Guacamole

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Homemade guacamole comes together fast!
• Our many times-tested guacamole recipe is perfect as it is, but it’s also super easy to adapt to your own preferences. We’ve got lots of variation ideas further down in this post.
• Real, fresh guacamole is healthy! Unlike so many dips, guacamole is completely healthy. Sure, it’s full of fat, but those are those super good, plant-based fats.
• It’s the perfect happy hour snack and a great excuse to bring people together! It can feel like a lot to invite friends over for dinner, by why not make it just drinks and snacks? Mix up a pitcher of Margaritas, and serve guacamole and chips, and no one will miss a big, sit-down meal.
• Fresh guacamole makes a simple dinner into a main event! You can serve guacamole to dress up any Mexican or Tex-Mex recipe you love, from elaborate meals like Carne Asada or Chicken Fajitas, to simple, quick recipes like Chicken Tinga Tacos or Crispy Ground Beef Tacos.  

Key Ingredients For Guacamole 

Scroll down for the full recipe with measurements below.

• Avocadoes. The best guacamole depends on the ripeness of your avocados! To buy ripe avocados that will smash easily into guacamole, check their ripeness at the store first! To check for perfect ripeness, hold the avocado in your hand and give it a very gentle squeeze. It should have a little bit of give (but not too much — if the avocado feels mushy, pass on it). If it feels rock hard, move on to the next one.
• Red onion & fresh garlic: Red onion is an absolute must! If it tastes a little too sharp for you, give the sliced onion a bath in cold water before you mince it to tamp down the sharpness a little. Some people say that a quick soak in cold water also makes it easier to digest raw onion.
• Lime: Fresh lime doesn’t just taste good in guacamole (though it does taste good) it also helps the guacamole maintain it’s vibrant green color! Avocados brown pretty quickly once you cut into them, but the acid in the lime juice keeps the nice and green.
• Jalapeños: Actually just half a jalapeño, with the seeds removed. It will add some heat to your guacamole, but nothing too intense. We LOVE the flavor of fresh, grassy, spicy fresh jalapeños and they’re an authentic and classic ingredient in Mexican guacamole.
• Cilantro: Cilantro is the classic Mexican herb and we just love the burst of freshness it adds to guacamole! However, if you’re a person that hates cilantro, it’s fine to leave it out. 

How To Make Perfect Guacamole

1. Smash the avocados until they’re smooth enough to dip a chip into, but not completely mush. We like a little texture. To do this, you can simply use a fork!
2. Gently stir in everything else. 
3. Serve your gorgeous guacamole! Homemade Tortilla Chips will truly wow your friends, and of course (as Ina would say) store bought is fine. 

How To Store Guacamole

Guacamole is best served fresh, and one of the best things about this recipe is that it really is easy to throw together as you stand around talking with your friends. You don’t really need to make it ahead of time. But, if you really want to, you can make it an hour or two ahead of time. Here’s a little trick: Mound the finished guacamole into the bowl you plan to serve it in, top the guacamole with thin slices of lime and put it in the fridge. The lime juice will keep the guacamole green until you’re ready to serve it! When you’re ready to serve it, just pop the lime slices off, give the guacamole a stir, and serve. Our favorite dips for making ahead of time are our Seven Layer Dip, Spinach Dip, and Caramelized Onion Dip (which you can make up to 5 days ahead of time!). 

Variations + Tips

• If you really want to make authentic guacamole that looks as good as it tastes, smash the guacamole ingredients together in a molcajete, a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle. The bonus of investing in one of these is that they double as a gorgeous way to serve the guacamole.
• Make it milder: If you’re making this for a group that includes kids, it is fine to leave it out. Or, make one spicy batch for the grown ups, and make a mild batch for the kids.
• Turn up the heat! We will never say no to adding more jalapeno! If you want it spicier, add the whole jalapeño!
• Add tomatoes: A lot of recipes call for tomatoes, and they’re a classic guacamole ingredient, we just happen to prefer it without. If you want them in, though, go for it! If you do add tomatoes, we suggest using roma tomatoes and removing the seeds, so that they don’t make the guacamole watery.
• Make it smokey: Add just a little bit of the chipotle sauce from a can of chipotle peppers to give your guacamole a smoky kick!

More Tex-Mex Inspiration This Way! 

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