Last Updated on September 14, 2023
Guacamole is a delicious and versatile dip made of ripe avocados, fresh lime juice, and a blend of aromatics and seasonings. It’s especially popular in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines and loved all around the world.
The best thing about guacamole is that it’s so easy to make at home. You can serve it as a dip with tortilla chips or use it to add flavor to tacos, burritos, sandwiches, and salads. Try out this recipe to experience the delicious flavor of homemade guacamole any time you want!
The Health Benefits of Guacamole
There are few things as delicious, healthy, and easy to whip as guacamole. The reason guacamole is so healthy lies in its main ingredient – avocados.
Avocados are a good source of healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that can improve your well-being in many different ways, including lowering cholesterol levels, improving heart health and bone density, preventing cancer, reducing the risk of depression, and promoting healthy skin and hair.
The other ingredients used in guacamole, such as fresh lime juice, garlic, and fresh herbs, also provide additional health benefits. Overall, you don’t have any reason to approach guacamole with caution; adding it to your diet can be one of the most nutritious and delicious choices you’ll ever make.
Having said that, it’s common to serve guacamole with tacos, chips, or other Tex-Mex delicacies that don’t always come in the healthy lane of the road. If your love for guacamole is making you consume a lot of trans fats and carbs, you might want to look for healthier vessels to eat this divine condiment with, such as salads, roasted meat, or veggies.
When Is the Best Time to Make Guacamole?
Guacamole can be enjoyed year-round, but it’s especially delicious when made with fresh, in-season avocados in spring. So, the best time to make guacamole is during March, April, and May.
Avocados develop higher in oil content during spring, and that’s when you are more likely to find ripe, flavorful avocados at your local farmers market or grocery store. Avocados that are richer in oil content are healthier, as these healthy fats are the main reason we should consume them.
However, you can still make guacamole any time you want, thanks to the hard work of Mexican avocado farmers, where the avocado season lasts throughout the year.
What to Use When Making Guacamole?
The Aztecs are known to have enjoyed a type of avocado sauce, which is thought to be the predecessor of the guacamole we know and love today.
The word “guacamole” actually comes from the Aztec language Nahuatl, where “ahuacatl” means avocado, and “molli” means sauce or mixture. So guacamole means avocado sauce or avocado mixture in a language over 9 thousand years old.
So no, you shouldn’t use a blender or a food processor to make guacamole. In fact, the most traditional method to make guacamole is to use a molcajete, a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle made of volcanic rock.
You can also make a killer guacamole using a single fork, as long as you pick fresh ingredients and ripe avocados. But if you do have a set of mortar and pestle or a molcajete, this is their time to shine.
The flavors become more intense when you mix the ingredients by crushing them in a mortar and pestle. The cells that contain natural oils burst open and combine to make up new flavors. That’s why the pastes you make with a mortar and pestle almost always taste better than the ones you run through the food processor.
Guacamole Recipe
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Special equipment: Molcajete or mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Place the avocado flesh in a mixing bowl.
- Using a fork, mash the avocado until it’s smooth.
- Stir in the red onion, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Mix well until all the ingredients are well-combined.
- Serve the guacamole immediately or cover and refrigerate it until ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- The most important ingredient of guacamole sauce is avocado. Make sure to pick perfectly ripe avocados, as they are crucial to getting that smooth and creamy guacamole texture. To test whether an avocado is ripe, gently press on the skin with your thumb. If it yields to pressure and feels slightly soft, it is ripe and ready to use.
- One thing that makes guacamole great is its texture. Avoid over-mixing the ingredients to save some of the chunks in the sauce. The chunks not only add some texture to the sauce but make every bite packed with a different flavor. This is the key to making a more interesting sauce.
- Balancing the citrus is another important point in making the perfect guacamole. A little lime or lemon juice will help to balance the flavors and prevent the avocado from turning brown. Make sure to add an adequate amount. Some citrus juices aren’t as acidic as others, so you might need to taste your guacamole to fine-tune its citrus notes.
How to Serve Guacamole?
Guacamole is a versatile dip or topping that can be enjoyed with a variety of foods. It’s common to serve it as a dip with tortilla chips, but it can also be used as a topping for tacos, burritos, sandwiches, or salads.
You can also enjoy guacamole on its own or paired with other dips and salsas for a colorful and flavorful appetizer platter. It also makes a great topping for grilled meat, grilled chicken, or fish.
Another way to serve guacamole is with roasted vegetables, mix it into scrambled eggs or omelets, or spread it on toast as a tasty and healthy breakfast option. The possibilities are endless, so experiment and find the perfect way to enjoy guacamole!
Wholly Guacamole!
We hope you enjoy this delicious and easy guacamole recipe! Whether you’re serving it as a dip, topping, or condiment, it’s sure to be a hit with your friends and family. Don’t be afraid to experiment and add your own personal touch to the recipe – try mixing in different herbs, spices, or vegetables to give it your own unique flavor.
Enjoy your healthy homemade guacamole, and if you want to add more dips to your cookbook, make sure to check out our caesar dressing and basil pesto recipes.
