This easy guacamole recipe uses simple, fresh ingredients and is bursting with incredible flavor. It's just like you'd get at your favorite Mexican restaurant!
Why you'll love it
Because it's the best. Ok, everyone claims their guacamole recipe is the best, but mine for real is. The secret? It's perfectly simple. That's it. I find that many versions out there have unnecessary additions. You're not going to find any of that here! There's nothing to take away from that creamy, fresh, bright, and utterly addictive deliciousness.
My favorite part about going to Mexican restaurants is when they make the guacamole right at your table. When I make it at home, I try to replicate the technique. It's actually really easy and tastes a million times better than the store-bought variety.
Ingredients you'll need
- Avocados - when you find the perfect avocado, you don't need much else to enjoy it! I go for Haas avocados.
- Lime juice - always use fresh lime juice
- Cilantro - it's a classic herb in Mexican dishes. If you have an aversion, leave it out or use Italian parsley instead
- Salt & pepper - salting your guac enough is very important to bring out the flavors
- Onion - red onion is my go-to variety if I'm eating it raw
- Jalapeño - for that classic kick. You could also sub with a serrano chili, which are similar in taste but slightly spicier. Simply omit if you don't like it.
- Tomato - honestly, use whatever variety looks freshest at the grocery store, or from your garden would be amazing
How to tell if an avocado is ripe
- A trick to finding perfectly ripe avocados is to flick off that little nub that's on top. If you see green underneath, the avocado should be good. If you see brown, don't get it!
- An avocado should have the slightest bit of give when you gently squeeze it. It'll be very dark green in color as well. You don't want one that's completely black and has no firmness at all to it.
How to make guacamole
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Prep your ingredients, including removing the stem and seeds from the jalapeño pepper. In a molcajete add the cilantro, onion, jalapeño pepper, and salt & pepper and grind into a paste. Add in the avocado and lime juice. You can also make it in a bowl!
Using the pestle (or a fork if making in a bowl), mash it gently to your desired consistency. We like keeping it a bit chunky. Stir in the tomatoes, give it a taste and adjust as necessary, and enjoy immediately.
What is a molcajete?
- It's basically the traditional Mexican version of a mortar and pestle. Molcajetes are typically made of volcanic rock or granite and come in a variety of sizes.
- I use this molcajete. If you have one, it needs to be cured/seasoned before you use it, and this molcajete guide from my friends at Chili Pepper Madness explains how to maintain it. Don't worry, it's not a lot of work at all!
- I love to make guacamole in my molcajete, but you can certainly just use a bowl. I included instructions for both methods in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and variations
- Our kitchen feels this recipe is perfectly balanced as written, but it is very flexible! You can definitely adjust quantities to your liking and leave something out if you're not a fan.
- In terms of texture, it's entirely up to you how finely you chop the ingredients and how much you mash the avocado. Everyone's tastes vary, and there's no right or wrong.
- Want to make it taste more like the guacamole at Chipotle? They use an equal mixture of fresh lemon juice and lime juice for theirs, so you could definitely try that.
- Sprinkle some cotija cheese on top as a finishing touch if you like.
What to serve with guacamole
- I love to put it on tacos, wraps, and burritos. It pairs great with my Super Easy Ground Beef Tacos.
- Serve it on a party platter along with tortilla chips and other dips like this Sun-dried Tomato and Basil White Bean Dip and my Super Easy Cream Cheese Corn Dip.
- This guacamole is perfect served with my friend Isabel's frozen margaritas. I use her recipe whenever we host Mexican Night at my house!
Leftovers and storage
- I recommend eating guacamole right away. It doesn't keep too well. But if you do need to store it, give this tip to stop guacamole from turning brown a try. Basically, you're putting plastic wrap directly on its surface to keep it completely airtight so that you can refrigerate it for a day or two.
- If it's been sitting out for a long time, I'd just dispose of it.
More delicious Mexican-inspired recipes
Did you enjoy this homemade guacamole? Questions? Let me know in the comments below!
Easy Guacamole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 avocados cut into halves, pitted & peeled or flesh scooped out
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1-2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons onion chopped
- 1 small jalapeño or serrano pepper chopped, seeds removed
- 1 small tomato chopped
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients.
- Bowl method: In a bowl, add avocados, lime juice, cilantro, and salt & pepper. Using a fork, mash into desired texture.Gently mix in onions, jalapeño pepper, and tomatoes. Taste and adjust if needed (e.g. add more of a certain ingredient). Serve immediately.
- Molcajete (pestle & mortar) method: add the cilantro, onion, jalapeño pepper, and salt & pepper to the molcajete. Grind it into a smooth paste. Add in the avocados and lime juice and mash them using the pestle (I like mine to be a bit chunky). Stir in the tomatoes (use a spoon). Taste and adjust if needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
- This recipe is very flexible! Feel free to throw in another avocado if needed, and all ingredients can be adjusted to taste.
- You can chop the ingredients as small/large as you'd like.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on October 9, 2015. It's been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Amanda says
What kind of tomatoes do you use for this?
Natasha says
Hi! I just buy whatever looks good at the store, to be honest. It can vary so much from week to week. I've used everything from grape/cherry tomatoes (cut up) to just regular "on the vine" ones.
Amanda says
Awesome, thanks! I’m making this today, and I can’t wait to try it. Your recipes are always a hit in my family!
Natasha says
Hope you love it as much as I do, Amanda. I was so excited to redo the photos just so I could eat it for lunch haha. I'm so glad you've been enjoying my recipes. 😀