Guacamole is so easy to make at home. The key to perfect guacamole is fresh ingredients and , loads of fresh lime juice, a few seasonings of your choice and Voila its a party! Check out the easy step-by-step recipe below.

Corn tortilla chip with guacamole on it held by a hand with a bowl of guacamole in the background

Guacamole, how I Iove thee…

I am certain that the first time I had guacamole I was well into my adulthood. I’m not sure as a child I even knew what an avocado was and these days tiny tots are ordering Avo Toast for breakfast! Guacamole is perfect as a dip with tortilla chips. It’s lovely on a burger, sandwich or a wrap. I love it with eggs. My favorite brunch is an omelet with a giant dollop of guacamole on top, spread it around, fold it over, and it’s perfection. Oh my goodness I can’t believe I almost forgot to mention all the Mexican food; taco nights, burritos, and on top of nachos! So you see guacamole is pretty much hard to live without! Fresh guacamole is definitely a crowd pleaser.

Gather these ingredients

ingredients for guacamole on a round wood cutting board that is on a gray countertop

avocados
lime juice
onion
tomato
cilantro
seasoning salt

This is how to make guacamole

using a tool to cut and take the pit out of an avocado

I am not a gadget person. I usually stick to the basics in my kitchen. However, this 3-in-1 avocado slicer from OXO is a gadget I cannot live without. Well I could, but I might slice through a thumb tendon on occasion. (This is not an add I’m not getting paid to push this tool. Just sharing.) Cut avocados the long way around, twist each half in opposite directions, pull apart, take out the pit, and scoop the fruit out into a medium bowl.

lime in left hand with right hand sticking a fork into the lime and twisting to release all the juices into the smashed avocados

2. Using a fork or a potato masher smash the avocado up to the desired consistency. To get the best results you want to use lots of lime juice. The flavor of the lime juice is a key component and the citric acid from the juice keeps your avocados from turning brown.

squeezing lime juice over smashed avocados in a bowl

3. Best way to juice a lime: wash first then using the heal of your hand roll limes, squishing down on them to break up the pulp inside, releasing the juices. Cut limes in half between the belly buttons. The easiest way is to take one half of the lime in the palm of your non-dominant hand, and with your dominant hand take a fork and stick it into the middle of the lime and twist, and squeeze. Squeeze lime juice over smashed avocados.

hand holding a fully squeezed lime over a bowl of smashed avocado

Squeeze until there is nothing left inside that little guys. Literally squeeze the guts out of him, and then mix all that beautiful lime juice in with your smashed avocados. Honestly, I think an abundance of fresh squeezed lime juice and perfectly ripe avocados is the secret ingredient to good guacamole.

mixing lime juice into smashed avocados that are in a dark gray stone bowl on a gray countertop

We prefer our guac recipe with lots of lime juice. I chose to go middle of the road for this recipe. So feel free to take it down to the juice of one lime or add more if you like!

smashed avocados and lime juice in dark gray stone bowl with diced onion, cilantro and diced tomato and seasoning on top, hand on left side of bowl right hand is starting to stir

4. Add in diced red onion, diced tomato, and chopped fresh cilantro with seasoning blend. Stir to combine these simple ingredients.

right hand stirring guacamole in dark gray stone bowl on a gray countertop

5. Stir all of these ingredients in while at the same time continuing to smash the avocados so all ingredients are incorporated well.

bowl of guacamole garnished with cilantro and tortilla chips

Tips & Variations

Keeping Guacamole Fresh – One thing about this homemade guacamole recipe is that it really needs to be made the day you are going to eat it. If you are making it a few hours ahead of time, take a layer of plastic wrap and place it directly on top of the guacamole, pressing it evenly over the top so no air can touch the dip, then cover with a lid. It’s best to store in an airtight container until you are ready to serve. Guacamole keeps its beautiful bright green color with more more citric acid and the less air that touches it.
Choosing the best Avocados from your grocery store can be hard. Here are a few tips. 1. make sure that the stem is still intact. 2. Do not get avocados that are too ripe. When testing avocados for ripeness, they should only give you the slightest give when squeezed. I would liken it to a perfectly pumped up volleyball, it should give just a little. Does this make sense? I tend to purchase avocados that are hard and need a few days to ripen. As soon as they are perfectly ripe I put them in the refrigerator, they will stay at the perfectly ripe stage for a few days in the refrigerator. 3. If you cut into an avocado and it is black inside, or stringy I would not use it. There is no use trying to use bad avocados to make guacamole. You really need perfect avocados to make the best guacamole.
Paper Bag: If avocados are really hard place them in a paper bag with a banana or an apple seal up the bag with a chip clip. Check daily to for the progression of ripening. It will speed things along but could still take up to 3 days.
Spicing it up a bit! I quite often will add 1 jalapeno pepper diced finely to my guacamole. My husband has an aversion to garlic so I do not add garlic unless he is not around, then I will add 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic. You can chop up a fresh garlic clove if you prefer fresh garlic. I think the granulated garlic is more subtle.
Pico de Gallo : If you are making my pico de gallo recipe, the easiest way ever to make restaurant-worthy guacamole is to take 1/2 cup of the pico de gallo plus the juice of one lime and and mix it in with 3 smashed avocados!
Consistency of guacamole : We prefer our guacamole chunkier, however if you prefer smoother guacamole, you can do the first 3 steps in a food processor then scoop it out and fold in the finely chopped onion, tomato, cilantro, and seasonings.

I hope you enjoy this guac recipe! I promise once you make it your family will be pestering you for more! I have shared a few recipes below that pair perfectly with guacamole! Enjoy! Sheila

Our favorite recipes to enjoy guacamole with