Last Updated August 25th, 2022 at 12:43 pm by Lisa
Authentic guacamole has fresh lime juice, grated onion (one of my top secrets), chopped tomato, hot sauce, and spices. The classic simple ingredients make it a delicious party food appetizer or side with Mexican food on Game Days or Cinco de Mayo parties.
Guacamole can be made in a molcajete (a traditional ancient cooking tool) or in any bowl with just a couple of forks. Scoop with crunchy tortilla chips, enjoy in tacos, on enchiladas, and taquitos.
This is the guacamole recipe I have made for years and shared countless times.
My parents were from the midwest, and it took them years to learn to love guacamole. I remember eating it at my Uncle Russ's home. He lived just an hour north of Mexico in Southern California and was a great culinary influence in my life. As a young girl, I ate the "green stuff" on a chip and it was love at first crunch...
What You Need
avocado: Hass avocados are best, but any avocado variety will work just fine. Be sure your avocados are ripe the day you want to use them.
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lime juice: fresh lime juice keeps your guacamole from turning brown and adds brightness.
diced tomato: removing the water/seeds is nice because there is no flavor in them, and plus it is unappealing. Use any ripe beautiful tomatoes.
grated onion: try red onion or sweet onion, use a fine grater or microplane, this gets the onion flavor into the guacamole but avoids the strong overwhelming taste from pieces of onion.
hot sauce: Tabasco is great, but any hot sauce will be work like Cholula or Tapatio.
sea salt, cracked pepper, and garlic powder: coarse sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, and garlic powder will make a huge difference in the flavor of your guacamole.
How to Open, Slice, and Dice An Avocado
- Slice around the avocado the long way around the seed.
- Carefully tap the avocado with a sharp blade and pop the seed out.
- Slice into long rows (use a butter knife and not a sharp knife) and then across and into cubes.
- Scoop out the avocado into a bowl or Molcajete. The small pieces are a little easier to mash into guacamole.
How To Make Guacamole
- Put the avocado in a bowl or Molcajete.
- Squeeze the lime juice over the avocado
- Grate the onion into the bowl, this helps even out the strong onion heat.
- Add diced tomatoes, seeds removed.
- Add Tabasco or hot sauce you like.
- Add sea salt, cracked pepper and garlic powder.
- Mash with a fork or in the Molcajete until chunky.
- Serve with tortilla chips and drinks.
What is a Molcajete?
Molcajete (mortar) and tejolete (pestle) are hand-carved from a single piece of basalt rock, so every piece is unique. In addition to being a great prep tool, the molcajete makes an impressive serving dish for guacamole and other party dips and salsas.
Among the world's oldest culinary tools, volcanic rock mortars and pestles like these have been used by great cooks for thousands of years. The rough interior texture of mortar helps crush and grind ingredients. The heavy pestle does the work for you, ensuring efficient grinding, blending, and mixing.
Other Ways to Use a Molcajete
Crush whole spices and make spice blends.
Make salsas.
Make pesto and other rustic sauces.
Blend and SERVE guacamole.
Squeeze lemon/lime juice over the guacamole to form a layer from the air which will turn it brown. Then, cover the dish with plastic wrap, push the wrap, so it is in contact with the guacamole, and refrigerate.
This stops the air from turning the guacamole brown. Another option is to put the guacamole in a sealed container with lemon/lime juice on top.
Another way to keep sliced avocado halves green is to place them face down in a container filled with water so it keeps air from the avocado.
You can make avocados ripen faster by placing unripe avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana for two to three days on the kitchen counter. Avocados are ripe when they press in slightly when gently pressed.
What To Serve With Guacamole?
Nothing better than icy cold Mexican drinks and crunchy tortilla chips...
Serve drinks like these Easy Margaritas great to serve for large parties or serve super fun CoronaRita Margaritas! Taco Salad is great with guacamole, and Avocado Salsa with all those crunchy tortilla chips.
More Avocado Recipes
Here in Southern California where I live, many people have avocado trees in their backyard. I often have friends or family give me shopping bags at one time which is wonderful, so I use them in my cooking all the time. Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy them...
Avocado Salsa (aka Taco Sauce) is great to drizzle on Mexican foods like tacos, burritos, taquitos or served with tortilla chips as a dip. Wedge Salad with Pistachio-Avocado Dressing is super-chilled and a refreshing cookout side with hot grilled steaks, chicken, or shish kabobs.
What are Totchos? Just nachos an American favorite appetizer we love and adore made with tater tots, now how good does that sound? Avocado Toast features artisan bread, creamy avocado, sweet heirloom tomatoes, lemon olive oil drizzle, sriracha salt, crushed hemp seeds, and microgreens to make a healthy breakfast or snack...
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How To Make Guacamole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ripe Hass avocado
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon grated onion red onion or sweet onion
- 8 drops Tabasco
- ½ seeded and diced tomato
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Slice around the avocado the long way around the seed. Carefully tap the avocado with a sharp blade and pop the seed out. Slice into long rows (use a butter knife and not a sharp knife) and then across and into cubes. Scoop out the avocado into a bowl or Molcajete. The small pieces are a little easier to mash into guacamole.
- Squeeze the lime juice over the avocado
- Grate the onion into the bowl, this helps even out the strong onion heat.
- Add diced tomatoes, seeds removed.
- Add Tabasco hot sauce.
- Add sea salt, cracked pepper and garlic powder.
- Mash with a fork or in the Molcajete until chunky.
- Serve with tortilla chips and drinks.
Excellent on tacos! I liked the added tomato, I have never had that in guacamole before and it added some nice color and taste. Always best when it's fresh!