Homemade Guacamole

Homemade guacamole can’t be beat – it is WAY better than storebought. In this recipe, avocados take the center stage, as they rightly should, with lime juice, jalapeño or poblano pepper for a bit of heat and flavor, shallot, green onion, cilantro and just a bit of sweet tomatoes. 

Homemade Guacamole

The best guacamole you will ever taste is the one you make at home. It is so much richer in flavor and will knock your socks off. Guacamole is one of those recipes that really shines when it’s made with all fresh ingredients. Plus, you can make it as mild or spicy as you like, and add the exact promotion of ingredients that you like.

Serve the guacamole with some crunchy tortilla chips or add is as a topping to tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, loaded nachos, burgers, as a side with an omelet or egg sandwich for breakfast or tuna sandwich or chicken salad wraps for lunch. It is creamy, has some crunchy elements and really sings with fresh flavors.

Once you see how easy it is to make homemade guacamole, this will be one of those recipes that you will feel confident making yourself all the time. It’s a great snack option anytime of day.

Ingredients For Guacamole:

  • Avocados – choose avocados that are fully ripe. They should give a little when you squeeze them, firm, but not rock hard. Haas avocados are the best option. 
  • Lime juice – the acidity in the lime juice will help to keep the avocados from turning brown and will add their refreshing citrusy flavor to the guacamole. 
  • Jalapeño/Poblano pepper – traditionally, jalapenos are used. They add some crunch and heat to the guacamole. Since we have lots of little children in our family and extended family, I usually use a poblano pepper instead. It has a similar flavor, but isn’t spicy. 
  • Shallot or red onion – either will work in this recipe. They are sweeter and don’t have as strong of a bite as a regular onion does, so it’s a nice option for guacamole. 
  • Green onion – I often skip the red onion and only add in green onion. 
  • Cilantro – Guacamole wouldn’t taste like guacamole without cilantro, in my opinion. Fresh herbs always make every recipe so much more flavorful. 
  • Tomatoes – Add just a bit of chopped tomatoes. Any tomatoes will work for guacamole, but regular sized tomatoes are better than cherry or grape tomatoes because you can remove the seeds more easily. 
  • Garlic – this is completely optional. Sometimes I add in a small amount, but most of the time I leave it out.
Ingredients for homemade guacamole

How to Make Homemade Guacamole:

  1. Mash the avocados. You can use a fork or a potato masher for this. You can make it whatever consistency you prefer, smooth or chunky. 
  2. Add the lime juice and mix to combine. Adding the lime juice first helps to keep the avocado from turning brown right from the start. 
  3. Add all the other ingredients to the avocados. Add the chopped jalapeno/poblano, shallot, green onion, cilantro and tomatoes.
  4. Mix to combine. Season with salt to taste. 
  5. Serve right away or store, covered, for up to a few hours in the refrigerator.
How to make guacamole tutorial

Helpful Tips

Ingredient Substitutions:

  • Use lemon juice instead of lime juice. 
  • If you don’t like cilantro, use parsley instead. 
  • Don’t like raw onions? Leave them out at use only green onions, which are more mild in flavor and easier to chop too. 
  • I often leave the fresh tomatoes out of the guacamole, especially if I am serving it with Pico de gallo (fresh tomato salsa). 
  • Try adding Hatch Valley salsa instead of the jalapeno pepper. I buy this condiment at Trader Joes and it works really well for guacamole, fresh tomato salsa (pico de gallo) and more. It will give the delicious pepper flavor anf heat to the guacamole and is so easy too. 

Want a spicier guacamole?

Use jalapeno pepper WITH the seeds. The seeds contain most of the heat, so adding them in will make the guacamole more spicy too. 

Remove the seeds from the tomato.

Tomato seeds have a lot of liquid in them, and they will make the guacamole really watery, so it is best to discard the seeds and extra juice from the tomato.

Making Guacamole in Advance:

  • I would not recommend making guacamole more than a few hours in advance. 
  • If you make it a few hours before, place some plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole, to keep it completely air tight. If you have air tight containers, you can use those as well. 
  • Don’t add the tomatoes until right before serving. They will make the guacamole more water and will get mushy as they stand. 
  • Mix the guacamole before serving it. Even if you get a bit of discoloration on the surface, if you mix it up with the green guacamole underneath, it will freshen up all the guacamole to have a more vibrant green color. 

What To Serve With Your Homemade Guacamole:

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Homemade Guacamole

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Homemade guacamole can’t be beat – it is WAY better than storebought. In this recipe, avocados take the center stage, as they rightly should, with lime juice, jalapeño or poblano pepper for a bit of heat and flavor, shallot, green onion, cilantro and just a bit of sweet tomatoes. 

  • Author: Olga’s Flavor Factory
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 56 cups 1x

Ingredients

Scale

6 avocados

23 Tablespoons lime juice

1 jalapeno or poblano pepper, minced

2 Tablespoons shallot or red onion, minced

23 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 Tablespoon thinly sliced green onion

1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Prep all the ingredients first, washing all the vegetables and herbs. Mince the jalapeño/poblano pepper, shallot/onion, cilantro, green onions and tomatoes. Set aside.
  2. Halve the avocados, remove the pits and scoop out the flesh into a medium bowl.
  3. Mash the avocados with a fork or a potato masher until it is the consistency that you like.
  4. Add the lime juice to the avocados and mix to combine.
  5. Add all the other ingredients and mix to combine. Season to taste with salt.
  6. Serve right away or store in the refrigerator for up to a few hours in advance.

Notes

Prepping in Advance and Storing Guacamole:

  • If you make it a few hours before, place some plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole, to keep it completely air tight. If you have air tight containers, you can use those as well.
  • Don’t add the tomatoes until right before serving. They will make the guacamole more water and will get mushy as they stand.
  • Mix the guacamole before serving it. Even if you get a bit of discoloration on the surface, if you mix it up with the green guacamole underneath, it will freshen up all the guacamole to have a more vibrant green color.

 

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