The Best Guacamole Recipe for an Appetizer, Side Dish, or Garnish (2024)

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Latin American Food
Mexican Food
Mexican Cooking Basics

A Simple, All-Purpose Recipe

Chelsie Kenyon

Chelsie Kenyon, author of "Knack Mexican Cooking," is a former freelance writer and recipe developer with more than 10 years' experience in Mexican cuisine.

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Updated on 01/25/24

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The Best Guacamole Recipe for an Appetizer, Side Dish, or Garnish (1)

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 0 mins

Total: 15 mins

Servings: 8 servings

Yield: 4 cups

116 ratings

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The word "guacamole" comes from the ancient Aztec Nahuatl language and translates loosely as "avocado sauce." The dish has long been popular throughout Mexico and spread into the U.S. through the Southwest. There are as many versions of guacamole as there are cooks—from simple mixtures of mashed avocado with salt to more elaborate mixtures with spices, chiles, and fresh veggies. There is no wrong way of eating it, as it proves to be delicious in all sorts of dishes and appetizers.

Our easy and delicious version is a great standard guacamole recipe and could become your new go-to when hosting. The balance of creamy avocado, sharp fresh onions, spicy chile pepper, tangy lime juice, and juicy tomatoes yields a flavorful dip. It's easily customizable, so increase or decrease the number of chiles for the perfect level of heat, add more lime for additional tang, or add a little crema for an extra creamy experience.

When making guacamole, perfectly ripe avocados are needed, not too soft and not too green, without dark spots. The fruit should yield slightly when you squeeze it. If your avocado is still as hard as a rock, try sticking it in a paper bag with a cut apple or ripe banana to speed up the ripening process. This recipe makes a tasty side garnish for grilled meats or chicken, adds a refreshing touch to tacos, cemitas, nachos, or empanadas, and livens up any type of burrito. Serve your delicious creamy-chunky guacamole with totopos (tortilla chips) for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or snack.

Grilled Avocado Recipe

Ingredients

4 medium ripe avocados
1/4 cup onion, diced
1 fresh serrano pepper, or jalapeño,seeded and diced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
See Also
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1/4 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Peel the avocados and remove their pits. Mash the flesh of 2 of them with the back of a fork, and dice the other 2 into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch cubes.
Mix the mashed avocado with the diced onion, chile pepper, and cilantro. Fold in crema or sour cream, if using, and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Fold the diced avocado and tomatoes into the mashed avocado mixture.
Use immediately.
Enjoy!

Recipe Variations

Tweak the texture of this recipe to your taste by mashing just one or none of the avocados. For a creamier version, mash all four avocados and dice the vegetables very small.
Adjust the level of spiciness in this recipe at will. Use less chile if you prefer milder guacamole or more if you love the heat. You can also add a few dashes of hot sauce.
For a little more flavor, add a few sprinkles of cumin or cayenne pepper.
For even quicker guacamole, combine mashed avocados with prepared tomato salsa. Add lime juice and salt to taste.

How to Store Guacamole

Due to the raw avocado and veggies, this type of guacamole does not keep especially well. If you have leftovers that you’d like to save, eat them within a day or two. Fresh lime or lemon juice helps to preserve the green color, but it won't last forever. Enjoy the dip fresh, but if you need to make it ahead, press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the guacamole. The guacamole will turn brown on top, but you can just scrape off the dark top layer before using it.
Assembled guacamole with watery tomatoes and onions isn't great for freezing. You can mix the mashed avocado, salt, and lime juice and freeze that. Add it to a zip-top freezer bag, press out the air, and freeze for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge and add the other ingredients before serving.

Be Safe, Avoid 'Avocado Hand'

What is now known as "avocado hand" is one of the most common kitchen injuries. Here is how to safely cut and pit an avocado without cutting your hand:

Slice through the stem cavity straight down and cut around the pit.
Twist the two halves to open.
Using the thick end of a large knife, the part closest to the handle, carefully whack the pit, attaching it to the blade.
Lift the pit out and discard.

If you prefer, scoop out the pit. Although you might lose some flesh, it's a safe way of removing it. Alternatively, place the avocado half that has the pit in your dominant hand, and gently press from the back with your index and middle finger. If the avocado is ripe, the pit will pop out.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
188	Calories
17g	Fat
11g	Carbs
2g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	188
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 17g	22%
Saturated Fat 3g	17%
Cholesterol 6mg	2%
Sodium 120mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 11g	4%
Dietary Fiber 7g	25%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 14mg	68%
Calcium 23mg	2%
Iron 1mg	4%
Potassium 553mg	12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

Tomato
guacamole easy
appetizer
latin

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