Authentic Guacamole Recipe (2024)

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By Shawn Williams

4.67 from 3 votes

Apr 20, 2020, Updated Apr 24, 2023

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This homemade guacamole recipe has a subtle spicy kick and a delicious citrusy kick thanks to plenty of fresh lime juice. Learn how to make the best guacamole with fresh ingredients that will keep you coming back for more and more!

It’s hard to beat chips and guac, but this recipe goes especially well with my flank steak fajitas, carne asada tacos, chicken enchiladas, and my stuffed peppers recipe!

Table of Contents

  • Ingredients
  • Tips for Making Guacamole
  • More Recipes You’ll Love
  • Authentic Guacamole Recipe

Ingredients

  • Perfectly ripe avocados. You want to be able to manipulate the avocado with firm but gentle pressure without being overly soft.
  • Fresh lime juice (I use 2 limes for lots of citrusy flavor)
  • yellow or white onion
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Fresh cilantro (I love cilantro and think it takes avocado up a notch in terms of flavor
  • Fresh minced garlic or garlic powder. Garlic powder is easier, fresh garlic tastes better.
  • Salt and pepper, to taste. Bland guac can be dressed up with a pinch of salt.
  • Fresh chopped jalapeno or hot sauce. Fresh jalapeno is the BEST. I usually exclude the seeds and mince them into very small pieces. A few teaspoons are prob the amount to shoot for but always test the jalapeno before adding.

Tips for Making Guacamole

  • Mash avocados until creamy with small chunks — you don’t want a paste. A potato masher or pastry cutter works really well at mashing avocados if you don’t have a mortar and pestle because who does?
  • finely chopped or diced onions and tomatoes are better than larger chopped ones. You don’t want massive chunks of onion and tomato in your guac. The smaller pieces will also spread throughout more evenly.
  • Wait and add tomatoesat the very end and fold them into the guac. Otherwise, they will turn to mush when mashing your avocados.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Baked Chicken Chimichangas Recipe

Carne Asada Tacos Recipe

Blackened Salmon Tacos Recipe

Skillet Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & areview in the comments!

4.67 from 3 votes

Authentic Guacamole Recipe

By: Shawn Williams

Servings: 8

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Total: 10 minutes mins

Save

Authentic Guacamole Recipe (8)

Our favorite authentic guacamole recipe made with a subtle spicy kick and a profound lime twist.

Ingredients

  • 4 ripe avocados
  • 2 limes, squeezed
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 white onion, diced
  • 1 cup tomato, diced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

Instructions

  • Cut avocados in half lengthwise, remove the pits and scoop into a bowl. Mash until creamy and smooth. Add all ingredients except for the tomatoes and mix well.

  • Fold in tomatoes last until mixed. Serve immediately.

Notes

Be sure to get avocados to desired texture before adding tomatoes. Otherwise they will turn to mush.

Nutrition

Calories: 218kcalCarbohydrates: 12.2gProtein: 2.4gFat: 19.7gSaturated Fat: 4.1gSodium: 171mgFiber: 7.7gSugar: 1.8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Tried this recipe?Mention @kitchenswagger or tag #kitchenswagger!

About Shawn Williams

My name is Shawn, author behind Kitchen Swagger. I'm a food & drink enthusiast bringing you my own simple and delicious restaurant-inspired recipes.

Read More About Me

17 Comments

  1. Nice recipe but I prefer jalapeños to hot sauce. Also – key to really good
    Guac is to mash onion (and garlic if using) with jalapeños and a little cilantro to make a paste before you add the avocado. The Mexicans use a molcahete (which is a mortar and pestle made from volcanic rock) to do this. Then you mix in Avocado, lime, salt and tomatoes. My kids love guacamole and I make it all the time.

    Reply

  2. Yum! Made this today. It was so good, even without the cilantro n

    Reply

  3. If you need to make your guacamole the day before just put water on it and take water off before serving it. Your guacamole will be perfect. It was something on the food network. They tested all these methods of keeping the guacamole green this was the best. Just my two cents.

    Reply

    1. What do you mean by putting the water “on” it?

      Reply

  4. Authentic Guacamole Recipe (10)
    a friend swears by putting the pit of the avocado back inside your container with the leftover guac. when you store it. she says it helps keep the avocado fresh.

    Reply

    1. Yep – that works

      Reply

  5. I prefer fresh minced garlic and chopped jalapeño. I always try to make this a day ahead, cover tightly with plastic wrap, to allow time for the flavors to meld. Tips: go easy on the salt, cilantro and jalapeño, adding more to taste. I often keep one avocado out just in case I overdid something and need to dilute the flavor.

    Reply

  6. Authentic Guacamole Recipe (11)
    easy and delicious!

    Reply

  7. What kind of hot sauce is your favorite?

    Reply

    1. I usually use Franks Red Hot or regular Tabasco.

      Reply

  8. How long does it last in the fridge before it goes bad?

    Reply

    1. I would make it fresh to serve. Avocados brown very easily once cut. If you must store for a day, squeeze a little extra lime juice on top and seal very tight with plastic wrap. I usually make it air tight by pressing it right up against the guacamole so there is no air exposure.

      Reply

      1. a friend swears by putting the pit of the avocado back inside your container with the leftover guac. when you store it. she says it helps keep the avocado fresh.

        Reply

  9. Spent the weekend here a few years ago. Stumbled upon Papagayo’s by accident. So thankful for this recipe! Now, if I could just recreate those fabulous margaritas we had…….❤️

    Reply

    1. I’ll work on that 😉

      Reply

  10. I love classic guacamole anytime and I am loving the addition of hot sauce here!! Sounds divine!

    Reply

    1. Excellent! Let me know how it comes out!

      Reply

Authentic Guacamole Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is traditional guacamole made of? ›

Here's all you need for traditional guacamole: ripe avocados, coriander/cilantro, red onions, jalapeño or Serrano chilli, lime and salt. Avoid unnecessary fillers such as sour cream and cream cheese. They only dilute flavour. Popular optional extras include: garlic, tomato, cumin powder.

Does lemon or lime juice keep guacamole from turning brown? ›

DOES LEMON JUICE KEEP GUACAMOLE FROM TURNING BROWN? Yes! The lemon forms a barrier between the outside air and the guacamole to make sure the dip stays its greenest. Seal it in a container or with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.

What type of onion is best in guacamole? ›

Most people prefer to use sweet white onion in their guacamole recipe. Red or yellow onion tends to give the guacamole too strong of a garlic flavor.

Why does Chipotle guacamole not turn brown? ›

To keep the leftover guacamole from browning, the employee rips off a sheet of plastic wrap, then presses it all the way down to the surface of the guacamole, knocking out the air that would be in the container if it was just sealed with a lid.

How does Chipotle keep their guacamole so green? ›

Each panned guac gets sealed airtight with Saran Wrap,” he said. “Then it gets lidded, labeled and stored for later use. This process ensures freshness and prevents browning,” he continued.

How far ahead can you make guacamole before it turns brown? ›

Topping off your avocado dip with water keeps air, at least in part, from being able to penetrate the guacamole, which keeps it from browning. By using this simple technique, you can keep the brown at bay for about two days (maybe longer if you're lucky).

What makes guacamole unhealthy? ›

Store-bought guacamole often contains sour cream, added sugar, artificial flavors, preservatives, and a lot of sodium.

When should you not eat guacamole? ›

Although brown guacamole isn't the most appealing, it's completely safe to eat (as long as you've stored the guacamole in the refrigerator, and it isn't more than three days old).

Should you add tomatoes to guacamole? ›

Add tomatoes to your guac.

In my opinion, all guacamole should include tomato for texture and flavor. Regular tomatoes tend to be too watery, so go for grape tomatoes instead! You can quarter them and they'll stay nice and firm.

Why you should leave the lime out of guacamole? ›

You see, lime is a very strong acidic flavor and it can easily overpower the delicate flavor of the avocado. Instead, finely dice red onions and pickle them with lime juice for 15-30 minutes.

Does putting the pit in guacamole keep it fresh? ›

Some people swear by this one, so we had to put it to the test. The verdict: Contrary to popular belief, adding the avocado pit to guacamole does not prevent oxidation. In fact, if it sticks out above the surface, it creates air pockets that prevent the plastic wrap from adhering tightly enough.

Can you eat week old guacamole? ›

From the second you crack open that avocado, it's a race against the clock before it goes brown. But with the right prep, you can make guacamole last in the fridge for three to four days. Planning on storing guacamole in the freezer? It should last for three to four months.

Does authentic guacamole contain garlic? ›

Turns out, authentic guacamole doesn't have garlic. This is when Mark educated me on what goes into a proper guacamole (you should memorize this): avocados, lemon juice, red onion, a tomato, salt, pepper and two ingredients The Barefoot Contessa doesn't have in her recipe but which Mark considers essential....

Is guacamole basically avocado? ›

Guacamole is basically mashed, raw avocados mixed with other ingredients to taste. The avocados give guacamole the green base, and other ingredients, such as tomatoes and onions give it some textured flavor. Guacamole is especially popular on Super Bowl Sunday and Cinco de Mayo.

What are the white strings in guacamole? ›

The strings might be a bit of a nuisance, but they're harmless! So what are they, exactly? These strings are actually vascular bundles, meaning they are responsible for bringing all those nutrients and water from the tree into the fruit (yes avocado is a fruit).

What is commercial guacamole made of? ›

The “avocado sauce”, for that is what the name means, has avocado, cilantro (aka coriander), onion, jalapeño pepper, lime, salt and tomato. That's it. No cream, milk, wheat, additives or preservatives are needed.

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