This is the best guacamole recipe ever. Make it! Everyone will love it, but go easy on the serrano chiles if you have people who are spicy-sensitive. Again, it's delicious. I'm about to make some right now.

Thanks for the great guacamole recipe! Mmmm. Minced garlic is a great addition to homemade guacamole too.

Southern California girl here and I agree, add the garlic and for some reason a splash, and I mean a splash, of vinegar adds something, not sure why but my college roommate taught that and her people were from (no kidding) Chihuahua Mexico...
Don't forget to save a pit from the avocado for any leftovers. If you put it in the leftovers, they don't seem to brown as bad...

Your Guac recipe is about the same is mine. I use green onions instead of the red onion and I use jalopenos vs. the serrano chiles.

I'm a purist when it comes to good Guacamole. You will never find mayo, sour cream or anything else like that in mine. I also use Haas avocados for the best flavor.

Also, an nice variation is to use the juice from a half of an orange. This is my favorite guacamole in the world, but I add a bit more orange juice when I make it at home.

Your recipe for guacamole is one of the most classic and best tasting that I also recommend to customers who ask. I have been processing and selling guacamole direct from the source in Mexico for the past 18 years so we know a bit about good guacamole. I also love cottage cheese yet would never mix it or sour cream with avocado. I would rather make a bit less than attempt to stretch it. Pure Hass Avocado, tomato, onion, serrano peppers, cilantro, lime, salt, garlic, and spices make the best Guacamole. Thanks, Michael

Nice recipe!

I added these ingredients with a great result:
- 1 clove of fresh garlic (Squeeze through press and add)
- 5 drops of Green Tabasco Sauce
- 1 teaspoon of ground Cumin. Adds even more mexican flavor!

The tip about the pit is absolutely true. I even keep it in my mixture during the entire prep process all the way through serving.

Having grown up in texas, I've had a lot of guac. One variation has semi-ripe bananas (right about the time it stops being slimy) diced up in it. It's a small surpise of sweetness that balances well against the tomato, cilantro, and peppers well.

Is it awful to say that sometimes I add mashed peas to my guacamole? It's actually quite lovely :)

Re: cutting avocado, just use a large kitchen spoon to scoop the avocado out. Also, if you want to keep the guac from spoling quickly, leave the seed in the middle of the serving bowl. Funny trick, but it works.

Thanks for your recipe - I've been looking for one for ages and yours just takes the cake. Living in New Zealand we don't have much guacamole but now I make it almost every week! Thanks.

Thank you for this guacamole recipe! I have been looking for a simple, pure guacamole for almost two months, since we discovered my husband has a severe sensitivity (delayed reaction allergy) to all dairy! He will be so happy to have a "legal" condiment besides ketchup & mustard (which sometimes have other ingredients he shouldn't consume). I'd love to see more wheat-free/gluten-free/dairy-free recipes on here!

I love guacamole, it's one of my favorite foods. I use a simple recipe of avocado, sweet yellow onion, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, garlic salt and olive oil. I mash it all up with a potato masher, it's always a big hit. A tiny bit of lemon adds some mild zip to it.

I think I'm going to try this recipe next time, I love roasted serrano chilies.

You can say what you want about guacamole purists.

My secret ingredient is a tbsp of miracle whip per avocado.

For 10 years I've never had a single person tell me that it wasn't the best guacamole they'd ever had.

I was never a big fan of guacamole, but my mom LOVES it, and said your recipe was amazing. However, she did vary it a little (purists beware!) She mixed in cream cheese with it, and even I was in love! thanks for all your wonderful recipes!

I'm a purist, too, when it comes to guac (fellow Texan here!), but your recipe is fairly similar to mine, although I add garlic to taste, and cumin, and WHITE pepper, which I think has a better flavor. (Though, admittedly, it may just be an appearance preference.) Also, as for keeping the guac green in the fridge, along with putting the pit back in, instead of putting it in a tupperware container with air inevitably at the top, try either putting it into a zip-seal baggie and pressing out all the air, or putting a layer of plastic wrap directly touching the entire top surface of the bowl of guac (air being what makes the avocado go brown quickly).

A little salt, garlic, lemon juice added to some mashed avocado is what does it for me.

One time I tried a guacamole recipe with garlic. But I didn't know how much a "clove" was. So I minced the entire huge bulb of garlic.

I made it for my girlfriend. She was very polite as she said, "I love it!" but the tears streaming from her eyes and the steam shooting out of her ears betrayed her :)

To keep your guacamole from EVER turning brown, add some chopped or pureed tomatillos. Works fantabulously better than citrus juice, vinegar or the seed! (though you probably still want lime juice for flavor)

There is a great little restaurent in San Antonio that makes the guacomole right at your table and it is sooo good .. one thing they do that I started to add when I make it is to squeeze some fresh orange juice into it .. it adds something just perfect!

I made this for a party on Saturday. It was a big hit and the best guacamole I think I have ever made.
I tripled the recipe and it was eaten up by the party goers in a flash. I am going to make some more for my family this week. I think the cilantro makes it! Thanks for the yummy recipe!

Great recipe. Keeping it simple allows the taste of the avocados and cilantro shine through. Nothing ruins a great guacamole like chili powder or garlic.

For you guacamole purists, I also make an avacado dip with cream cheese, but not to confuse it with the real deal, I call it avacado mash and eat it plain on tortillas -- just take a block of well softened cream cheese, mash it up with several large avacados until the texture looks right, then add salsa to taste. Mix it all up, serve it on a tortilla and you have a perfect summer snack that doesn't involve many dishes or crumbs! (warning, it looks a lot more like baby poo than guacamole, so your visual eaters might be afraid!)

Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I made it for some friends and it was thoroughly enjoyed. Garlic does make an nice addition and adds lots to the flavour however, next time I'm going to try orange juice in the guacamole like someone suggested.
Can't wait to eat this again!

I wanted to add that I have found using a potato masher to mash the avocados creates a very nice and creamy texture (while still leaving some lumps) and is easier than doing it with a fork. I'm a guac purist as well and make mine almost the same as this, except I add garlic powder (used to use fresh garlic, the powder permeates the dish better) and use jalapenos.

Hands down the best guac recipe i've tried! Thanks for sharing.

Molli is a Spanish congnate for the English word Milled. aka. Molido & Semolina.

Aguacate is the Spanish word for Avocado. It's probably derived from the Central American word.

This is almost the same recipe ive used for years! like some others, I also add a little garlic, and sometimes I even add a little crumbled bacon. Thanks~

I always put in some garlic. I often put in chipotle pepper powder and cumin. Garlic's tricky. roasted is best, fresh is sometimes too sharp, and powder is cheap but works.

I also sometimes use cider vinegar instead of lime, which is surprisingly good (even though different.) I do this because I have no limes :) Lemon also offers a different, slightly brighter flavor.. not as musky as lime.

Molly, I'm with you 120% on your potato masher comment. I prefer the 'wire zigzag' kind. You hit the avocados with that thing and in seconds, done. It helps keep the chunks in there along with all the creamy puree.

My mother's friend taught me to make guacamole when I was a teenager, and my family loves it. They often find an excuse for me to make it when I visit home. I've discovered after a bad day at work, beating up some avacados and then eating a bowl of this with some corn chips is a guilty pleasure.

I've never known guacamole any other way. From readng here, I realize my recipe would horrify purists. Whoops! So I guess I'll also have to start calling mine "avacado dip" or something like that...

Mash avacados, mix in a generous tablespoon of mayonaise per avacado. A good squirt of bottled lemon juice, a generous teaspoon of powered garlic salt, a dash of tabasco, salt and pepper (white seems to be better). Mix well.

Now that I'm slowly learning to use fresh herbs and other ingredients that never showed up in my mom's kitchen, I'm going to have to try some variations. The cilantro, lime joice, and finely diced onions all sound like delicious additions.

Elise, I think I say this anytime I leave a comment, but thank you soo much for this site! You inspire my fledglng cooking skills, your gorgeous pictures tempt me, your recipes are easy to follow, with lots of great commentary from you, and input from so many wonderful people. Every recipe I try from this site, or the other food blogs you recommend, I get many wonderful encourging compliments. My friends had despaired I would starve if packaged dinners didn't exist, but now they begin to have hope for me in the kitchen!

Just a little tip about guacamole. If you keep the avocado pits in the guacamole either until right before you serve it (or while you are storing it) it will keep it from becoming brown. My friends have gotten used to the pits in my guacamole so they have stopped asking what or why they are there and have started stealing my idea! :) I usually take them out though if I am taking it somewhere for the first time.

Hi! I just wanted to mention that another great ingredient to add to guacamole is a little bit of garlic. For the recipe you provided, 1 clove (or 2 for garlic lovers) should do. It would need to be minced finely. I usually blend all ingredients (minus the avocados) together before mixing it in with the avocado.

Another fun thing to do is to squeeze some fresh orange juice into the dip.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes!!

Yet another Texas girl's opinion: I include garlic powder (which is a bit milder than fresh garlic), cumin/comino, and white pepper in my guacamole, but the seasoning I consider most essential is coriander.

Good recipe!!!

It should be emphasized that along with 'sheltering' your Guacamole from air, the lime plays an important role.

You don't want a brownish guac, that's for sure!

It does sound like my dad's recipe, which is really good too! =)

cheers!

"ahuacatl" is not the aztec word for avocado*, it is the aztec word for testicle, which they also used to describe what we call avocados because of their testicle-like shape. That'll make you think twice when chopping into one with a knife, eh guys?

Hi, I've been following your blog for a while now on my Google homepage, and we tried the HMO and the guacamole tonight (we waited a bit in between, no worries). It was so yummy! Mom used onion powder for the HMO, and it worked just fine. While she was making that, I was at the store buying the guacamole ingredients and more pasta because we had nearly run out. Whoops. For the guacamole, we used just a little onion, no pepper, and half the cilantro. I put a bit extra lime juice in my little bowl once I dished it up. We'll probably use all the suggested cilantro next time, but other than that, it was awesome! Next time Mom says to make a double batch. ^_^ Which means I'll have more practice getting the pit out of the avacado...can't quite seem to get it right, so ended up using a spoon. Not bad for a first try though.

Thanks for sharing! I love your pictures too, they make my day!
~Katie P.

That looks and sounds delicious! As a serving suggestion, try serving it with pork rinds as the scooping vehicle.

I had fresh made guacamole and pork rinds at the Herradura Distillery in Mexico. A perfect combination.

Photogenic, too:

http://www.friday.com/bbum/2007/01/24/mexico-casa-herradura-guacamole-pork-rinds/

I just whipped up a batch of guacamole and thought to see what recipes can be found on the web. I'm a purist (avacado, salt, lemon, and garlic (blush)) but I want to try some of the variations....cottage cheese and the orange juice sound very good. Avacodos are a healthy snack but when you make guacamole go easy on the salt, and I would recommend low-fat cottage cheese instead of mayo. If you are doing the low carb thing, you can eat this stuff with a spoon or put it on your open-face sandwich.

Your recipe closely resembles what I had in Northern Mexico as a child. One common addition is a teaspoon or so of Knorr Suissa Caldo de Pollo, a powdered chicken bouillon used ubiquitously in Mexico. Also, I use key limes, which again are much more common in Mexico than lemons.

Regarding testing for ripeness, an elderly gentleman in a grocery store once showed me a trick for testing avocados that doesn't damage them in the way that poking at them does. He said to gently test the stem and see if it wiggled. If so, the avocado is ready to eat. It has never failed me...and it's also a good way to tell if they are overripe. If that is the case, the stem will be completely wobbly and possibly break off.

Your blog is so addictive, particularly for a newbie cook like myself. This is the first (and definitely not the last) item I cooked from your blog for a bridal shower. It was a total hit and I was so proud of my final product!

Some notes on what I did: every ingredient I used, I tried to buy an organic version of it. I think it gave it a fresh taste. I also added garlic (one clove per 2 avocados) because I love it so much, so that also added another layer of taste. And lastly, I would recommend adding more cilantro if you love it. I love it and used exactly how much you recommended, but I wish that I had used more because it's my fave ingredient in guacamole.

Thank you!

We recently returned from a trip to Cabo San Lucas Mexico. Fresh Pico De Gallo was served at most all the resturants we ate at. We also ordered guacamole many afternoons with chips while enjoying a cocktail or two. We had been to Mexico before but stayed at an All-Inclusive resort. We never were able to sample many different resturants. Anyway upon returning home to the Midwest I longed for the fresh Pico and Guac. I have now made both your recipes twice...I love them, Thank You!!!

This truly is the best guacamole that I have ever made. I am throwing away all of my other recipes!

Another TX girl here. I love guacamole, but am a bit lazy in making it. I use a pastry cutter to do the mashing and mixing all at the same time. I just add some lime pepper (a blend I found at Sam's Club) and a few spoonfuls of salsa (homemade and canned each summer). Lime is my favorite flavor to have with guac, so sometimes I'll serve it with lime flavored tortilla chips. Yum!

Guacamole ... I could eat it everyday -- on everything. Such a simple thing, yet so delicious. I'm going to smash up some avocado now and try your recipe.

We had some members make this recipe, and it was HIGHLY praised. Thanks again for the great food!

I want to second a couple of these comments, I guess. I love guacamole, and make it all the time. Similar recipe, but I add cumin, coriander, and fresh garlic. I squeeze the garlic through a press. I use jalepenos instead of serrano, and leave out the cilantro.

I agree with the other Texas girl up there, the coriander is very important :) My favorite spice.

Hi

The guacamole is excellent! spicy but flavorful. Love the texture of the avocados. However, I noticed that almost all recipes with avocados here are on the savory side. Here in the Philippines, we make avocadoes into ice cream, smoothies or a simple chilled dessert. Here's how:

Cube or slice avocadoes into bite size pieces, let macerate with sugar for a few minutes - depends on how sweet you want it to be. Then pour in a generous amount of evaporated or fresh milk. Chill. You can eat this as it is or you can puree everything to make a nice smoothie or run it in the ice cream maker. Delicious.

This recipe is very close to my own and it's delicious! I like to use plum tomatoes because they are a bit meatier with less pulp. I also think the lime juice gives it a more plesing flavor than lemon juice, but as you pointed out, that's personal preference.

You have a beautiful blog!

Your recipe is pretty much identical to mine, although like many of the other readers I do like to add garlic every once in a while (but not tonight; I've just made guacamole for dinner). But I do have two tips to share.

First, when preparing guacamole, I always chop/dice/squeeze all ingredients -- except for the avocados -- first. This is an especially useful tip when you are taking the guac to a party; prepare everything else in advance and then whip out the avocados and add them to the mix when you arrive at the party (or your guests arrive at your party).

Second, if you don't have a potato masher or other tool, the best way to mash the avocados is by hand (or with the back of a wooden spoon if you don't want to get your hands messy). I prefer using my hands, and I think I got that from some cookbook or suggestion. This way you get an uneven mash with some chunks, but you get a good feel for the mixture. Basically, prepare all the ingredients and then wash your hands. Cut apart your avocados and pull out the pits. Peel the avocado skin off and break the avocados into pieces into your mixture, then turn on the warm water. Now you can rather quickly mush everything together - this is the most fun part of making guacamole to me. When you have a mostly creamy texture with some lumps of avocado remaining, scrape the remnants off your hands, lick the extra (a must for taste-testing) and then wash your hands. You turned on the water in advance so you didn't have to get your faucet handles dirty. :)

In Mexican restaurants where they mix the guac at the table, they have all the ingredients ready and then they open the avocados and mush them with the mixture with the back of a spoon. This also keeps the smooth/chunky consistency that people seem to like so much.

Buen provecho!

Elise, I made this quacamole last weekend and got RAVES. It is hands down the best I've ever had. I did add a couple of garlic cloves and a tiny splash of vinegar per Martha's suggestion above. Fantastic!

Something I discovered--you CAN freeze guacamole as long as you use a food processor or chopper to make it very smooth. If there are any chunks in it, it won't defrost well. I've tried it after someone gave me a whole box of beautiful avacadoes that I couldn't possibly eat in time. I was very happy with the results.

Awesome! Your recipe for guac is almost ingredient-for-ingredient like mine, and mine gets raves whenever anyone tries it. There was one exception though. I add a bit of fresh or powdered garlic to mine.

Also when I'm lazy or out of fresh ingredients, I will make a quick guac with my fav salsa, garlic powder, and onion salt (not a lot of the powders, and to taste). Its still very good.

I love guacamole, its my fav thing to snack on.

Help! Okay all you guac lovers, question here: August to mid-September is avocado season, so much so that lots of it end up being thrown out. After mid September you have to buy the imported ones which are very expensive! I want to be able to do a hugh batch for my party 6th October, how could I store this without it getting brown and squashy?
Signed: Desperately in need of help for Mexican theme party

My parents are both Mexican, and I've lived along the Texas/Mexico border my whole life, and our version of the guacamole is a lot different.

First, White onion instead of red, jalapenos instead of serranos, no lime (it takes away the flavor of the avocado), and the only garnish is the tortilla chips.

Austin, Texas, here:

I agree, use the best avocados, go easy on the salt, use white onion instead of red (you really don't have to use tomatoes, but if you do, add only at the last minute, sparingly and drained of juice).

My 'secret' ingredient, besides the onion, is a dollop of mayonnaise (never Miracle Whip). How much depends on how large a batch of guacamole you're making: it gives a texture and sheen that people can't identify, but love.

I am thrilled to have found this recipe. As I am preparing to ring in the new year, I have decided to go all out and prepare this quacamole recipe since I have some avacados on my counter that are just ripe. I will let you know how I make out. Happy New Year Guacamole Fans!!

This recipe sounds just like mine, only I add a couple splashes of worchestershire sauce and 5 or 6 drops of Tobasco Habenero Sauce to it, I like spicey foods, I just try not to over do it for my guests.

Elise -

I've been using this great recipe for awhile and I think it works better with a lot more onion, a little more lime, and a tad more salt. Then again, I'm Indian, so I have an unusual fondness for onions.

This recipe turned out GREAT! I loved it. Thank you so much for this wonderful effort that you've made!

I feel like such a virgin but this is the first time I have tried guacamole! YUM! Who Knew? Thanks for the simple recipe. I am just a simple Kiwi girl Stil trying to work out how to work her computer!

Cheers from New Zealand

In Mexico we used to leave the avocado seeds in the mixture once is done to slow the oxidation process and trust me, it works. The lemon or lime juice gives the guacamole a different flavor so you can try and avoid it from time to time if you want to taste another version.

I eat the avocados directly with bread (it does matter for the bread to have a really good taste, normal white bread doesn't work here, unless you are very hungry).

I will try your version! Thanks!

As a southern cal native I have eaten a lot of good and bad (well- its pretty hard to make bad guacamole: bland for sure) This is a good "restaurant style" guac recipe- sure to please. I agree with the users who suggest a splash of vinegar or orange juice- the little acidity gives it a unique zing that stands out and will make guests say "What is in this - it's so good!" Other additions to kick it up - a little garlic and onion powder.

Hi

Wanted to share experience in the trek for perfect Guac. First of all it is not possible since there are too many things wich affect the taste overall. It can happen but rarely. Here are my experiences;

1) Onions become bitter if you shred, chop or slice whatever the case sinceonion by nature have a very bitter taste. four things affect the taste for the better, Lemon, salt, vinegar and sugar. You could try cooking it for a short time and thi will also help.

2) A Cheese also can seriously alter the taste of the Guac. This being cottage or ricotta. If you want to seriously tone down the taste of Guac,in case it comes out to strong add ricotta or cottage or a nice soft cheese of some kind. This also makes the guac lighter in color along with giving it a good tase. Use a little just for color and taste.

3) Recommend strongly in using a little orange juice. if you do use some, do not add any sweetners(sugar, honey or other) of any kind. Also will blend away the taste of lemon and onion bitterness.

4) If using vinegar, recommend adding a little olive oil to reduce the acidic taste of the vinegar. I use apple cider vinegar.

5) I add a little evaporated milk after shaking the can. Just enough to have all the flavors blend. You can also add a little green healthy taco mix wich contains tomatillo and jalapeno.

6) If you mash the avocado then you must increase the ingredients since all the fat in the avocado will dilute the other ingredients. If you leave it in cubes then you can go easyon the ingredients. 2-3 garlics and 2-3 green onions chopped very very fine and mashed together goes well with 3 medium avocados mashed. You can forgo the cilantro if you put all the green onion into the mixture which includes the stem.

Mix the blend and leave it in the fridge a few hours. Before you add the Avicado leave it at room temp for 30 minutes. Add any chees after you add the avocado or better yet add avocado and let it stand for 30 minutes. Then add any cheeses if taste is too strong. I have added so much lemon without tasting of lemon and left it overnight in fridge without turning black at all. Only very very slight discoloration resulted yet did not taste of lemon or vinegar.

good luck in your trek for the perfect Guac

my two cents

Another variation - add 1 oz. of TEQUILA! - yummy

The trick to good guac is adding a bit of cumin....trust me:)