When it comes to Mexican cuisine, there is nothing quite as essential as guacamole. In its most basic form, the creamy dip consists of perfectly ripe mashed avocado seasoned with salt. While there are hundreds of recipes, it's nice to have a simple one to start with. Once you've mastered the technique, it's easy to get creative with lots of variations. You can experiment with different types of onion, substitute lemon or orange juice for the lime juice, and change the texture by blitzing in a food processor. Since Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow, it's a great time to share my favorite guacamole recipe. To check it out and see suggestions on how to jazz it up, read more.
Modified from Rick Bayless
Using the most ripe avocados is the key to a successful guacamole.
Ingredients
4 medium ripe avocados
2 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Fresh lime juice, from one lime
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
Directions
- Cut the avocados in half, running your knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back up again. Twist the halves in opposite directions to free the pits and pull the halves apart. Dislodge the pits, then scoop out the avocado flesh into a medium bowl.
- Mash the avocado with a large fork or potato masher. Stir in the garlic, salt, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeno.
- Taste and season with additional salt if appropriate. If not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate—preferably not more than a few hours.
Makes 3-4 cups.
Variations:
To make it more complex, stir in seeded and diced fresh tomato and minced onion.
To make it super creamy, puree in a food processer with 1/2 cup sour cream.
To make it spicy, stir in minced chipotle in adobo.
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Rusty Neal
Burton
Apepazza
I LOVE guacamole. Whenever I make tacos or quesadillias I usually always make some guac. I think that Chipotle has the best guacamole I have ever had tho.
1If you're pressed for time and ingredients, you can totally cheat.... Just take a container of good salsa (like the kind found in the cooler by veggies or cheeses at your grocery store) and mix some avocados with it! Most of the veggies are already in the salsa anyway! People hardly know the difference
2If they don't know the difference, it's because they don't know guacamole to begin with.
I love guacamole. Here in CA, it is a staple and I love it.
3Incidentally, thanks to overreactive panic by various American organizations, both governmental and otherwise, Mexican avocados in particular are cheaper than I've seen them in a while. Sweet.
4TidalWave, that's my secret too! I just mash up some avocados with a fork and spoon in some salsa! It's already got the garlic, the onions, the tomatoes, the peppers... all in one place!
I'm in LA too, so while I don't claim that this is super authentic, I've had some pretty discerning guac-eaters and this has always gone over well!
5I strongly advocate using a garlic press for guacamole. My favorite is from Whole Foods. I usually just buy that.
6I usually do the "complex" version. And there can never be too much cilantro and lemon juice in guacamole!
7i use miso in my guacamole. i stir in garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes etc. the miso gives it a really unique taste, it is to die for, everyone who eats it says it is the best guacamole they've ever had.
8I mash my avocados with Herdez verde salsa and then add extra garlic, lime juice, salt, and cilantro.
9Excellent.
10I´m Mexican and let me tell you this is the closest guacamole recipe I´ve ever seen to the original.
Congrats!
I have a friend who mixes peas into her guac to make it more low-cal. She never claims that that particular variation is authentic, but her mother is Mexican and taught her how to make the most amazing authentic Mexican food.
11i heart avocados in all shapes and forms. i'll have to try my hand at guac from scratch!
12Sad as it sounds, I've never had it.
13How do you keep it from turning brown...?
14SeptemberLight: Eat it asap! You basically have to serve guacamole immediately. It doesn't taste so well the day-after.
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