The Best Guacamole: So Fresh, Easy and Authentic

This is truly the Best Guacamole. It’s creamy, yet still chunky and has amazing flavor. It’s the perfect dip for chips and veggies.

I Have a Guacamole Bias!

I will admit, there are a few foods that I am a bit snobbish about. Meaning, I am skeptical that anyone else can make it as good as I do. And, I’m very picky about where I will order it if I’m out to eat.

Guacamole is one of those foods and it’s because I have the BEST recipe for fresh homemade guacamole. It’s a very easy guacamole recipe to make, yet it has all the components that make guacamole great.

Making the Best Guacamole Recipe

So, what makes for a great homemade guacamole recipe? First of all, using fresh ingredients. You just can’t beat fresh avocados, fresh limes and fresh cilantro.

Second, using simple ingredients. All the ingredients needed you likely either have already or can easily be found at your local grocery store.

Thirdly (and maybe more importantly), you have to have great avocados.

Do you just want a creamy avocado? Nope.

Do you just want a chunky avocado? Nope.

The best avocados have a balance between being creamy, yet still retaining some chunkiness. I believe that is key to a traditional guacamole.

(Note: I have been to restaurants that have good guacamole, and the reason it’s good is because it always has texture to it. I don’t like guac that’s been completely pureed, as it’s just not that good, in my opinion. Texture is key here.)

I also like my guac to have tomatoes in it. Now, some may argue that tomatoes don’t belong in an authentic guacamole recipe, but I respectfully disagree!

The Roma tomatoes add that little extra burst of flavor and additional texture, as well as a nice pop of color. If out of Roma tomatoes, I’ve used a 1/2 can of diced tomatoes that I’ve rinsed and drained.

Garlic is also a must because the flavor is too bland without it.

(Note: I find that store-bought guac tends to be both too smooth as well as fairly bland because they don’t add garlic or tomatoes. So, it’s rare that I buy it.)  

Finally, it needs lots of cilantro, which really brightens up the flavor. And, it also needs lime juice, which adds tanginess and brightens the flavor.

And that, my friends, is how you make the BEST guacamole!

How Can You Tell if an Avocado is Ripe?

Whenever you make guacamole, you want to use perfectly ripe avocados. If you use unripe avocados you won’t get the right consistency (i.e., they don’t mash well) and it hasn’t reached its full flavor potential. However, how do you know when an avocado is ripe?

The easiest way to know if an avocado is ripe, is to give it a gentle squeeze with your thumb. If it has a little give to it, you have the perfect avocado. If there is no give, you need to continue the ripening process.

Let’s say all you have are firm avocados and you want to speed up the ripening process. The best way to do this is to put the avocados in a brown paper bag and close the top.

Keep the avocados at room temperature until ripened. Do not refrigerate until ripened as it will really slow down the ripening process.

Once the avocados are ripe, you can put them in the fridge where they will keep up to a week. You really don’t want to push much beyond this timing, or you may end up with mushy, brown avocados. They won’t have the right consistency and I feel it’s a little sketchy eating something too far past its prime!

What to Serve with the Best Guacamole

Pair this guacamole with some homemade salsa and a big bowl of tortilla chips (maybe even try your hand at making your own homemade tortilla chips!?) and you have a simple, tasty appetizer. Host taco nights at your house and make sure you have plenty of this around for tacos, burritos and burrito bowls. Cut up some fresh vegetables and use it as a guacamole dip. As far as beverages, serve these refreshing Classic Mojitos or Skinny Margaritas.

If you have some leftover guacamole, you certainly can make the ever-popular avocado toast (which many believe is the best way to consume guac)! Point being, this simple guacamole recipe is super flexible and you can use it in so many ways. Let your imagination be your guide.

Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Make sure your avocados are fully ripened before making the guacamole. You can speed this process up by putting them in a paper bag and letting them sit on your counter. Once they’re ripe, if you’re not ready to use them, store in the refrigerator to help keep them from over-ripening.
• Reserve one of the avocado pits to put in the bowl of the guacamole. This will help keep the guacamole from turning brown.
• If you make this ahead of time, put plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole and store in the refrigerator to prevent it from turning brown. You want to eliminate air pockets as the air is what turns it brown (i.e., oxidation). I don’t recommend doing this for more than a couple of hours before you’re ready to serve it.
• I typically use roma tomatoes for this recipe. I feel that they don’t have quite as many seeds and aren’t quite as juicy as other varieties. This helps to insure that the guac has the right consistency.
• To easily remove the seeds, cut the tomato in half lengthwise, gently squeeze and scrape out the seeds with your fingers.
• If you’re not a fan of how cilantro tastes, you can substitute flat leaf parsley. Like the cilantro, the parsley will add some brightness to the flavors of the guacamole.
• If you like your guacamole spicy, add 1/2 to a whole jalapeno, finely chopped.

Ingredients Needed to Make The Best Guacamole

Full instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card

• Fresh avocados
• Fresh lime juice
• Garlic
• Salt
• Pepper
• Roma tomatoes
• Fresh cilantro

How to Make Guacamole

• Cut each avocado in half lengthwise.
• Hit the pit with your knife and twist to remove (reserve pit).
• Scoop the avocado out of the peel by running a spoon between the peel and the flesh.
• Mash the avocado with a fork in a small mixing bowl, leaving some chunks.
• Squeeze the lime juice over the avocado and stir to combine.
• Grate or very finely chop garlic and add to mixture, along with salt and pepper, stirring to combine.
• Gently stir chopped tomatoes and cilantro into mixture.
• To help keep guacamole from turning brown, add the pits back into the bowl.
• Serve with tortilla chips and/or veggies for dipping.

More Tex-Mex Appetizers to Enjoy

• Restaurant Style Salsa
• Chicken Taco Pinwheels
• Bacon Cheese Jalapeno Poppers
• Pico de Gallo
• Mexican Layered Bean Dip
• Black Bean Dip

ENJOY!