Guacamole is a popular Mexican appetizer dip made with creamy mashed avocado flavored with aromatic vegetables and acidic lime juice. It goes well with most proteins or is scooped up with chips.
Guacamole is among the most popular appetizers in the United States and Central America.
*This post was originally published in May 2020. It’s been updated to included metric measurements.*
What is Guacamole?
Guacamole translates to “avocado sauce,” which is what it is: mashed avocado stirred together with cilantro, onions, garlic, salt, and lime juice, and can be spiced with jalapeños or left mild.
Guacamole is commonly served as a dip with warm tortilla chips. Because it’s such a versatile condiment, many people are finding new ways to serve it. You can top grilled chicken or steaks with guacamole or add it to your quesadillas or burgers. The avocado in my Avocado-Chicken Salad Sandwiches can be swapped out for this guac instead.
What Ingredients Are in Chunky Guacamole Dip?
I recommend the use of fresh ingredients for this guacamole recipe.
The most important ingredient in guacamole dip is ripe avocados. Slightly underripe tomatoes are best here since they won’t release too much juice into the dip. Fresh lime juice, cilantro, red (or purple) onion, garlic, and jalapeños are the additional ingredients in this recipe.
You can mash your avocados in a molcajete, in a mortar and pestle, or with a potato masher.
How Do I Keep My Guacamole From Being Runny?
To avoid a runny guacamole dip, remove the seeds and membrane from your tomatoes before adding them to the mashed avocados. Tomatoes are an optional ingredient in guacamole, so you can also leave them out completely.
Use a chef knife to cut the tomato into quarters lengthwise. Cut the stem away from the top of the tomato wedges and pinch to pull it away from the rest of the fruit. The white, flavorless core and membrane, filled with its seeds, should come away with it. Press out any remaining seeds with your thumb into a trash bowl.
Cut the tomato quarters into 1/4″ dice. Set these aside on your cutting board.
What Other Vegetables Can I Add to Guacamole?
In its simplest form, guacamole is mashed avocado, salt, lime juice, and maybe fresh cilantro. I prefer loaded guacamole, so I add a few extra veggies. Optional add-ins for your guacamole dip to consider are:
- red (or purple), yellow, or white onions
- fresh garlic
- Fresno, hatch, jalapeño, or serrano peppers
- roasted corn kernels
Cut the veggies you add to your guacamole down into a small dice since you want to keep it scoopable. The bigger the cut on your veggies, the more the chips will break when scooping the dip.
Dice the onions and peppers the same size as the tomatoes and mince or crush the garlic. Set these aside as well.
Do I Have to Add Peppers to My Guacamole?
To make mild guacamole, omit the jalapeños or replace them with a milder pepper like an Anaheim or poblano pepper.
For guacamole with spice that’s not too overwhelming, use a jalapeño but remove the white membrane and seeds. Some of the seeds can be reserved to increase the spice level of your guacamole.
To make super-spicy guacamole, replace the jalapeños with serrano, pequin, or a habanero. Pequin or habanero peppers will make your guacamole very spicy, so beware of using too much of them if you’re serving it to a crowd.
How Do I Pick the Perfect Avocados for Guacamole?
A foolproof strategy for picking the perfect avocados is to:
- Look for avocados that still have their stem intact. Avocados missing their stem are older and, therefore, more likely to be overly ripe.
- Gently press the avocado with your thumb. If it’s really soft and pliable, it’s too ripe. On the other hand, an avocado that feels rock hard will take a few days to ripen. Instead, select an avocado that, when gently pressed, yields slightly- like pressing a yellow banana or an orange.
Above, you see two ends of the acceptable spectrum. Both avocados pass the “feel test.” However, after removing its stem, the one on the right had a darker green appearance. Even before cutting, I knew it was on the verge of being too ripe to use.
I was right, as you can see by their interiors.
Be Careful to Avoid “Avocado Hand”
Cut the avocados on the board and not while holding them to avoid “avocado hand” or slicing your hand open, especially if you’re not proficient with knives.
Whack the heel of your knife into the pit to grip it. Rotate the avocado to loosen the pit, then pull back your knife to remove it. The pit should stay attached to the knife and pop right out. You can jimmy a spoon underneath it to pry it out if it doesn’t.
Reserve one whole avocado for cutting into chunks and adding later.
Use a large spoon (or a fork) to scoop the flesh from the avocado peel. Use a potato masher (or a fork) to mash the rest of the avocado halves.
Cut the reserved avocado into small cubes while it’s still in the peel. After you’ve diced the reserved avocado, scoop it into the bowl with the mashed avocado.
How Do I Keep the Guacamole From Turning Brown?
Avocados start oxidizing or turning brown the minute you cut them. Lime juice, or another acidic liquid, helps slow down that oxidation process.
Add the diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, minced jalapeño, and a handful of chopped cilantro to the mashed avocado. Season with a generous pinch of salt and give everything a good stir.
Add the lime juice, which also adds another level of flavor, to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
Stir the contents of the bowl together until well combined.
How Far Ahead Can I Make the Dip?
You can prepare guacamole a day before you plan to serve it.
Transfer it to an air-tight container and press a piece of plastic film directly onto the surface of the guacamole before covering it with the lid. This will reduce the amount of oxidation further. You can also squirt a layer of lime juice right on top of the guacamole.
Air is the enemy of avocados, so you want to mitigate any long-term exposure to it.
How Long Can I Store It?
Store prepared guacamole well-covered in the fridge for 24 hours for best results. I’ve kept it for as long as 3 days, but I had to scrape away a thin layer of the oxidized dip each day. Just discard the discolored portion and scoop away.
Can I Freeze Guacamole?
To freeze guacamole:
- Transfer it to a freezer storage bag and press out any excess air from the bag before sealing it.
- Freeze the guacamole for up to 2 months.
- Thaw it in the fridge completely, then give it a good stir before serving it.
Be sure to pin and share this recipe for all of your gatherings. This Guacamole Dip will surely be a hit whenever and wherever you serve it.
Chunky Guacamole Dip
at Sense & EdibilityEquipment
- potato masher or mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 5 medium (1 kilogram) Haas avocados
- 1/2 medium (75 grams) red onion small diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 medium (60 grams)) Roma tomato seeds removed, small diced (about 1/3 cup)
- 3 cloves (15 grams or 1 tablespoon) garlic finely minced
- 1 medium (20 grams) jalapeño pepper (optional) minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 bunch (2 grams) cilantro leaves chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt plus more to taste
- 2 medium limes juiced (about 1/4 cup or 60 milliliters)
Instructions
Cut and Mash the Avocados
- Slice the avocados in half lengthwise, then remove the pit from each fruit. Set aside two avocado halves (or one whole avocado). Use a large spoon (or a fork) to scoop the flesh from the rest of the avocados and into a 3-quart mixing bowl.Mash the avocado in the bowl with a fork or a potato masher.
- Cut the reserved avocado into small cubes while still in the peel. Scoop it into the bowl with the mashed avocado.
Finish the Guacamole Dip
- Add the diced onion, tomato, garlic, jalapeño, and cilantro to the mashed avocado. Season with salt and stir well to combine.
- Add the lime juice to the ingredients in the bowl and give the guacamole another stir. Taste the dip and adjust the salt to your preference if necessary.
Transfer the Guacamole to a Serving Dish
- Transfer the guacamole to serving bowl (this is essential if you've mixed in a metal bowl as the lime juice will react with the metal).
- Press a sheet of plastic wrap against the surface of the guacamole to prevent browning and cover the container with a lid. Store in the guacamole in fridge for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld before serving and enjoying.
Notes
Swaps and Substitutions:
- Replace the red (purple) onion with yellow or white onion.
- For mild guacamole, omit the jalapeños or replace them with an equal measurement of Anaheim or poblano pepper.
- To make super-spicy guacamole, replace the jalapeños with serrano, pequin, or a habanero pepper.
- Substitute lemon juice for the lime juice.
Tips and Techniques:
- How to select perfect avocados:
- Look for avocados that still have their stem intact. Avocados missing their stem are older and, therefore, more likely to be overly ripe.
- Gently press the avocado with your thumb. If it's really soft and pliable, it's too ripe. On the other hand, an avocado that feels rock hard will take a few days to ripen. Instead, select an avocado that, when gently pressed, yields slightly- like pressing a yellow banana or an orange.
- You can prepare guacamole a day before you plan to serve it.
- To prevent oxidation of the dip you can also squirt fresh lime juice on its surface instead of covering it with plastic film.
Storage Instructions:
- Store prepared guacamole well-covered in the fridge for 24 hours for best results.
- Scrape an oxidized guacamole from the surface of the dip as needed and discard.
Freezer Instructions:
- Transfer the guacamole to a freezer storage bag and press out any excess air from the bag before sealing it.
- Freeze the guacamole for up to 2 months.
- Thaw it in the fridge completely, then give it a good stir before serving it.
I never add fresh tomato to mine because I am so worried about it being too juicy or runny but your tips are perfect not I can give it a try.
Yes, you will find it’s not runny at all.
Yumm was so tasty!! gimme all the guac!!! I could eat it everyday.
Lol!! You’re my kind of girl!
Loved this guacamole! It was delicious.
Thanks!