The Best Guacamole (2024)

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Here is my fool-proof, authentic guacamole recipe. It’s creamy, fresh and completely irresistible. I’m sharing it with you today because my friends keep asking for the recipe!

You’ll only need six basic ingredients to make the best guacamole:

1. Avocado
2. Onion
3. Cilantro
4. Jalapeño
5. Lime
6. Salt, and optional ground coriander (that’s my secret ingredient)

You won’t find any funny business in this guacamole recipe. No sour cream or mayonnaise. No peas or preservatives. Just fresh and healthy ingredients!

I knew I nailed my guacamole recipe when my friends would not stop gushing about it at our latest gathering. “I wish I could make guacamole this good,” was exactly what I wanted to hear.

Are you ready to make the best guacamole you’ve ever had? Here we go!

Watch How to Make Guacamole

How to Make Guacamole

1) 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 (yuck!).

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 won’t be turning them into guac right away, store them in the refrigerator to slow their ripening.

2) Texture is key.

For the best guacamole texture, you want slightly chunky avocado and finely chopped onion, cilantro and jalapeño.

Here’s the easiest way to prepare your avocados: Cut each avocado in half around the pit, carefully remove the pit, and scoop the avocado flesh into your bowl with a spoon. Other recipes will tell you to dice the avocado, but diced avocado pieces are slippery devils!

You can mash the avocado quickly and easily with a potato masher, pastry cutter (shown below) or large serving fork. A regular fork will also work, but requires more effort. Stop mashing when the guac is still a little chunky.

3) Skip the tomato (maybe) and garlic (definitely).

Tomato is notably missing from my recipe because mealy, watery, out-of-season pink tomatoes have no business in anything, ever.

If you have a gorgeous red summer tomato, though, go right ahead. Chop it up and stir it in, leaving out as much liquid as possible.

I also skipped garlic, because its flavor is distracting. If you want your guacamole to taste like Chipotle’s, don’t add garlic.

4) Get your lime-to-avocado ratio just right.

I’ve discovered that just over 2 teaspoons lime juice per mashed avocado is the perfect ratio for flavor and browning prevention. You might need a splash more lime juice if your avocados are particularly large.

5) Season sufficiently.

Don’t be stingy with the salt. It’s amazing what another pinch can do to bring out guacamole’s best.

I also added 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, which offers a little je ne sais quoi and ups the irresistibility factor. Coriander is a little trick that I learned from Tessa via her mom.

If coriander seems like a strange addition, consider that coriander is made of ground cilantro seeds, and cilantro is a key component in guacamole. That said, you can skip it if you don’t have it or don’t like it.

How long does guacamole last?

Guacamole can keep for several days if you store it properly. Without any help, avocado flesh will turn brown when exposed to air. To prevent that from happening, place a chunk of onion on top of leftover guacamole. Yes, really! Then, cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap. Conveniently, you’ll have half of one onion leftover from this recipe.

Onion works better than pressing plastic wrap against the surface of the guacamole or covering it with water and pouring it off later. (I’ve tried both methods.)

Onion is also the best way to keep leftover avocado good—just place an avocado halve in a container with a chunk of onion, seal it with a lid, and it’ll stay good for a couple of days. This trick works because onions contain sulfur, and sulfur prevents the avocado’s browning enzyme from interacting with the air.

Guacamole Serving Suggestions

This homemade guacamole recipe makes a perfect party dip, since it’s vegan and gluten free for all to enjoy. Just add tortilla chips, or crisp raw veggies for a lighter option.

For a full party spread, add a few more dips:

• Best Red Salsa
• Classic Pico de Gallo
• Salsa Verde
• Fresh Mango Salsa
• Corn Salsa
• Black Bean Salad

Or, add a dollop (or two) of guacamole to just about any Mexican recipe. Serve it with:

• Quesadillas
• Tacos or fajitas
• Burritos or burrito bowls (start with a base of cilantro-lime brown rice)
• Nachos
• Enchiladas

Easy Guacamole Variations

Here are some ideas if you want to get creative with your guacamole:

• For a colorful and fruity twist, top it with well-drained mango salsa or pineapple salsa.
• For a smoky, crunchy variation, drizzle a few spoonfuls of adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers) plus toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) on top. You’ll find this recipe in my cookbook, Love Real Food.
• For flavor just like Chipotle’s guacamole, add a squeeze of lemon juice (they use a lemon-lime juice blend).
• You could even mix some kale into your guacamole, for health bonus points.

Please let me know how this guacamole turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback is so important to me and your star ratings encourage other readers to make the recipe. Thank you!

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