Properly made guacamole is one of those appetizers that everyone loves and it's easy to make. Delicious served with fresh corn tortilla chips, crisp flatbread(video) or warm soft flour tortillas.
This is a 4 ingredient guacamole recipe with a few of my favourite optional add-ins, you can choose to use or not.
Either way will be authentic and delicious.
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What is Guacamole?
Avocado, scallion, lime and seasoning form the basic Mexican guacamole we all know with other optional ingredients added depending on how you like yours.
Apart from margaritas, a good spicy, zingy, creamy yet chunky guacamole sets the tone for any great Mexican meal.
It usually comes with a bowl full of corn tortilla chips or crispy pork crackling called chicharrón which is used to scoop up the avo dip.
Guacamole is also very healthy. Naturally vegan, gluten-free and Keto diet-friendly. So, it's pretty much the perfect snack for everyone and all are welcome.
What should it taste like
The best guacamole recipe should be creamy and rich, while at the same time also fresh and chunky.
It should be well balanced and not be over sour from too much lime juice or bland because of a lack of seasoning.
If you're using chilli or chipotle it should have a nice bit of heat coming through but not be overly spiced.
This is achieved by picking the right ingredients and knowing how to put them together and make them sing a good song.
How to select the best avocados?
Perfectly ripe avo should not be mushy or hard. Testing this is pretty simple and there are a few things to look out for.
To test simply squeeze very gently between your palm and four fingers.
It should give slightly but still be firm and hold it's shape.
Check the colour by removing the brown stem and see if it's started discolouring already. It usually browns from the top down.
Do not poke it or press between your thumb and forefinger. It bruises the avo and you can't really tell if it's ripe, hard or bruised already from the previous folks that did the same thing.
If you can't find a ripe avo then there is always the simple solution of ripening them yourself.
How to ripen avocados and store them
Not all of us are lucky enough to live in places where there are ripe Hass avocados on demand all the time.
I'm one of those folks and this is how we ripen ours.
- Pick unblemished firm unripe avos.
- Buy a couple of bananas and a craft paper bag.
- Place your avo into the bag with the bananas and close the bag fully.
- Put the bag somewhere at room temperature.
- Let the avo ripen for about 4 days testing it after 3 days. If it needs longer let it ripen longer.
- When it's ready you should remove avocados from the bag and store them uncovered in the fridge. Try to eat them within a few days as they will become over-ripe and eventually spoil.
This process works because bananas, avocados and some other fruits like apple, kiwi, peach, and papaya release ethylene gas which in turn ripens the fruit quicker.
You can do this with any of the other fruits or just the avocado too. I find that banana works best.
How to cut an avocado correctly
Cutting avocado wrong has lead to few injuries as they are slippery, round, sometimes hard and knives used blunt.
Never cut a hard avo. Never use a blunt knife. Tears will follow.
Here's how to do it like a pro.
- Place the avo into a kitchen towel(so it don't slip) and cut lengthways until you hit the pit/stone. Rotate the avo and repeat on the other side.
- Twist and remove the one half.
- Crab the half with the pit still in it and still holding it in a kitchen towel.
- With the heel of a kitchen knife(not the tip), tap into the pit and gently twist and pull to remove it.
- You can now either scoop out the flesh with a spoon or peel the skin off.
Easy as that.
Useful equipment
Mortar & Pestle
Wooden Chopping Board
Gyuto Japanese Chefs Knife
Citrus Juicer
Ingredients
Everyone uses slightly different ingredients for making guacamole but, the fact remains. Whatever you pick. It has to be good quality and the creamiest perfectly ripe avocados.
- Avocado - Many varieties exist and for most of you, Hass avocado would be the go-to.
- Chipotle(optional) - This is smoked chilli powder. You can also use jalapenos with a bit of smoked paprika. Does the job just as well.
- Tomatoes(optional) - You should only use tomatoes if they are extremely sweet.
- Scallions - You can also use red onion but I love the mildness of scallions.
- Citrus - Lime or lemon but lime is more fragrant and more authentic Mexican. Pick lime.
How to make it
Making guacamole is a very simple process and it only requires you to be able to mash stuff up and understand the balance of flavours.
After all, we're just making a dip for chips, nothing complicated. Plus this is one of those easy peasy recipes that don't even require any complicated tools.
- Blanch, peel, deseed and roughly dice tomatoes if you are using them. (optional step)
- Wash and finely slice the scallions and add them to a large bowl.
- Add salt, pepper, lime juice and chipotle powder or chopped jalapeno. Muddle it so the flavours get to know each other. The chipotle and chilli are optional.
- Scoop out the avocado and start gently smashing it with a pestle or a fork.
- Give it a taste and adjust as you wish. Zingier? Add more lime. Want it spicier? Add more chilli or chipotle. And so on.
- Serve immediately. Preferably with some corn tortilla chips and a few wedges more lime. There's always that one person at the party that loves his guac extra zingy.
You can store it in the fridge by putting it into a container and covering it with cling wrap. Make sure the wrap touches the guacamole and seals it off totally from the air. Otherwise, you will end up with a grey layer on top.
Do not listen to some novice clown cooks out there that tells you to store this in the fridge for up to a week. It's simply bad information and no person in their right mind will store freshly made guacamole for a week.
Frequently asked questions
Make sure you are using enough lime juice and cover with plastic wrap completely touching the top. It might sometimes still discolour because the oxidation process can't be stopped once it has started. If that has happened simply scoop off the top and have the good stuff below.
The best way to store it would be in a vacuum bag sealed off from all oxygen.
The flavour and colour will start to deteriorate anyway. Storing in the fridge just slows down the process. It's freshest eaten within 48 hours maximum. After that, the flavour also starts to spoil.
You can safely freeze it for up to 6 months or possibly longer if stored airtight and correctly. This is the best way to preserve the freshness of flavour and colour ironically.
Possible variations
There are a few things you could do to modify this recipe. None of them difficult and all of them delicious.
- Top with crispy fried bacon or chorizo.
- Add fresh white cheese, like queso fresco, feta, chavroux(goat's cheese) or fresh mozzarella.
- Chopped fresh chillies.
- Drizzle with olive or avocado oil.
- Add roasted chopped nuts like pecan, almond or hazelnut.
- Yoghurt or sour cream mixed in or placed on top.
What do you eat with guacamole
- Corn tortilla chips.
- When making burritos or wraps with soft flour tortillas.
- For breakfast with baked eggs.
- On dark rye bread with cured salmon gravlax.
Related recipes
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Recipe
Easy Homemade Chipotle Guacamole
Ingredients
- 2 (2) large ripe avocados
- 4 (4) plum tomatoes - optional
- 2 g (1 teaspoon) chipotle powder - optional - note 4
- 1 (1) lime - note 5
- 30 g (5 tablespoon) scallions - chopped
- 4 g (⅔ teaspoon) salt
- 1 g (½ teaspoon) pepper
Instructions
- Blanch, peel, deseed and roughly dice tomatoes if you are using them.
- Wash and finely slice the scallions and add to a large bowl.
- Add salt, pepper, lime juice and chipotle or powder or chopped jalapeno. Muddle it so the flavours get to know each other.
- Scoop out the avocado and start gently smashing it with a pestle or a fork.
- Give it a taste and adjust as you wish. Zingier? Add more lime. Want it spicier? Add more chilli or chipotle. And so on.
- Serve immediately. Preferably with some corn tortilla chips and a few wedges more lime. There's always that one person at the party that loves his guac extra zingy.
Notes
- Store completely sealed off from air as it will go brown otherwise.
- Consume within 2 days as the flavour will deteriorate and no one wants dodgy guac.
- Can be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Use freshly chopped chilli if you want it spicier.
- You can use lemon if lime is unavailable.
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