Easy Recipe for Guacamole (5 Minutes!)
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I have been making this easy guacamole recipe at least once a week for years and have learned some tricks to make it the best. With nearly 500 reviews, you can trust that this guacamole recipe is perfect every time.
Making guacamole is incredibly simple, so don’t be intimidated. I’ll show you how it’s done with just a few simple ingredients in about 5 minutes.
And the proof is in the comments. Renee writes, “This is my go-to recipe for guacamole now. I make it for every party and event and get tons of compliments on how amazing it is.” And Kimberly wrote, “I made this for the first time for a cinco de mayo party and now it’s my go to guac. It’s so easy to make!”
Key ingredients
There are lots of different ways you can make guacamole. After years of making my favorite dip, I’ve found that the best result comes when you use just a handful of fresh ingredients. This recipe is my go-to, and how I make it 90% of the time.
- Lime juice: Fresh limes are always best!
- Garlic: Finely minced so you don’t end up biting into chunks of garlic.
- Avocados: The star of the show.
How to choose a ripe avocado
Selecting a perfectly ripe avocado can be challenging: opt for one that’s under-ripe, and you’ll be met with a hard, inedible texture. Go for an overly ripe one, and you’ll end up with a mushy, brown mess. Not appetizing, right? Luckily, there are tips to find a perfectly ripe avocado:
- Begin your search for ‘the one’ by looking for dark avocados. When you find one, give it a gentle squeeze. Does it give just a little without giving in and feeling hollow? Awesome! This could be the one.
- Once you’re 99% sure you’ve found a good one, look under the stem. If it looks green, you’re good to go. If it’s brown, it’s past its prime.
What if I can’t find a ripe avocado?
Finding a ripe avocado can feel like finding your soul mate; the more you want one, the harder it is to find. Use the paper bag trick to help turn an under-ripe avocado into a guacamole-ready one. All you have to do is put the avocado (or a few avocados) and an apple in a paper bag. Close the bag and set it aside on your counter. In about a day, you’ll have a ripe avocado. You can also put under-ripe avocados in your fruit bowl to help them ripen. The ethylene gas that fruit releases helps the ripening process and makes your hard avocado perfectly soft.
How to cut an avocado
To cut an avocado, hold it in your hand and cut through the skin at the stem—the top of the avocado. Now, turn the avocado so that the knife cuts all the way around to the other side. Once you’ve cut the skin, hold onto the two halves and twist them apart.
To remove the pit, tap it with the heel of your knife (the part of the blade closest to the handle). It should dig into the pit just enough for you to pull it out.
If you’re a visual learner, watch how to cut an avocado at the beginning of this video.
How to store homemade guacamole
While this guacamole recipe is best eaten shortly after it’s made, storing it in the fridge is possible. If left for too long, the avocados can oxidize, which causes them to brown. So, how do you prevent homemade guacamole from browning? Here’s the best way to store leftover guacamole:
Put it into a bowl and smooth the top with a spoon. Now, take a piece of plastic wrap and press it firmly onto the guacamole so that there are no air pockets. Your guac will stay fresh for 2-3 days in your fridge. You can also keep the avocado pits and put them back in the guacamole when refrigerating. An extra squeeze of lime juice also helps, as it creates acidic conditions that slow down the enzymes that cause browning.
You can also use parchment paper or beeswax food wraps for plastic-free storage. Neither option works as well as plastic, but we think it’s worth it. Don’t worry; the guacamole only turns a tiny bit brown on the surface, and you can use a spoon to scrape off the little bit of brown guacamole before eating the rest.
Watch how to make this recipe
Simple Guacamole Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ripe avocados
- 1 lime
- 1-2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Optional Ad-Ins
- 1 medium roma tomato (seeded and diced)
- ¼ cup minced white onion
- ¼ cup minced cilantro
- 1 jalapeño pepper (seeded and minced)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- To cut the avocados, run a knife around the avocado (from top to bottom) and twist it in half. Pull out and discard the pit. Using a spoon or your thumb, remove the flesh and place it into a medium-sized bowl.3 ripe avocados
- Use a fork to gently mash each avocado half several times so the guacamole is creamy but still a bit chunky.
- Squeeze the lime into the bowl with the avocado. Add the garlic, salt, and any/all or none of the optional ingredients and stir them into the guacamole. Taste and add more salt if needed.1 lime, 1-2 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 1 medium roma tomato, ¼ cup minced white onion, ¼ cup minced cilantro, 1 jalapeño pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Serving this recipe for guacamole
The classic way to eat guacamole is with crunchy tortilla chips, but it’s great served as a dip for veggies, too. Here are a few other ways to serve guac:
- Loaded onto Mexican pork carnitas.
- Dolloped on top of these Mexican nacho fries
- With some shrimp fajitas
- Or this fajita stuffed chicken
And don’t forget to treat yourself to a fizzy lime margarita!
Guacamole variations
There are plenty of other tasty things you can also add to authentic guacamole recipes, but keeping it simple with lime juice, garlic, and salt means you can whip up a bowl of guac in no time. I have a few options in the recipe card, but here are a few more you can try to really kick it up a notch. Choose one or two and make it your secret ingredient.
- Cojita or feta cheese.
- Sour cream or greek yoghurt makes the guac creamier and prevents it from browning.
- Corn for little bites of sweetness.
- Chopped fruit, like pineapple or mango, adds a tropical flair!
Thank you for making my dinner a Hit!
You are so welcome!!
Can you use minced garlic from a jar
I’ve never used garlic from a jar before. Does it taste like fresh garlic? If it does, then it should be just fine. 🙂
I made this for the first time for a cinco de mayo party and now it’s my go to guac. It’s so easy to make! Sometimes I add in your suggested extras but most of the time I jsut make it as it.
So happy you like the recipe!!
It never lasts long, does it? Homemade is the best!!
Mostrar muito, deve ter ficado muito gostoso.
This is my go-to recipe for guacamole now. I make it for every party and event and get tons of compliments on how amazing it is. I have to double or triple the recipe because it gets eaten so fast. Thank you for sharing this!
I make it in its basic form, but add in finely diced red onions. The secret with the onions is to deflame them by letting them soak in scalding hot water for about 10 minutes, then rinsing them with cold water.
That’s so great to hear! Even after all these years it is still my go to recipe, too!
I love how quick and easy this recipe is. Sometimes it’s nice to keep things simple and let the main ingredient shine. Will make this again.
Thanks, Kimberly! I love this basic recipe, too. 🙂
Wow this looks amazing!
It’s delicious!
Great recipe, turned out delcious. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
You’re so welcome!
Why do you not want it to turn brown? Is it not fit to eat when it is brown? Furthermore, why do you give a recipe with three avocados and then tell us to eat it right away or I suppose you mean in one serving.
It seems to me if you want guacamole on a sandwich it would be better to just slice an avocado up and sprinkle on some garlic powder and lime juice and salt? If you want to eat some avocado with chips then just mash an avocado and stir in some salsa.
Avocados, like apples, will oxidize and turn brown when exposed to air. While it’s not unsafe to eat, it’s not very appetizing looking. If you’re only making guacamole for yourself, you can cut the recipe down to one avocado. Otherwise, the recipe will serve 3-4 as a snack/ appetizer.
Love guacamole and this is the BEST EVER,
Thank you so much, Mary!!
Best ever sooo easy love it thank you!!!
could I use lemon juice instead of lime? Thank you!
Absolutely! I prefer lime better but lemon also works 🙂
Awesome recipe! I love guacamole 🙂
Thanks for sharing.
Simone
Like it easy to remember too thanks
If you cover with plastic wrap allways make sure its the type that can come into contact with food some tell you not to let it touch any food.
LOVE GWOCK YUmmmmmmm
I had no idea that some plastic wrap should’t come in contact with food. Thanks for the heads up! I checked mine right away and it seems to be ok 🙂
Pomegranate in guacamole is delicious.
Great idea!
This was awesome, there is so much flavour with little ingredients. I choose to add finely chopped onion and cilantro, and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!