Easy Guacamole Recipe (ready in 5 minutes)

I’ve made this guacamole more times than I can count, and after years of weekly batches I’ve landed on a version that’s simple, balanced, and reliably good. The base recipe is just avocado, lime, garlic, and salt, which is actually the most traditional approach, and from there you can add whatever suits the moment. Nearly 500 readers have made it and kept coming back, which I think says more than anything I could write here.

Why less is more

The best guacamole I’ve ever eaten was at a small restaurant in Mexico, and it was made tableside with three ingredients: avocado, lime, and salt. No tomato, no cumin, no garlic even. It was extraordinary. I’ve thought about that bowl every time I’ve made guacamole since, and it shaped how I approach this recipe: start with the purest version and add from there, rather than throwing everything in from the start.

The base recipe here is avocado, lime juice, garlic, and salt. That’s all you actually need. The optional add-ins in the recipe card- tomato, white onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and cumin- are exactly that: optional. Some nights I make the simple version. For a party, I’ll add everything. The point is that a great guacamole doesn’t need to be complicated.

The texture question

I make my guacamole chunky, and I think that’s the right call. The goal is to mash each avocado half a few times with a fork rather than working it into a smooth paste. You want some texture left so that each chip scoop has a mix of creamy and slightly firm pieces. If you like it smoother, keep going. Neither is wrong, but I find the chunky version more satisfying to eat.

The one technique detail that changes everything

Add your salt before the lime juice, not after. Salt draws out a little moisture from the avocado flesh and seasons it more deeply than if you add it at the end. Then when you add the lime and mix everything together, the salt is already integrated rather than sitting on the surface. It’s a small thing that makes a noticeable difference in how well-seasoned the final result tastes.

A note on cumin

Cumin is listed as an optional add-in, and I want to be honest: authentic Mexican guacamole doesn’t typically include it. It came into the American version somewhere along the way and became standard in a lot of restaurant versions. I like a small amount because it adds a warm, earthy depth that works well with the brightness of the lime, but if you’ve ever made guacamole and felt like it tasted more Tex-Mex than Mexican, the cumin is probably why. Leave it out and see what you think.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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 perfectly ripe avocado at the grocery store can feel like a lottery. Here’s how to tip the odds in your favor. 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

The trick to keeping guacamole from browning is eliminating air contact, not adding an avocado pit. I know the pit trick is everywhere, but it only protects the small patch of guacamole directly beneath it. The rest oxidizes just as fast. What actually works is pressing a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole with no air pockets underneath. That physical barrier is what slows the browning down. An extra squeeze of lime juice helps too, since the acidity slows the enzymes responsible for oxidation.

Stored this way, guacamole keeps well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. If the surface turns a little brown anyway, just scrape it off with a spoon. The guacamole underneath will be perfectly green and fresh.

If you’d rather skip the plastic wrap, parchment paper or beeswax wraps pressed directly onto the surface work reasonably well, though not quite as effectively.

Watch how to make this recipe

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Easy Guacamole Recipe (ready in 5 minutes)

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 0 minutes mins

Total: 5 minutes mins

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This is the guacamole I make at least once a week. The base recipe is just avocado, lime, garlic, and salt, which is the most traditional approach, and from there you can add whatever you like. Ready in 5 minutes, and genuinely better than anything from a tub.

2

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 ripe avocados
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 lime
• ▢ 1-2 cloves garlic (finely minced)

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
  
• Sprinkle with salt and then use a fork to gently mash each avocado half several times so the guacamole is creamy but still a bit chunky.
  ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  
• Add the lime, garlic, 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, 1 medium roma tomato, ¼ cup minced white onion, ¼ cup minced cilantro, 1 jalapeño pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  

Video

Notes

Single serving: To make a single serving of lunch-sized guac, use 1 avocado, ½ lime, a small clove of garlic, and a pinch of sea salt.

Lime substitute: In a pinch, you can use lemon juice, but I find that lemon can overpower the flavor, so only use it sparingly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ½ cup, Calories: 247kcal (12%), Carbohydrates: 15g (5%), Protein: 3g (6%), Fat: 22g (34%), Saturated Fat: 3g (19%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 15g, Sodium: 11mg, Potassium: 751mg (21%), Fiber: 11g (46%), Sugar: 1g (1%), Vitamin A: 229IU (5%), Vitamin C: 20mg (24%), Calcium: 25mg (3%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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