The Best Guacamole

This is a super quick and easy recipe to make the best guacamole. This is a perfect topping for burgers, such as my chickpea quinoa burger, chorizo burger, as a dip, or as a salad topping.

Guacamole is a staple in Mexican cuisine and is my favorite dip, next to French onion. Guacamole in its simplest form is mashed avocado and salt. However, it’s a highly customizable recipe. Common ingredients include:

What are the Health Benefits?

Avocados are a great source of monosaturated fatty acids, potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, and fiber. Avocado oils may help lower cholesterol levels. Your guacamole could be packed with other awesome nutrients depending on your other ingredients.

How do I Select the Best Avocados?

The key to selecting the perfect avocado is the look and feel. Ripe avocados have darker, less shiny skin and should be slightly soft when you apply gentle pressure. Overripe avocados that are brown will be mushy to the touch. Avoid these!

A firm avocado will ripen in a paper bag or in a fruit basket at room temperature within a few days. Once ripe, they can be kept refrigerated for up to a week if they have not been sliced.

How do I Cut an Avocado?

Cut the avocado in half lengthwise with a stainless-steel knife. You may have to gently twist the two halves in opposite directions if the flesh is clinging to the pit. Remove the pit with either a spoon or with the tip of the knife.

How do I Store Guacamole?

To store your guacamole, refrigerate in an airtight container with plastic wrap. Air exposure can cause natural darkening, but the acid from the lime juice can help prevent this.

How to Blend Guacamole Ingredients

As you can see from the photos, I used a mortar and pestle (or molcajete y tejolote) to make my guacamole. These are stone tools used to crush and grind ingredients into a fine paste or powder. You can also make guacamole in a food processor or blender for a smoother consistency, or simply by hand in a bowl.

How to Make Guacamole with a Mortar and Pestle

Here’s what you need:

• 3 garlic cloves
• ½ jalapeno pepper (remove seeds)
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 2 ripe avocados
• Juice of one lime
• Salt
• Pepper

If you are using a mortar and pestle, you want to begin with making a paste with your garlic cloves and salt.

Once you’ve created your garlic paste, add the cilantro and continue to paste. Because you are turning the cilantro into a paste, I recommend using the stems. However, if you want to trim them, you can.  But don’t forget that you can save these “kitchen scraps” for other purposes, such as making a vegetable broth.

You can also add the jalapeno at this time and roughly grind/paste if you don’t want to eat chunks of the chile pepper. You can also finely dice the jalapeno and add without any further grinding.

Cut the avocados and remove the flesh directly into the mortar and smash, mixing with the paste. Add the lime juice, pepper, and additional salt to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!

The Best Guacamole

The best and simplest guacamole recipe with ripe avocados, fresh garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

  

• 3 fresh garlic cloves
• ½ jalapeno pepper (remove seeds)
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 2 ripe avocados
• juice from one lime
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Make a paste with the garlic cloves and salt.
• Once you’ve created your garlic paste, add the cilantro and continue to paste. Because you are turning the cilantro into a paste, I recommend using the stems.
• Add the jalapeno and roughly grind/paste if you don’t want to eat chunks of the chile pepper. Alternatively, you can also finely dice the jalapeno and add without any further grinding.
• Cut the avocados and remove the flesh directly into the mortar and smash, mixing with the paste.
• Add the lime juice, pepper, and additional salt to taste.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Keyword appetizer, dipping sauce, gluten-free, sandwich spread, snack, vegan