The best homemade guacamole recipe is the one that uses fresh, high-quality ingredients. Living in Mexico for 8 years allowed me to bring this recipe to perfection!
Traditional guacamole doesn’t need other ingredients than great Avocados (ideally Hass), onion, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, lime, a jalapeno pepper, and salt. Peel, chop, and mix everything and is ready in minutes!
We made Mexican guacamole about two times per week for 8 years. Unlike in many parts of the world, like here in Italy, in Mexico, avocados and limes are still sold by weight and not by unit, and both are incredibly cheap.
Making guac was just the right and easy thing to do whenever we had people coming over, easily every other day.
The traditional Mexican Guacamole Recipe
Nobody in Mexico will ever tell you that guacamole needs to have X ingredients or made in a specific way; otherwise, it wouldn’t be authentic.
The same thing goes for mole, tacos, or any other Mexican delicacies. Whoever makes that claim might be just trying to look smart. The knowledge you need isn’t different than knowing how to pick your ingredients and seasoning well.
Of course, you need some essential ingredients like Avocado, Tomatoes and Limes outlined further in detail but don’t hesitate to find your sweet spot, more acid or less spicy.
A Good Guacamole is supposed to be easy to make and rich in flavor. Plain and simple. It’s a blend of a few high-quality ingredients with flavors transported by the tremendous healthy fat of avocadoes melding together beautifully and unctuously.
Mexican cuisine is about flavor, tons of flavor. It is about the people and the seasonings you have in the kitchen and experimenting.
Variety of produce
Mexico and Central America, where I am from (Panama), are home to tomatoes, lime, avocado, and corn, so I grew up and lived for most of my life surrounded by many kinds of avocados, tomatoes, and tortillas of all colors in the palette.
A Mexican household will make guac with the kind of avocados and tomatoes they have available, which will undoubtedly be high quality, and decide either to use white or red onion, garlic, or jalapeño.
Mexican Guacamole Ingredients
With just 8 simple ingredients, you can make one of the most world widely known dip recipes, in my opinion, only comparable to the Magnificent Hummus, both naturally vegan and highly nutritious!
Avocados: the best avocado for guacamole is the Hass kind. Pick them firm, soft enough to be creamy, and with the stem ON (otherwise it is very likely that you will find black spots meaning it hasn't ripened well). If your avocados are not ripe enough, put them in a bag along with bananas, the gas released by bananas while ripening (ethylene), makes avocados ripen in one or two days.
Onion: I’m using white onion, but sometimes I use red onion which gives a little sweetening note that we love. Feel free to use either of them or even yellow onion, they all work. I wouldn’t go for spring onions as it tends to give a different flavor profile.
Tomatoes: the best tomatoes are either plum or Roma tomatoes. Just make sure they are firm and not too ripe that they are too watery. Roma tomatoes tend to pack less juice, which we don’t need.
Cilantro: some people would tell you guacamole isn’t guacamole without cilantro, but the truth is that many people hate cilantro, and in a lot of places in Mexico, they either avoid using it or offer you a guac with or without cilantro. We say a big YES to cilantro!
Jalapeno: You can also use serrano pepper or any other if you don’t have them available. I am using Italian pepperoncino as we can find neither Jalapeno nor Serrano but, it works perfectly well.
Garlic: Some people like their guac with garlic; others don’t. We love garlic in everything, so it is another YES for us; just don’t overdo it. You can even throw just a pinch of garlic powder.
Lime: Freshly squeezed lime, please. Don’t use a pre-juiced one. It will kill your guacamole.
Salt: which will consolidate all the flavors.
Optional: extra-virgin olive oil (obviously not traditionally Mexican, but I think it gives it an extra delicious touch, feel free to skip it).
How to store Guacamole Leftovers
Guacamole oxidizes and turns brown pretty darn quick. The lime juice helps slow this process, but inevitably, leftover guacamole will eventually start to brown.
The most common preservation hack is placing plastic wrap directly on top of it, which may work for a day or two. We aim to consume as little plastic as possible, so we switched to another method.
The second method is placing your leftover guacamole in an air-tight container and patting it down firmly, so it’s flat on top. Add about ½ inch (1 cm) of cold water on top.
Put back the container’s lid on the store it in the fridge.
When you are ready to consume it, drain the water off the top, stir it, and be ready to eat. It will keep fine for days.
More Delicious Dips and Savory Snacks?
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
Homemade Guacamole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 avocados ripe, prefferably Hass
- ⅓ small onion finely diced, white or red
- 1 tomato plum or Roma, de-seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ jalapeno pepper seeds removed and finely diced (or 1 small red chilies, or ½ serrano)
- 1 garlic clove small, minced
- 1 lime juiced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Optional:
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Roughly mash the avocados in a bowl, don't overdo it. It's nice to leave some chunks. When you add the rest of the ingredients, inevitably the will become more of a cream.
- Mix the chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, and jalapeno pepper into mashed avocado until well combined; season with salt and extra-virgin olive oil (optional).
- Leave the avocado seed inside the guacamole to prevent it from darkening. Serve with totopos (nachos).
Video
Notes
Put back the container’s lid on the store it in the fridge.
When you are ready to consume it, drain the water off the top, stir it, and be ready to eat. The guacamole will keep fine for 3 days.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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