My family swears by this guacamole recipe! The best, most authentic guacamole starts with fresh ingredients and a few simple tricks that guarantee perfect texture and flavor.
I’m not kidding when I say this homemade guacamole recipe does not last long in my house. All you need are avocados, onion, cilantro, lime, tomato, and salt. It’s so simple, and so good!
We’ve found that a few tricks can help you make the very best guacamole. Once you see the difference, I know you’ll be ready to make this on repeat. I highly recommend serving this guacamole with my easy salsa or homemade queso and a big bowl of homemade tortilla chips! For another classic dip, featuring a layer of guacamole, be sure to try my 7 layer dip.
Key Ingredients
- Avocados: For the best guacamole, make sure your avocados are ripe. I gently squeeze one with the palm of my hand. If it yields a little when pressed, it’s ready to eat. You can also check under the stem. If the stem pulls away and the area underneath is green, you’ve found a perfect avocado! See how to pick avocados for more tips!
- Onion: I love white onion for guacamole, and I let them sit in cold water for 5 minutes before adding them. Just a few minutes in water takes away the raw bite of the onion. I often use this trick in our recipes, like this pico de gallo.
- Lime: Fresh lime is best. I’ve used lemon in a pinch, but stick with lime for the most authentic flavor.
- Cilantro: I’m generous with fresh cilantro for this recipe. If you aren’t a fan, you can leave it out.
- Jalapeño: Adds heat. You can adjust how spicy your guacamole is by removing or leaving the seeds and white membrane inside the pepper. Watch the video to see me remove them.
- Tomato: This is optional, but I add it and really love the extra fresh flavor.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Our Favorite Guacamole Recipe
Tip 1: Tame the onions. I love onions, but do not enjoy them when their raw, pungent flavor overpowers everything else, leaving you with onion breath. My answer is to let the onions sit in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes before draining. This super simple trick cuts down on that oppressive onion flavor, while retaining their crunch. Try it and you’ll see what I mean! (I also use this trick for my favorite salsa recipe, too.)
Tip 2: Leave some texture. When making guacamole, gently mash your avocado with some fresh lime juice. Don’t puree it. The best guacamole has a little texture left. I use a fork and like to leave some larger, chunky bits of avocado in the bowl (watch our guacamole recipe video below to see).
Tip 3: Make the guacamole. Once you’ve got a chunky avocado and lime mixture, add cilantro, the tamed down onions, tomato, and salt. The tomatoes are optional, but I usually add them!
Tip 3: Always taste before serving. Avocados love a little extra salt and lime. So, before you serve your guacamole, always take a bite. If it doesn’t “pop” with flavor, add an extra pinch of salt and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.
More Avocado Recipes
- Grilled Avocado Guacamole
- Avocado Pasta
- Fresh Pineapple Avocado Salsa
- Browse all of our avocado recipes
Perfect Guacamole
- PREP
- TOTAL
We really can’t stop making this easy guacamole recipe, which never lasts long when we serve it! For the best guacamole, use ripe avocados. You’ll know when an avocado is ripe when it gives a little when you squeeze it. Keep your unripe avocados at room temperature until they are ready.
I highly recommend serving our guacamole recipe with my homemade salsa, pico de gallo, homemade queso and a big bowl of tortilla chips!
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
3 ripe medium avocados
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped, optional
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper, with seeds and membrane removed, optional
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
1Prepare onions: Add the onion to a small bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 5 minutes, drain, and then rinse. This simple step tones down the raw flavor of the onions.
2Mash the avocados: Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the pit, scoop out the flesh, and add to a bowl. Use a fork to mash the avocado into a chunky dip.
3Make the guacamole: Stir in the drained and rinsed onions, lime juice, cilantro, tomato (optional), and ¼ teaspoon salt. If you are adding it, add the finely chopped jalapeño. Taste the guacamole and adjust with more salt or lime juice (I usually end up adding ¼ teaspoon of extra salt and a spritz of extra lime).
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Guacamole is best when eaten soon after making it, but to store it and prevent it from turning brown, press plastic wrap down onto the guacamole, making sure that there’s no space of air between them, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Spicy guacamole: I love adding diced jalapeño to my guacamole, but since I prefer it on the milder side, I remove all of the seeds and white membrane inside the pepper (you can see me do this in the video). If you love spicier guacamole, add the whole pepper (seeds and all). Serrano peppers are a good substitute, but remember that they can be hotter than jalapeño peppers.
- What to serve next to guacamole: I love tortilla chips or homemade tortillas, but guacamole is excellent next to other dips. Try fresh pico de gallo, this easy restaurant-style salsa, our roasted tomato salsa, and this amazing green salsa made with roasted tomatillos. I also love homemade queso!
- My favorite meals with guacamole: I always add it to these pork tacos, my chile butter shrimp tacos, and these vegetable tacos. You can scoop them on top of this easy taco soup or this black bean soup. I also serve with fajitas and enchiladas!
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Yes
Just made some, perfect taste, ease to make, love it! Thanks from Melbourne Australia.
Wonderful! SO happy it worked well for you!
I added this easy recipe to my favorites.
I made this today and very good.
So happy you enjoyed it!
finally found the best guac recipe, thank you! 🙂
Love this recipe… Made it to go with Beef Enchiladas and it was easy to make and tastes excellent!!
Sounds amazing!
Looks delicious! I like to you red onion and a bit of fresh garlic.
I just discovered Inspired Taste while looking for a tomato soup recipe. (Having made Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce, I can tell that your soup will also be really good – and it’s so easy.) Then one recipe after another in your blog caught my interest and I could hardly stop reading. Your whole approach to food appeals to me, and the additional supporting information and explanations that you provide are helpful, interesting, and thorough – and I appreciate that everything is very clear and well written. So, it looks like I’m an instant fan who will certainly be trying many of your recipes – and I’ll be starting today with that wonderful tomato soup of yours. (I’ve been cooking long enough to know how good it will be, so in anticipation I’m giving it 5 stars.)
So happy you have found us, Eva! Thanks for coming back!
I’ve never made quacamole before but this is so much better than store bought!
I’m so glad you think so! Thank you for coming back.
Our ALDI store had guacamole containers that sealed very well and the ‘green gold’ would last 3 or 4 days (if it lasted that long) before turning brown. At the time, it was $6. I also use their cans of diced tomatoes with onion and jalapeño , a sprinkle of adobo and some lime zest. My bride hasn’t complained once
Quick and easy recipe. I did add garlic (garlic lover) and substituted parsley for cilantro, because that’s what I had on hand, and because the smell of cilantro makes me ill….go figure.
Simple, delicious
Great recipes!!
BEST Guacamole!!! Made it twice in a week ! Love your recipies
So happy you love it, Carol!
Thanks for your avocado recipes. We have a glut of avocadoes in Australia this year and last year mostly due to weather conditions. Usually we used to pay $2.50 for one avocado and now can get them for $1. each. I shall try no churn avocado ice cream soon.
I tried your guac and it’s yummy. Avocados are now in season here in the Phils.
I’ve made several of your recipes, including the guacamole. I have to be honest, every recipe has been flawless. 5 stars Everytime!!!
I’ve been searching high & low for that exact HAND held citrus squeezer!! Can you tell me the correct name/label of it and where I can find such a gadget??
Hi Terri, that is our handy dandy citrus reamer. We don’t remember where we bought it but they are available at almost any kitchen store or online.
I agree with you
Made this as per recipe with tomato and cumin but added a dash of a cayenne and garlic powder and only 1/2 tsp. salt. Easy and delicous.
just made this for mothers day and its a hit! Only bad thing about it is that it’s almost gone!!!
Excellent recipe!!
This was first time making guacamole. This is recipe is so simple & tasty.
Made it for family party, huge hit! We’ve already made it 2 times after the party! I only made 1 change & that was just a preference thing. I didn’t use cilantro.
Thank you so much for this recipe!! ?
As I find avocado a bit bland, I found 1 tsp. salt (kosher) was definitely needed. Also garlic. I grated a big fat clove and also put in 1 tsp. of Cumin. I prefer tomato in my guac so I finely chopped one good sized Roma. It was delicious! Guac is so easy to make and now there’a absolutely NO excuse not to enjoy it!!
I made some… with some minced roasted garlic, hit of cayenne, hit of cumin, cilantro, some red bell pepper powder,, lemon juice..was great… better the next day
I tried this recipe, it was a little bland so, I used red onions instead of white or yellow ones. I also added some minced garlic which really improved the taste. I will be making this again!!!
I absolutely love this recipe. My friends rave over my guacomole when they come over to the house. Only thing I did differently was add 1/4 cup of red onions to this recipe. I like the flavor of combining both brown and red onions.
So glad you liked it!
My roommates make guacamole ALL the time, so our kitchen always smells of fresh avocados, limes, lemons, and garlic salt! You can never go wrong with a delicious homemade guacamole. It always disappears by the end of a day, but realistically, at least in a few hours!
Looks like you have some neat recipes. I will try your guac recipe later.Thanks, Viv
My very first time making this recipe. Actually my first time ever eating a guacamole! I followed the recipe exactly and I LOVE IT! Thanks for introducing me to new fresh and delicious food.