Best Ever Guacamole
960 Comments
Updated Sep 22, 2023
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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!
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 get in Mexico.
Guacamole Ingredients
With just 8 simple ingredients you can make one of the all-time-best dip recipes.
- Avocados: I’ve got a few tips for picking ripe ones 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 flakey 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.
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.
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?
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:
- Carne Asada (turned into Tacos and Fries)
- Carnitas (turned into Tacos and Burrito Bowl)
- Barbacoa (turned into Tacos and Burrito Bowl)
- Shrimp Tacos
- Citrus Shrimp Ceviche
- Pico de Gallo (Chunky Salsa)
- Salsa (Restaurant-Style)
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!
Best Ever Guacamole (Fresh, Easy & Authentic)
Description
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.
- 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.
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
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally posted August 2014, but updated to include new photos and video May 2018 and again today.
I love guacamole but am allergic to cilantro? What would you use for a substitute?
You can just omit the cilantro.
Your guacamole recipe is simple, quick and elegant–a lifesaver for me, because I had to rush and plate everything before the football game! A BIG 2 thumbs up!
(Please be aware that some of the ads on your website cover your video and written portions of your recipe. I had to close the link and reopen it twice to delay the ads from interrupting again so that I could follow the steps you were presenting.)
So happy you loved the guacamole recipe, Tim! And thanks for the heads up on the ads. I’ll reach out to my ad network to fix that asap. Enjoy game day! :)
WAY too much lime… I used 4 avocados and it was extremely sour!!! I’m so disappointed after working so hard on this. Please do not use a whole lime. Lowkey wish i used a different recipe but other than the lime it was good
Hi Nat – it sounds like you may have used one of those oversized supermarket limes, and not a Mexican lime. An average Mexican lime will give about 1 to 2 tablespoons of juice. Those oversized limes can give up to 1/4 cup of lime juice. Thanks for the note and I’ll add that tip to the recipe card!
All I have on hand are canned pickled sliced jalapenos..how much will that alter the taste of the recipe? 😄 My 25 yo son bought these instead of regular jalapenos when I sent him to the store for me. 🙄
Pickled jalapenos will definitely alter the flavor, but you could make that version and then the authentic version and compare! Haha.
Very easy compared to other guacamoles and the flavor was amazing! I doubled the recipe and served it before dinner with chips, thinking we’d have plenty left over for our shrimp tacos. Nope! Ha ha ha. A keeper!
This guacamole definitely goes fast! Glad you enjoyed it, Anna.
I have this on hand to make avocado toast almost every day! So quick, easy and delicious. The video was very helpful and enjoyed the added tips for storing.
Thanks Cindy! I’m glad you love this guac as much as I do. :)
The guacamole tasted fantastic! That is, before I added the water.
I made the guacamole, put it in a air tight container with the layer of water, but the next morning, the water had been absorbed into the guac.
So it is ironic that this recipe emphasized “no one wants watery guac” because that’s exactly what happened to my beautiful not-meant-to-be guacamole.
Hi Sarah – it sounds like the guac may not have been compacted down enough. You can also use plastic wrap on top if you prefer that method.
Awesome. Just like mine.
But, if you pat cling wrap down over the dip, seal out the air. Don’t have to use water. Keeps it green.
Happy you loved the recipe! And yes, you can do that too.
Looks easy to make.sounds yummy
Can’t wait to make!
Hi Lisa,
I love your receipes, They are so delicious, and easy to follow the instructions. You are a true food artist!
I wonder if it is ok to use a blender on the guacamole to make it more kid friendly (no lumps)? :)
Hi Anette – I would not recommend a blender for this recipe (as it won’t blend properly), but you could use a food processor to make the avocados extra smooth before adding the other ingredients.
Great recipe!
This really is the most amazing guac recipe I have found. I always add extra lime juice because that’s how we like it but even if you follow the recipe exactly it will knock your socks off. I found this recipie earlier this year and have made it probably 10-15 times so I figured it was time to leave a review. Thank you for sharing!
I do love a little extra lime as well. :) Happy you love the recipe!
Store guacamole (or an avacado half) in a vacuum sealed container! It keeps it fresh and green.
Thanks for sharing!
Store cut avocado in an airtight container with a little water on the bottom. It won’t turn brown.
We recently spend a week in Mexico south of Cancun and ate their great guacamole every chance we got. We make it here in Texas all the time but theirs was different because it had LOTS of lime juice in it. You could taste it. And everywhere we had it, it was the same heavy lime juice. So we’ve made that change and the guac is better for it.
Extra lime juice is always a good thing!
What is the black stuff in the guacamole?
There are no black ingredients in the guacamole, and you can reference the ingredient list and photo to see what’s in this :)
Delicious
Happy to hear you loved this guacamole recipe, Richard!
We just had this for lunch. There are just two of us, and nothing was left.
This guacamole is definitely one to go fast! Glad you enjoyed this, Irene :)
Actually, yellow onions are not the most popular in Mexico or Mexican dishes. White onions are the preferred onions, especially in Mexican street food. Having said that I think your recipe is right on!
Instead of pouring the water directly on the guacamole, I put plastic wrap on top first, then the water so I don’t have to worry about the water seeping into the guac.
I’d love a measurement for the onion. What’s small for one person may not be small for someone else. The one you cut in the video I would consider pretty large.
This Recipe is AMAZING!
Thanks Brandie!
This recipe looks AWESOME & I’m going to try out on this Saturday!
Hope you enjoy this guacamole recipe!
No Tabasco??????
Delicious and easy recipe! Tasted amazing!
Thanks so much Jennifer! I’m happy you loved it.
Made it while watching the video. Better than commercial by leaps and bounds.
Glad this guacamole was a success!
Easy to make and delicious every time… Thank you for sharing.
Happy to hear you’re loving this guacamole recipe :)
I just made this and it is fantastic!! I did read reviews and I charred the jalapeños first. I doubled my recipe but only used 1 lime. The flavors are amazing! Definitely a keeper.
I bet this tasted amazing with the charred jalapenos!
It really is the BEST EVER. Alot of recipes say that – but this one truly is. I loved it so much I went and bought the Meal Prep book. I am new to the “gluten-free” world so this is refreshing view.
Thanks for leaving a review, Heather! Hope you enjoy your new cookbook as well :)
This is one I have put together that works well also:
Gary’s Guacamole Recipe
2 lb of Avocado (no skin no pits, just the meat)
3/4 cup Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
3 Teaspoons Garlic powder
2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
Tobasco Sauce or Jalapeno/Chili pepper powder (optional) to taste
Thanks for sharing, Gary!
I was fortunate enough to be given a bag of Avocados some had just ripened so needed to use up fairly quickly .
This Recipe for Guacamole is so easy & very tasty , sorry no photos as it was almost all gone for afternoon snacks , I didn’t have a big enough red chilli so added some hot Sriracha sauce to taste
It was so delicious
Thankyou
Glad everyone enjoyed this guacamole recipe Lou!
Very good and simple recipe! It was delicious. I didn’t have any jalapeños, so I added a little sprinkle of ground red pepper and it turned out excellent. Once, I was out of tomatoes, so I substituted a bit of salsa I had in the fridge and it was still perfect. I use this on burgers, or for dipping corn chips and it is very popular. Yesterday’s batch was gone before I got much, so make lots!
This is definitely one where you’ll want to double the batch! Glad everyone enjoyed this guacamole recipe, John.
This guacamole was the best dip I ever had
Glad you enjoyed this guacamole recipe!
Very tasty, thank you. I do have a problem with recipe. Maybe I am being picky but why did coriander suddenly start getting called cilantro? In English it is coriander, in Spanish it is cilantro. Look it up. Thank, great recipe.
In America we generally call the seeds coriander and the leaves cilantro. It wasn’t sudden at all, it’s been that way for as long as I’ve been aware of it. Possibly because here we rarely use the leaves in anything but Mexican cuisine, so it seems appropriate to use the Spanish word, whereas the seeds are a relatively common kitchen spice used in a variety of dishes, so we stick to the English.
American English has a lot of Spanish language influence and loan words, being right next to Mexico and with a large Spanish speaking immigrant population.
Language is a living thing. It develops and changes with time; it varies by region, or class, or culture; it influences and is influenced by other languages. So there’s no absolute correct usage, rather it’s a matter of how it’s used by particular people, in a particular place and at a particular time. Language isn’t black and white but many and varied colors. As long as it fulfills its function of communication with the people you need to communicate with, it’s all good.
Really is the best! Even my husband loves it!
Glad you and your husband enjoyed this recipe, Devin!
I used red pepper flakes and the olive oil on the top to stop the browning. Yum
Great idea Leigh!
This is the best guacamole recipe out there. People who comment reviews on other recipes telling you what they added or left out and also how to use a word such as Cilantro vs coriander is ridiculous. Review THIS recipe. The Op doesn’t need to know you prefer tobacco sauce in your guacamole. Then find another recipe. If you hate Avocado, maybe don’t make guacamole and then review the recipe sayong you don’t like the recipe 🤣 maybe make something else.