Guacamole?
In its most basic form, guacamole is just ripe, mashed avocados and salt, with a little lime juice. It’s when you add the other ingredients that it really starts to come alive.
I like to add some diced red onion, a little cilantro, and some diced tomato. Sometimes I’ll throw in some minced garlic or diced jalapeno peppers for a little heat.
Substitute lemon juice for lime juice if you prefer.
How to Pick Ripe Avocados
There are three main things to look for when choosing the avocados.
Check the stem end. Remove the woody brown cap at the top of the avocado. If it’s green, it’s not quite ready and was picked before its time. If it’s brown, it’s ripe, or at least was picked at its peak.
Give it a squeeze. If you’re still not sure it’s ripe, hold it in the palm of your hand and give it a gentle squeeze. It should have a slight give when gentle, firm pressure is applied. If it feels mushy, it’s overripe.
Observe the skin. A ripe avocado will have a dark green to black skin.
Homemade Guacamole
- Slice the avocados in half and remove the large seed. Using a spoon, scoop out the avocado flesh and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle salt and squeeze fresh lime juice over the avocado and mash with a fork.
- Add red onion, cilantro, and diced tomato to the bowl and gently stir to combine. Taste and adjust flavors, like salt and lime.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips.
How Do You Keep Guacamole From Turning Brown?
Like apples, avocado turns brown when air touches it (oxidation), which is why it’s best to consume it right away. I do have one trick I use to extend the life of my dip as it sits.
As soon as you start mashing the avocados and before you’ve added the other ingredients, sprinkle the salt and lime juice over the avocado. This will ensure that the avocado is mixed with the salt and lime really well, at least for the time it sits out.
Variations
Spicy: For a spicier avocado dip, add a finely chopped jalapeno and a couple cloves of garlic.
Customize the ingredients: You can adjust the flavors any way you want. Add more or less of any of the ingredients.
Cilantro averse: Omit the cilantro or use parsley instead.
Fruit guacamole: Stir in diced fruit like fresh strawberries, pineapple, mangoes, or peaches.
Simple guacamole: If you don’t have time for all the chopping, you can make a simple guac with just avocados, lime juice, and salt.
Serving Suggestions
- Use it as a dip for tortilla chips or Fritos, raw veggies, or crackers.
- Top tacos, Nachos Supreme, enchiladas, quesadillas or burritos.
- Mix it into Deviled Eggs.
- Use as a spread on sandwiches and wraps instead of mayo or dressings.
Storage
Guacamole dip can turn brown pretty quickly and is best used up when it’s fresh. But, if you store it right, you can keep your guac fresh for a few days. The key is to keep the top from being exposed to air. I’ve got two methods that work great.
- Place the dip in a smaller bowl – the less air, the better. Use the back of a spoon and smooth the top, packing it down and making sure there are no air bubbles. Pour some water on top, enough to fully cover the top, and seal. Pour off the water before stirring.
- Grab a piece of plastic wrap that is about twice the size of the opening of the bowl. Place it over the bowl, and gently press down so the plastic wrap is touching every bit of the surface of the dip all the way to the edges – no air bubbles. Place the lid on the bowl and refrigerate.
Either of these storage methods should keep your guac fresh for up to 3 days. If there is any discoloration on top, just scrape it off and discard it. Stir the remaining dip together and serve.
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Guacamole
The best Guacamole recipe has ripe avocados, cilantro, tomato, onion, salt and lime. Serve with tortilla chips for a classic appetizer.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 medium avocados
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped tomato Roma or on the vine – seeds removed
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro plus more to garnish
- 1 tablespoon lime juice or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- Pinch of pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Halve and remove the pits from the avocados, then scoop out the inside and place them into a medium bowl. Smash them down with a fork to your desired thickness.
- Add finely chopped red onion, chopped tomato, 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped cilantro, juice from half of a lime, a half teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper (or more if desired) and mix well incorporating all the flavors together.
- Give it a taste – adjust the flavors as your heart desires. Add more lime, more salt, or more cilantro.
- Serve immediately or cover tightly and keep in the fridge until serving. Guacamole will start to brown quickly over time, so you will want to consume within a day or two.
Notes
This recipe makes about 2-3 cups of guacamole. As an appetizer, plan on ¼ of dip per person.
Storing options:
- Place the dip in a smaller bowl – the less air, the better. Use the back of a spoon and smooth the top, packing it down and making sure there are no air bubbles. Pour some water on top, enough to fully cover the top, and seal. Pour off the water before stirring.
- Grab a piece of plastic wrap that is about twice the size of the opening of the bowl. Place it over the bowl, and gently press down so the plastic wrap is touching every bit of the surface of the dip all the way to the edges – no air bubbles. Place the lid on the bowl and refrigerate.
Nutrition
Calories: 164kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 2gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 114mgPotassium: 506mgFiber: 7gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 157IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
