Easy Guacamole Recipe (how to make from scratch!) (2024)

FAQs

What's the easiest way to make guacamole? ›

Mash avocado in a medium serving bowl. Stir in onion, tomato, and garlic. Season with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Cover and chill guacamole for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Here's all you need for traditional guacamole: ripe avocados, coriander/cilantro, red onions, jalapeño or Serrano chilli, lime and salt. Avoid unnecessary fillers such as sour cream and cream cheese. They only dilute flavour. Popular optional extras include: garlic, tomato, cumin powder.

DOES LEMON JUICE KEEP GUACAMOLE FROM TURNING BROWN? Yes! The lemon forms a barrier between the outside air and the guacamole to make sure the dip stays its greenest.

If you taste your guac and it is bland, start with more salt. Next, add lime juice. Often an additional pop of citrus is all guac needs to come alive and taste better. If you still aren't happy with the taste, you can rely on mix-ins to jazz it up.

Authentic guacamole doesn't contain fillers and unnecessary ingredients. All you need is avocados, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Easy and delicious!

Onion — the most typical onions used are white onion or red onion. My Mexican grandma-in-law swears by red onion in guac. Tomatoes — not all guac recipes have tomatoes in them but I sure love tomatoes in mine. I remove the seeds of the tomatoes so the guacamole doesn't become soggy.

I like the flavor better with lemon juice, but lime works too. If you're out of fresh lemons or limes, try using bottled lime or lemon juice. Although, freshly squeezed juice is definitely the best! Salt: Salt enhances the flavors and brings it all together.

Generally speaking, the guacamole in Mexico is going to taste a bit fresher. The avocados, cilantro, and even the chiles used in the Mexican version are likely to be significantly fresher than those in the U.S. version.

Editor's Tip: You may have heard a squirt of lemon or lime juice also keeps guacamole from browning. It's true—as long as you cover the entire surface of the dip with citrus juice.

From the second you crack open that avocado, it's a race against the clock before it goes brown. But with the right prep, you can make guacamole last in the fridge for three to four days. Planning on storing guacamole in the freezer? It should last for three to four months.

Is guacamole good for you? ›

Guacamole can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet, and is a great way to increase your intake of health-promoting nutrients like monounsaturated fats, fiber, folate, and potassium. Because it is a calorically dense food, enjoy it mindfully and pair it with other healthy foods to get the most out of your meal.

I know what you're about to ask. "But what about oxidation?” While lime is touted as a way prevent avocados from browning, it takes a lot of lime for that to work—and it's generally a bad idea to transform a dish's taste for aesthetic reasons.

5- Adding too much of lemon juice

Preparing guacamole without mistakes also lies in the amount of lemon that is added. The lemon juice is used to give it a sour touch, and prevent it from oxidizing. However, adding too much will bitter the flavor of your guacamole.

Adding too much lemon or lime juice can cause a very watery guacamole. That's because salt and citrus juice work in conjunction -- they draw out extra moisture from the avocado. When making guacamole, add the citrus juice a tablespoon at a time, tasting in between each addition to get the right amount of tartness.

Guacamole is traditionally made by mashing peeled, ripe avocados and salt with a molcajete y tejolote (mortar and pestle). Recipes often call for lime juice, cilantro, onions, and jalapeños. Some non-traditional recipes may call for sour cream, tomatoes, basil, or peas.

All you really need to make guacamole is ripe avocados and salt. After that, a little lime or lemon juice—a splash of acidity—will help balance the richness of the avocado. If you want, add chopped cilantro, chilis, onion, and/or tomato.