Guacamole is a dip made from avocados, originally from Mexico. This simple, creamy dip can be made with only two ingredients, fresh avocados and salt however, the variations to this traditional recipe are endless. Most often fresh lime is added for a splash of acidity to balance out the richness of the avocado. Additional ingredients (such as garlic, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes and cilantro) can be all added depending on your personal preference.
The one constant ingredient in guacamole are ripe avocados, most often Hass variety, since they have a mild, delicate flavour and contain less water than other varieties. Guacamole can be served pureed until smooth and creamy, although in my opinion, the best guacamole always has a little bit of texture to it. The key to any delicious guacamole are of course, fresh ingredients. Although guacamole is easy and quick to prepare, it is also very easy to mess up! Today I’m sharing these 4 secrets to making the perfect guacamole:
1. Use ripe Hass avocados
The foundation of any guacamole is a perfectly ripe avocado. When an avocado is fully ripened the skin turns dark purple or black and gives slightly to gentle pressure with your fingers. Hass avocados are often used and are usually available year-round in most places.
2. Use Fresh Herbs and Limes
The quality and freshness of the ingredients you use will make or break your guacamole. Choose local, organic tomatoes, onions, and garlic to ensure optimal flavour. Adding fresh herbs, most commonly cilantro, will add a burst of brightness and flavour to your guacamole. Resist the temptation to use artifical lime juice! Fresh lime juice is not only more flavourful, it also slows down the oxidation process, preventing the avocado from turning brown.
3. Prepare the Avocado First
Pureeing the avocados (if you prefer a smoother, creamier consistency) or mashing with a fork (if you prefer a chunkier consistency) allows for all of the additional ingredients to easily be incorporated throughout the guacamole.
4. Make it Unique
Personalize your guacamole to suit your personal tastes. Some delicious add-ins can include; dried cumin, hot sauce, cayenne, or jalapenos, roasted garlic, cracked black pepper and even fresh salsa.
Here’s a simple recipe for the perfect guacamole:
Ingredients
3 ripe Hass avocados
6 cherry tomatoes or 1 small Roma tomato, finely diced
1-2 garlic cloves, finely minced
juice of 1 fresh lime (or more depending on taste)
1 scallion, finely minced (optional)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin (optional)
1 small jalapeno, finely minced and seeds removed (optional)
Sea salt, quantity as desired
Preparation
Prepare the avocado (learn how to peel and but an avocado HERE) then mash with a fork in a medium bowl until smooth or chunky (depending on personal preference.) Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix with a spoon until combined. Serve with raw veggies or pita chips. Find more serving suggestions HERE.
Some more helpful tips:
1) If preparing ahead of time, place plastic wrap on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation which will turn the guacamole brown. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2) Tomatoes taste best at room temperature so only add them to the guacamole just before serving.
I love guacamole, it is the perfect pairing with my homemade salsa! The big bonus is it is so good for you!
Exactly, it’s so good for you! Except, I always eat it with nachos, which aren’t so good for you, lol!
I’ve never made homemade Guacamole, but I have a cousin who makes amazing guacamole! Thanks for sharing.
I definitely prefer homemade as opposed to store-bought!
I’m with you, I like it chunky. I also like a fair bit of heat in there, so I go a little heavy with the jalepenos.
I WISH I could take the heat…I love the flavour it gives but can’t stand the heat!
I love Guacamole. I always make sure to add lemon juice. Guess i am doing it right
I’ve never tried lemon juice…but I do prefer lime juice in general!
This is a great post and I really appreciate the tips! I usually go for a chunky guac but that one looks soooo good!
Thanks! Actually, my guacamole is more on the chunky side…I think it needs texture!
I would love to make homemade guacamole one of these days. I’d love to play around with different amounts of cilantro (one of my fav spices) and lime juice.
Would you believe that I can’t stand cilantro?! And that’s one of the key ingredients! I just have to omit it!
Guacamole is by far one of my favorite dips. I love avocados and guacamole is a great way to eat them. Either with chips or on a sandwich.
I love avocado in sandwiches….I spread it on bread as a substitute for mayo. I also sometimes add guacamole as a spread too!
I LOVE guacamole and am always on the lookout for a new recipe!! This one looks delicious!!
So do I…how do you make yours?
Thanks for sharing your tips on making the perfect gucamole. I really love it but have never made my own 🙂
No problem, I hope you’re inspired to make some yourself!
Lisa this is amazing! We are on such a huge avocado kick. It’s the best kind of healthy fat. I’m going to try this. 🙂
Yes, it is! My trainer recommended that I have one avocado per day now 😉
Not a big fan of guacamole and avocados. Your recipe looks simple enough so maybe I should try it again. Thanks!
It is very simple, thanks!
Homemade guac is the best! I prefer to make my own salsas and guacamole. So much tastier!
I agree!! Fresh is best!
I have never tasted guacamole and I never made it before either. This would be great for my sons grad party. Thanks for sharing.
You’ve been missing out! lol! If you like avocados then you’ll love guacamole!
I’m honestly not much of a fan of guacamole. However, this looks really good!
Thanks…I’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t like guacamole 😉
I love avocado. I haven’t eaten it for ike a decade now. Haha. It’s also good for skin too. I think it’s interesting to make it into guacamole.
I’ve also heard it’s great for the skin. I know people who use it as a face mask!!
Why am I the last person in the world not jumping on the guac bandwagon? I’ve never been an avocado fan (crazy, I know!) and my sister always tells me I’m really missing out! Might be time try again… 🙂
Lol! Maybe you shoudl give it one more try! Or at least incorporate the avocado or guacamole in another recipe. You might find some ideas here; http://www.bitesforbabies.com/blog/15-delicious-ways-to-eat-avocados/
That looks SO good. I’ve never made homemade guac but I sure do love to eat it.
Yum! I have 2 Hass avocados calling my name right now! Your guacamole looks amazing! I love when its more on the chunky side.
Thanks! I think it’s always better with a little texture to it!
I love, love, love guacamole! It’s fresh tasting and has beautiful colors. I love it with raw vegetables for a tasty snack.
It’s my go-to lazy man’s dinner…either that or hummus!
I’m not a guacamole fan at all, but all my friends are! Need to remember this recipe for our next MNI 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! I love guacamole but never tried making it before.
I would definitely include the jalapeno, maybe even two. I need to try and make guac like this sometime!
Very timely – and what a great recipe – I just made guacamole – so yummy – I used the recipe from when I was a cook years back! Thank you 🙂
I’m so curious…how do you make yours?! 😉
I actually just started eating avocados about a week ago! I have not found a good guacamole recipe, so this comes at a great time. Thank you for sharing.
What a coincidence! You should check out my recipe post; http://www.bitesforbabies.com/blog/15-delicious-ways-to-eat-avocados/
Guacamole is a favorite of mine. Thanks for the fresh recipe I will be trying it out.
Oh my goodness gracious – I am the BIGGEST guac fan ever. I need to try making yours!
I bet the jalapeno gives it a great flavor kick! This sounds great 😀
Yes, it does! I can’t handle a lot of spice so just a touch works for me!
I love homemade Guacamole. It tastes so good. I usually use ripe Avocado Haas like you suggested.
My husband tried to make guacamole one time,,,it was not good! He just didn’t know how to prepare the avocados! Maybe he could learn something from this post because I love homemade guacamole!
Really?! lol! What did he do wrong? You should have him read this post 😉
I have never tried to make guacamole before. This recipe looks so delicious and simple to make. I will have to try making it this weekend.
Awesome! Let me know how it turns our for you!
I love avocado, but I haven’t tried making guacamole. I just always add milk and sugar in it and it’s already a meal for me. Actually I have some here that I will have for lunch today. 🙂
I’ve never thought to add milk and sugar to avocado?! I usually puree avocado with bananas and nut butter to make a raw pudding!
Thanks so much for sharing these tips. I love guacamole, but I’ve never been able to make it successfully.
No problem! How do you make it?
This sounds like a tasty guacamole! I like how you added the jalapeno to it – I haven’t added that to mine before so I should try it!
My husband has mastered the art of homemade guac. There’s nothing like fresh guac, either. It’s so good.
I agree…homemade is so much better than the packaged stuff!
I think I would like it with Jalepeno. I have never tried it that way before.
Yum, I absolutely love guacamole! Thanks for the advice. I’ll use your tips next time instead of buying the premade packet.
Great! Hope you enjoy it!
This looks so good! I’ve never made guac before but my girls LOVE it so I may have to try it! This recipe looks wonderful!
You should definitely try making your own…it’s so much better than store-bought!
These are awesome secrets, I am a big fan of guacamole! Especially on my nachos, it’s so yummy.
This is such a great recipe. I love making my own Guac. My only problem is I love to eat it way to much. I am also finding I am not such a huge fan of cilantro but love more garlic. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Actually, I can’t stand cilantro…I think I have a serious aversion to it! I never add it to my guacamole but I know that it’s always in the traditional recipe!
Oh wow, these are a lot of great tips! I’ve never made my own guacamole, but it’s on my to-do list. I’ll definitely be checking out your recipe too. Thanks!
Thanks…they always work for me! It’s so easy to make!
Our whole family loves guacamole. I make it fresh at least once a week. Thanks a lot!
I make it often too!
I love guacamole, but my kids can’t stand it! I don’t make it because of that fact. I just need to make it for a party or something where I know it will get eaten! This recipe looks so good!
You should just make it for yourself then, lol! Have you tried mixing it in a taco dip? It’s delicious combined with sour cream, salsa and cheese! Maybe the kids would like that 😉
Nope, they hate tomatoes too lol! But, you’re right, I should make it just for me!