Servings:

8

Making guacamole is quick and easy and the results are delicious and healthy—and so much better than store-bought options. All you need for homemade guacamole are ripe avocados, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, garlic, and salt. You can skip the tomato and/or the onion if you prefer, and use just as much jalapeño or another chile as you like.

Simply mash the avocado, stir in the other ingredients, and the guacamole is ready. Serve it with chips, crudités, or crackers as a snack or appetizer, or enjoy it alongside tacos, grilled chicken, or just about any dish. Is there anything that wouldn't be better with fresh homemade guacamole?

How to Ripen an Avocado

Guacamole calls for ripe avocados. If the fruit is not ripe, don't make it—wait it until the avocado is ready. You can speed up the ripening process by placing an avocado in a brown paper bag along with another ethylene-producing fruit like a banana or apple. Ethylene is a naturally occurring gas that causes certain fruits to ripen. The additional fruit doubles down on gas production, and the bag traps it. With this method, you will be able to ripen a firm avocado in a day or two.

Preventing Guacamole From Browning

Guacamole may be quick and easy to make, but there is one thing it is not—make ahead. Avocado flesh oxidizes when exposed to air; this is what causes the green flesh to turn brown (and what causes a bowl of guacamole to brown if set out on the appetizer table before guests arrive). Our best tip for preventing guacamole from browning is to make it and eat it promptly.

Guacamole that has browned is safe to eat, but it's not appetizing. Simply remove the browned part and enjoy the remaining guacamole.

When you can't make guacamole right before you eat it or if you have leftovers, follow these steps to minimize browning:

Store guacamole in an airtight container; preferably a taller narrower one than a wider shallow one to have less surface area to cover.
Cover the top of the guacamole with a thin layer of water, lemon juice, or lime juice to create a barrier to the air and place the lid on the container, then refrigerate.

Ingredients

4 avocados
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeño, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ small red onion, finely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

Mash avocados:

In a medium bowl, lightly mash avocados.
Add other ingredients:

Stir in lime juice, tomato, jalapeño, garlic, red onion, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is traditional guacamole made of?

There are many versions of guacamole, including everything from hard-boiled eggs to tomatillos. The most commonly used ingredients in guacamole are avocado, onion, jalapeño, tomato, lime juice, salt, and cilantro.

Should you leave lime juice out of guacamole?

There are several schools of thought about making guacamole—and one is that lime juice should be omitted because it overpowers the flavor the avocado. To test this theory, try making guacamole without lime juice and see if you prefer it this way.

What can you put in guacamole instead of cilantro?

If you don't have cilantro (or you don't like the herb), you can still enjoy guacamole. Use parsley in its place; it won't be the same, but it works well. Alternatively, use parsley along with a pinch of ground cumin to make a better swap for cilantro—and don't skip the lime juice.