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The BEST Guacamole – perfect for dipping, slathered on toast or as a side for fajitas, grilled meats or salad. This easy foolproof recipe gives you amazing guacamole every time!
What is Guacamole?
Guacamole is a fresh dip made from smashed avocados – it is creamy and decadent with a lovely citrus zing.
A staple of Mexican cuisine, guacamole is paired with many popular Mexican (and Tex-Mex) dishes like Fajitas, Burritos and Tacos. It is also great as a dip with tortilla chips or even just spread on toast and topped with some poached eggs.
Ingredients for Perfect Guac
- Avocados – make sure to use ripe avocados. Check ripeness by removing the little stem from the top of the avocado. If it comes off easily and is green underneath, your avocado is ripe and ready to use. Brown under the stem means it’s likely over-ripe and brown inside. And if the stem if difficult to remove then the avocado needs a day or two to ripen.
- Lime Juice – Fresh squeezed! The bottled lime juice you can buy in supermarkets has a completely different taste to fresh and it just will not be the same.
- Coriander/Cilantro – if you really can’t stand the taste of coriander, you can leave it out or sub in some fresh chopped chives instead.
- Garlic – I prefer fresh minced garlic (use a grater if you don’t have a garlic press) but garlic powder is perfectly acceptable. Sub in 1/8 of a teaspoon per clove.
- Onion – Red, white or shallots all work. Use whatever you prefer or have to hand. I enjoy the taste of raw onion in my guac, but if you find it overpowering you can soak the chopped onions in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes before adding to the guacamole.
- Chilli – Serrano or Jalapeno are the best choice, but you can use most types of chilli. The amount I use in this recipe makes for a very mellow guac. If you like it spicy feel free to add more or use a hotter type of chilli!
- Tabasco* – My secret ingredient for amazing guacamole! If you don’t keep this classic on hand at all times like me, then you can sub in a dash of cayenne pepper. Or swap for cumin if you prefer a milder flavour.
- Tomatoes – I love to add some diced sweet cherry tomatoes to my guacamole, but you can do without if you prefer.
- Olive Oil
- Salt
Jazz up Basic Guac with some Extras
Basic Guacamole is pretty perfect as is, but you can also add some extras to make it a bit more special!
- Pomegranate Seeds – great for a festive twist.
- Toasted Pumpkin Seeds – adds a lovely crunch
- Charred Corn and Crumbled Cotija Cheese – (feta makes a good Cotija substitute)
- Chilli Oil and/or Chilli Flakes
- Sliced Jalapeños
- Diced Mango or Pineapple
- A sprinkle of crispy bacon bits
How do you stop Guacamole from going brown?
Avocado is well known for turning brown very quickly when the flesh is exposed to oxygen in the air. Unfortunately there are not many ways to naturally stop this (another reason to avoid store bought guac!).
This cling film method helps keep guacamole looking fresh and green for at least 24 hours:
- Put the guacamole in a food safe container with a lid and flatten with a spoon so it is smooth on top.
- Cover the surface of the guacamole with plastic wrap/cling film. Lightly press down with your fingers so the cling film is flush to the guacamole and completely covering the surface right to the edges of the container.
- Close the lid, making sure it is on tightly and store in the fridge.
- When ready to serve, just peel off the cling film.
- If your guacamole does go a little brown, don’t fear – it is still ok to eat. If it is fresh, only the top layer will have turned brown. Either give it a good mix or just scrape off the browning top layer.
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do! Please leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @carrieskitchen_ if you make it!
Serve this Guacamole with:
The Best Guacamole
The BEST Guacamole – perfect for dipping, slathered on toast or as a side for fajitas, grilled meats or salad. This easy foolproof recipe gives you amazing guacamole every time!
Ingredients
- 4 ripe avocados
- 1 onion, diced use red, white or banana shallot
- 1 chilli, finely diced Serrano or Jalapeno are best but most varieties work
- 1 tomato, diced (seeds and pulp removed) or a handful of diced cherry tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Tabasco
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt add more to taste if needed
Instructions
- Cut the avocados in half, remove the stones and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
- Mash the avocado with a fork – you can keep it a little chunky or mash till super smooth, whatever you prefer.
- Stir in the diced onion, chilli, tomato and garlic.
- Stir in the Tabasco, lime juice, olive oil, salt and coriander.
- Taste test – you may wish to add a little more salt.
- Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 24 hours. See recipe notes for the best way to store.
Notes
This cling film method helps keep guacamole looking fresh and green for at least 24 hours:
- Put the guacamole in a food safe container with a lid and flatten with a spoon so it is smooth on top.
- Cover the surface of the guacamole with plastic wrap/cling film. Lightly press down with your fingers so the cling film is flush to the guacamole and completely covering the surface right to the edges of the container.
- Close the lid, making sure it is on tightly and store in the fridge.
- When ready to serve, just peel off the cling film.
- If your guacamole does go a little brown, don’t fear – it is still ok to eat. If it is fresh, only the top layer will have turned brown. Either give it a good mix or just scrape off the browning top layer.
Nutrition
Calories: 205kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 168mgPotassium: 574mgFiber: 7gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 340IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
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