The Best Guacamole Recipe | How to Make The Best Guacamole (2024)

FAQs

What makes guacamole taste better? ›

Fresh lime juice and zest – They make the guacamole zesty and bright. Jalapeño – For heat. Feel free to omit it if you're sensitive to spice. A serrano pepper would work here too!

Most people prefer to use sweet white onion in their guacamole recipe. Red or yellow onion tends to give the guacamole too strong of a garlic flavor.

Pour a thin but visible layer of water or lemon/lime juice over the guacamole to form a barrier with the air. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, pushing the wrap, so it is flush with the guacamole to prevent air pockets, or put the guacamole in a sealed tub.

Adding lime juice, more chopped vegetables, or an extra avocado can make a big difference.

With ripe tomatoes so rare in the U.S., I generally leave them out.) I know what you're about to ask. "But what about oxidation?” While lime is touted as a way prevent avocados from browning, it takes a lot of lime for that to work—and it's generally a bad idea to transform a dish's taste for aesthetic reasons.

According to the Subway website, their guacamole contains Hass avocados, jalapeno puree (white vinegar, jalapeno peppers, salt), onion, garlic, and sea salt.

Tomatoes are great — but not in guac.

They don't add anything other than filler. When you eat guac, what you want is creamy avocado, fresh lime, savory onion, salt, and maybe a little cilantro, if that's your thing. I'm never putting tomatoes in my guacamole and neither should you.

Season to Taste.

If you taste your guac and it is bland, start with more salt. Next, add lime juice. Often an additional pop of citrus is all guac needs to come alive and taste better.

The lemon juice is used to give it a sour touch, and prevent it from oxidizing. However, adding too much will bitter the flavor of your guacamole.

Olive oil is rich in healthy fats and imparts a subtle richness to guacamole that makes it even more satisfying. In addition, it can help to prevent the avocado from turning brown too quickly by forming a barrier between the surface of the guacamole and the air.

Can you put too much lemon juice in guacamole? ›

Typically the recipe is 3 to 4 avocados, 1 to 2 tomatoes, 1/2 onion, 1 to 2 hot peppers, 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, 1 garlic clove (optional), and salt and pepper to taste. Adding too much lemon or lime juice can cause a very watery guacamole.

Editor's Tip: You may have heard a squirt of lemon or lime juice also keeps guacamole from browning. It's true—as long as you cover the entire surface of the dip with citrus juice.

DOES LEMON JUICE KEEP GUACAMOLE FROM TURNING BROWN? Yes! The lemon forms a barrier between the outside air and the guacamole to make sure the dip stays its greenest. Seal it in a container or with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.

Although brown guacamole isn't the most appealing, it's completely safe to eat (as long as you've stored the guacamole in the refrigerator, and it isn't more than three days old). "While a bit off-putting to look at, brown guacamole is totally safe," confirms Food Network's nutritionist, Dana Angelo White, MS RD ATC.

If you taste your guac and it is bland, start with more salt. Next, add lime juice. Often an additional pop of citrus is all guac needs to come alive and taste better.

Fun ways to customize your guacamole recipe

Your favorite regular salsa or fruit salsa. A little crunch from pepitas or even sunflower seeds. Extra heat with your favorite hot sauce. Savory goodness from crumbled cotija cheese and/or minced garlic.

Sour cream is a simple addition to your favorite guacamole recipe. Just a few tablespoons to a small batch recipe will do it. The sour cream adds a nice tang without being too overbearing and it also creates a creamy, silky mouthfeel. A fabulous contrast to the crunch of tortilla chips.

It isn't exposed to air

When avocados are exposed to air, they begin to oxidize. That's when and why they start to turn brown. But if you can eliminate any contact with air, guacamole — or even an avocado half — can be stored for longer without changing colors.