Best Ever Guacamole

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This is the best guacamole recipe as it’s simple to make and uses fresh, high-quality ingredients. Authentic guacamole doesn’t contain fillers and unnecessary ingredients. All you need is avocados, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, lime juice, garlic, and salt. Easy and delicious!

Guacamole in a bowl with a chip dipping in.

I’m not one for hyperbole, but this really is the best guacamole recipe. When it comes to crowd-raving guacamole the key is to not get too fancy or try to be too unique. Guacamole is meant to be easy to make and delicious. Plain and simple. It’s a blend of a few high quality ingredients with flavors that meld together beautifully.

After numerous trips to Mexico and working alongside Mexican chefs, I can confirm that this guacamole is the real deal. Fresh, easy, and authentic! Just as you would enjoy it in Mexico.

Ingredients for making guacamole on a counter.

Guacamole Ingredients

With just eight simple ingredients you can make one of the all-time-best dip recipes.

  • Avocados: Want to know how to pick the best, most ripe avocados? See my tips below!
  • Onion: I’m using yellow onion which is most often used in Mexico, but you could use red onion as well.
  • Tomatoes: Choose Roma tomatoes which are less juicy. No one wants a watery guac.
  • Cilantro: One of my favorite herbs and a staple in Mexican cuisine.
  • Jalapeno: You can also use serrano pepper for a little extra heat.
  • Garlic: Some people like their guac with garlic, others like it without. I love just a little.
  • Lime: Freshly squeezed lime is a must. Don’t use jarred lime juice as the flavor is muted.
  • Salt: A pinch of flaky salt brings it all together.

Pick Ripe Avocados for the Best Guacamole

The best guacamole starts with the freshest ingredients. Look for avocados that are ripe, but firm. You definitely don’t want soft and mushy avocados.

So how do you pick good, ripe avocados? First, grab avocados that still have the stem attached. If the stem has been removed in the store, it’s more likely to have brown spots on the inside. Then, gently press on one end. It should be firm, but have a slight give to it.

Guacamole recipe ingredients in a bowl ready to be mixed.

How Do You Make Guacamole?

Slice three ripe avocados in half, remove the pit and scoop them into a mixing bowl. Then use a fork to gently mash them to your desired level of chunky or smooth. Add the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, garlic, lime juice and salt and stir everything together. That’s it. The most delicious, easy guacamole.

A bowl of fresh, authentic guacamole next to tortilla chips.

How to Store Leftovers (and Keep it Green!)

Guacamole oxidizes and turns brown pretty darn quick. The lime juice helps to slow this process, but it’s inevitable that leftover guacamole will eventually start to brown.

Now, I’ve tried every kitchen hack imaginable to keep guacamole green (I eat a lot of guacamole). So what doesn’t work? Well, let’s start with leaving the pit in the guacamole. This does nothing to prevent browning and there’s no scientific justification for it. Consider it an old wives tale.

Next, many say to add lemon juice. And this helps a bit, but I don’t like that it changes the flavor profile of my beloved guacamole.

The most common guacamole preservation hack is placing plastic wrap directly on the guacamole to prevent oxidation. And this may work for a day or two. But I’m striving to reduce my plastic consumption and just don’t love this method.

So in my quest to keep my guacamole green I stumbled on this hack – and it’s brilliant.

Here’s how to keep guacamole green:

  • Place your leftover guacamole in a storage container and pat it down firmly with a spoon so it’s nice and flat on top.
  • Add about 1/2 inch of water on top (I used cold water).
  • Place the lid on the storage container and store it in the fridge. That’s it!
  • When you want to enjoy the guacamole, drain the water off the top, give it a stir and you’re good to go.

I tested this method for three full days and it worked like a charm. It stays perfectly fresh and delicious. Though I will admit by the third day it does start to get a little more watery. But who has guacamole last that long anyway?

A scoop of guacamole on a tortilla chip.

Watch My Guacamole Recipe Video

While this recipe is easy to make, I have some tips for making the best guacamole recipe you’ve ever tasted. Watch my step-by-step tutorial video below!

More Delicious Mexican Inspired Recipes

For all my Mexican food lovers, give these reader favorite recipes a try:

And you can wash all of those down with my Mango Margarita, Strawberry Margarita or Classic Margarita. Or my Agua Fresca for a non-alcoholic option.

For tasty guacamole variations, try my festive Pomegranate Guacamole, tasty BLT Guacamole, and bite-sized Guacamole Stuffed Tomatoes!

Guacamole recipe in a bowl next to tortilla chips.

Best Ever Guacamole (Fresh, Easy & Authentic)

4.96 from 675 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

A tried and true guacamole recipe that's easy to make, uses fresh ingredients and is loaded with flavor. It's the best guacamole dip hands down. Watch the video below to see how quickly it comes together!

Video

Ingredients 
 

  • 3 avocados, ripe
  • ½ small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions 

  • Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit, and scoop into a mixing bowl. 
    Scooped avocado in a mixing bowl.
  • Mash the avocado with a fork and make it as chunky or smooth as you’d like.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and stir together. Give it a taste test and add a pinch more salt or lime juice if needed.
  • Serve the guacamole with tortilla chips.
    Guacamole in a serving bowl next to tortilla chips.

Lisa’s Tips

  • Look for large avocados for this recipe. If you can only find small avocados, feel free to add one more!
  • Definitely use fresh limes rather than lime juice in a bottle. The flavor difference is worth it. And speaking of limes, I’m using Mexican limes which give about 1 to 2 tablespoons of juice. 
  • Make sure to read my tips above for keeping leftover guacamole green and fresh. It’s truly amazing! And I store the leftover guacamole in these food storage containers.

Nutrition

Calories: 184.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.3g | Protein: 2.5g | Fat: 15.8g | Saturated Fat: 2.2g | Sodium: 305.5mg | Fiber: 7.6g | Sugar: 1.7g
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: authentic guacamole, easy guacamole, Guacamole, Guacamole Recipe, How to make guacamole
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted August 2014, but updated to include new photos and video May 2018 and again today. 

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

4.96 from 675 votes (98 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




1,268 Comments

  1. Have made this multiple times over the past year or two. Easy and delicious with fresh ingredients! Thank you!5 stars

    1. Yes, it’s a super easy recipe. That’s probably why I eat it all the time, haha. Glad you enjoyed it as well, Robin!

  2. Hi Lisa, your recipe is pretty much the same as what I use, except I add pepper, cumin, and a few dashes of hot sauce. But, that’s just personal preference. Two things I’ve learned though. I always rinse the onions after chopping them and I always start by putting the chopped onions in the lime juice and then adding the rest of the ingredients to make the guac. These two things cut down on the assertive sulfur taste that the onions can develop after a few hours, if you have any guac left after a few hours!5 stars

    1. Hi Wayne – Happy to hear you’re loving this guacamole recipe with a few personal tweaks! Also, thanks for the tips on the onions, will give that a try next time!

    1. Haha, thanks so much, Mike! Sometimes it takes me a little bit to get through hundreds of comments each day. But I greatly appreciate your positive review, and I’m thrilled you loved this guacamole! :)

  3. Made this for a superbowl party and it was a HUGE hit! Easy recipe, I actually threw most of the ingredients into my food processor cause I was in a hurry (I added the processed ingredients to the bowl I had mashed the avocados in with a pastry cutter) and it came out great!5 stars

    1. I’m happy to hear this was a hit at your Super Bowl party, yay! And yes, you can definitely use your food processor to save a little time. So glad you enjoyed it!

  4. So easy and great! We don’t like spice so didn’t use the jalapeno and it was still incredible. Taking it to a Super Bowl party today as well!5 stars

  5. This was easy to make, and it was delicious. I did not have a roma tomato so I did not add that but without it, it was still a great tasting guacamole recipe.5 stars

  6. I’m not wild about crunchy raw jaIapenos in my guacamole so I oven roast jalapeños, skin them and dice them. Then I freeze one diced jalapeño per ice cube section in the tray. Just pop out a cube, defrost it, and stir it in. Adds a nice smokiness to the guacamole! I love this recipe. Super fresh!5 stars

  7. Awesome recipe. Everyone, children’s and adults enjoy it. We thought that we had prepared too much, it it was not enough 😄5 stars

  8. Looking forward to using your guacamole this coming Monday with a group of adults. It looks like a very tasty dish.
    Thank you5 stars

  9. I made this dip for a family picnic I was hosting. Everyone loved it. My sister, who is a chef, asked me if I made this guacamole. When I told her I had, she said, and I quote, “This is the best guacamole I’ve ever had!”

    I made it again on Christmas Eve, and the guys stood around it and ate it until it was gone!

    I guess this is a keeper! Thank you!5 stars

  10. I never rate Recipes I use but man is this good. I omitted the jalapeño as I didn’t have any and subbed red onions and came out amazing!5 stars

  11. Made this recipe last week and paired it with taco meat. Delicious! Only thing we did differently is no jalapeños. Still fresh and delicious! We also did the water trick and it lasted about four days, because we ate it all.5 stars

    1. Hi Courtney – I’m glad you enjoyed this guacamole with your taco meat! And that you found that storage trick helpful. Enjoy!

    1. Hi Justin – While cumin is not traditionally used, you can of course add it if you’d like. And I’m happy you loved it with that tweak!

  12. Perfect guacamole receipe! You’ll want to make sure you make a big batch. This is a crowd pleaser that will go fast.5 stars

  13. Great recipe thank you! Made it for Christmas to share, there was none left over, so winner for me. Also made enough to drop some off for a friend to enjoy. Thank you again.5 stars

  14. I am wanting to use this guacamole in your seven layer dip recipe. Is this enough for that or should I double this recipe?5 stars

  15. I stumbled on this recipe via Google and it is great. We took it to a Christmas barbecue and the kids and adults hoed into it. I’m going to add it to my few sure-fire, easy, always popular recipes folder. (The storage tip is interesting but hard imagine having leftovers of even a doubled recipe.)5 stars

    1. Yeah, that is one of the drawbacks, there’s never any leftovers when you want them, haha. So happy you and your family loved this guacamole, Lynley!

  16. Very good! I made it exactly as written, and there was a perfect balance of ingredients and flavors. Unable to try the interesting storage tip, as there wasn’t any leftover to store :)5 stars

    1. Hi Anne – This recipe is measured out by 4 servings. You can also always find this information at the top of the recipe card!

    2. I’m Mexican American learning how to make guacamole from a white lady because I never paid attention to my Madresita’s recipes. I’m impressed this is fire!5 stars