Make your avocado sing with this simple guacamole recipe. It’s the one dip everyone needs in their repertoire. With just four fresh ingredients, it only takes five minutes to make. Whilst it’s an essential accompaniment to many Mexican dishes, it’s delicious all by itself.
I’ve been making guacamole for more years than I care to remember. I’ve honed the basic recipe down now to the best it can be. Although, quite frankly, a lot depends on the quality of the avocado. See my tips further down the post.
Guacamole Ingredients
Guacamole is incredibly easy to make. It’s also very simple with only four ingredients needed, other than salt and pepper. But you do need those ingredients to be fresh and ripe, particularly the avocados.
I’ve kept my basic guacamole recipe to this minimum number of ingredients to keep it fresh and simple. It also allows the flavour of the avocados to sing. You want a supporting cast rather than a dinnertime diva.
The four ingredients you will need are:
- Ripe avocados. See my tips below.
- Fresh limes for their acidic juice.
- Spring onions (scallions). You can use shallots, red onion or chives instead.
- Plump ripe tomatoes with plenty of flavour.
Some sort of allium is a must. My preferred one is spring onions (scallions), but if I don’t have any of those and chives are in season, I’ll use those instead. And if neither of these are available a finely diced shallot works well, as does a little red onion.
Acidity helps to balance out the richness of the avocado. Lime or lemon juice is thus also essential.
The fourth must have ingredient is a flavoursome ripe tomato. Without this you just have smashed avocado. Nothing works quite as well to bring the whole delicious bowl of goodness together.
Whilst chillies are often used to make guacamole, they’re not a requirement, even in traditional Mexican recipes. I love chilli, but not everyone does. It’s an option that I sometimes use, but often don’t.
Despite what I’ve said about simplicity, it’s always good to ring the changes from time to time. You can use this as a base recipe and add all sorts of other ingredients as the mood takes you. I have a few suggestions. Just pick and choose as the occasion requires.
Guacamole Optional Extras
Optional extras to mix in include:
- 1 red or green fresh chilli pepper – finely diced
- a small handful of coriander leaves and stems (cilantro) – finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic – finely chopped or grated
- 2-3 pickled jalapeño peppers – sliced or chopped
- a spoonful or two of sour cream
How To Tell If Avocados Are Ripe
You need ripe avocados for this guacamole recipe. But it’s important that they’re not overripe and mushy. And you definitely don’t want them brown and bitter.
Gently press the tip of the avocado to test for ripeness. If it doesn’t give at all it’s not ready and will be too hard to use. It will also be tasteless. If it gives a little it’s ready to go. But if you can squeeze it easily, it’s probably too far gone.
Whatever you do, you’ll know when you cut the avocados in half. The flesh should be green and firm(ish) with a buttery quality.
How to Make Guacamole
You don’t need to skin the avocados for this guacamole recipe. Just cut them in half, remove the pits, then scoop out the flesh with a spoon.
With a fork roughly mash the avocado with the lime juice, salt and pepper. Be careful not to overdo it. Chunky is good. Too smooth a texture and the avocado can take on an unpleasant slimy consistency.
Dice the tomato and slice the onions, then stir into the mashed avocado along with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Scrape into a suitable bowl and serve as an appetiser with tortilla chips and or vegetable crudités.
Alternatively use to accompany any number of Mexican dishes, but particularly tacos, burritos, nachos, enchiladas and fajitas. Or, as I often do, simple spread it on some nice crusty bread or a slice of toast.
Guacamole Additional Toppings
Once you’ve made your guacamole just how you like it, it’s time to adorn it. Or not, as you please. As you can see in the photos here, I’ve scattered sliced spring onions, diced tomatoes, chopped pickled jalapeños and chopped coriander leaves over the top.
Often, my guacamole just gets a few slices of spring onion. However, there are a number of additional toppings you can use as well or instead:
- pickled jalapeño peppers – sliced
- coriander leaves (cilantro) – roughly chopped
- spring onions (scallions) – sliced
- ripe tomatoes – finely diced
- chilli sauce – drizzled
- red radishes – thinly sliced
How Long Will Guacamole Keep?
Although you can make guacamole ahead of time, it’s best to make it just before you’re ready to eat it. This is for two reasons:
- Guacamole really doesn’t keep very well. Avocados oxidise and go brown quite quickly when the flesh is exposed to air. The acidity in the lime juice will protect it a little, but it will start to discolour in an hour or two.
- Freshly mashed avocados just taste better. The dip is also at it’s best served at room temperature. Although you can keep it sealed away from oxygen in the fridge for a couple of days, you absolutely don’t want to serve your guacamole fridge cold.
Luckily it only takes five minutes to make.
Fridge Tip
If you absolutely insist on keeping your guacamole in the fridge. Place it in a sealed container, pat it down with the back of a spoon so that it’s level, then cover it with about a centimetre of water (half an inch). This will stop it going brown. It will keep like this for two days.
When you’re ready to use it, pour off the water and give it a stir.
Other Vegan Dips You Might Like
I call these dips, but just like guacamole, they work well as accompaniments to other dishes. Likewise they all make an excellent sandwich or wrap component.
- Aduki bean dip enriched with miso
- Aubergine dip
- Moroccan carrot dip
- Smoky ‘ham’ dip
- Smoky red pepper dip
- Traditional hummus
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you try this simple guacamole recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate it. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more Mexican inspired recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have a few of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
4 Ingredient Guacamole. PIN IT.
Guacamole – The Recipe
4 Ingredient Guacamole
Ingredients
Guacamole
- 2 medium ripe avocados
- juice of ½ lime
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- good grinding of black pepper
- 1 ripe tomato diced
- 2 spring onions (scallions) finely sliced or small bunch of chives – snipped
Instructions
- Half the avocodos with a knife and remove the pits. Use a spoon to scoop the flesh out into a medium sized bowl.
- With a fork roughly mash the avocado with the lime juice, salt and pepper. Be careful not to overdo it, too smooth a texture and the avocado can take on an unpleasant slimy texture.
- Stir in the tomatoes and onions or chives, reserving a few to sprinkle over the top.
- Spoon into a bowl and scatter the remaining onions or chives on top. See below for optional extras.
- Serve straight away. Guacamole really doesn't keep very well.
Notes
- pickled jalapeño peppers – thinly sliced
- coriander leaves (cilantro) – roughly chopped
- red or green chillis – finely diced
- ripe tomatoes – finely diced
- chilli sauce – drizzled
- red radishes – thinly sliced
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for guacamole with Kate at Gluten Free Alchemist for #CookBlogShare.
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says
Thanks for sharing, there are some many recipes for guacamole out there, this one look lovely 🙂
Choclette says
Very true Nic. It’s quite hard to go wrong with guacamole, but it’s nice to have a recipe you know and don’t have to think about.
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
Pass me the nachos! I love the sound of your guac!
Choclette says
It’s so good Kat and absolutely perfect with nachos.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
YUM! I love guacamole… and your recipe is very similar to how I do it… except I prefer red onions to spring onions (soaked first in lime juice to soften the flavour) 😀
Choclette says
Yes, your version sounds good to me Eb. CT is a bit iffy about raw onions, but soaking them in lime juice first might work.
annette says
I love guacamole! A tip I learnt to stop the dip going brown and means you can make it up to a couple of hours before you want to use it is to put the stone back in the dip once it’s made . I usually push it in deep so its surrounded just remember to take it out when you serve it !I dont know why this works but it definitely does!
Choclette says
Oh thanks for the tip Annette, that’s really good to hear. I did read this somewhere, but didn’t have a chance to try it out before writing up this post. It seems so bizarre. Now you’ve confirmed that it works, I will give it a go.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
You can’t beat a good homemade Guacamole. It looks so fresh, vibrant and delicious! Perfect summer food…
And yes… the freshness of the avocados is so important! Just pass me a bag of tortilla chips and I’m in xxx
Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare
Choclette says
Love it when you can make something delicious with so few ingredients. I’ll get a bag of tortilla chips in ready and waiting.
Lesley says
I love avocado and guacamole is something I love to make. I like the simplicity of these flavours put together, this is a very moreish dip.
Choclette says
I’m not sure how we all managed in those old pre-avocado days. Quite often, simple is best.
sherry says
i love guacamole but it has to have coriander leaves and chilli!
Choclette says
I’m happy to eat in any which way, but if it’s just for me, I’ll add chilli and coriander if we have it. I keep trying to grow coriander, but it doesn’t do well here at all.
angiesrecipes says
My favourite dip! Love your recipes with just a few ingredients. Easy peasy and yummy!
angiesrecipes
Choclette says
It’s such a good one Angie and so quick to make. As you say easy peasy and yummy.