A Recipe for Guacamole

A ripe avocadoAn internet search for guacamole will reveal many, many recipes. I haven’t tried them all, but I have tried quite a few of them. Here’s the one that has become my “go to” recipe, along with a few tips that I’ve learned while making it.

The recipe

  • 3 avocados, peeled and pitted
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • Cayenne pepper, to taste

Guacamole ingredients

In a medium mixing bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in the onion, cilantro, salt, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper. Guacamole can be served immediately, or refrigerated for one hour for best flavor.

Recipe Tips

Here are some things of the unwritten things I’ve learned while making guacamole:

  1. Since avocados are the main ingredient, the quality and ripeness of the avocados are the most important factor of a good guacamole recipe. Ripe avocados will be a dark brown all over and will be ever so slightly soft. If the avocados are green or too firm, then it will be very difficult to mash, if not impossible. Avocados that are too soft, or overripe, will produce a guacamole that is watery and that doesn’t have a deep, rich flavor. It takes some experience here, but after a few batches, you should be able to tell when the avocados are the proper ripeness.
  2. When mashing, you don’t want to over do it until the avocados are creamy. You want to leave the avocados a little chunky with cubes around a quarter-inch or so scattered throughout the mixture. If you like things chunkier, you could even go bigger. Keep in mind that the chunks will get reduced further after mashing when you stir in the remaining ingredients.
  3. I like to go a little heavier on the garlic, pressing in about 4 good-size cloves. It’s probably closer to 1-1/2 teaspoons than 1 teaspoon. Of course, my family is a big fan of garlic, so you may want to go a little lighter if garlic isn’t your thing.
  4. I also go pretty liberal with the cayenne pepper. I don’t measure but try to put an even, light coating over the mixture after all the ingredients have been mixed together. The avocados, combined with the lime juice, garlic, and cayenne pepper give the guacamole a a nice sweetness at first taste, and then a little bit of bite on the back-end. It’s one of those things that you just need to experiment with to dial in how you like it.

Guacomole


Guacamole has become a family favorite in our house. We all get involved in the making and split up the tasks. It takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish, and it’s usually gone with 2-3 days of making it. In addition to using it as a dip with tortilla chips, it’s great with quesadillas, and even better when added to scrambled eggs. Eggs and guacamole have become one of the most sought after dishes in our house.

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