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You are here: Home / Avocado Recipes / Authentic Guacamole Recipe

Authentic Guacamole Recipe

Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.

One Recipe, Two Methods of Preparation

Homemade guacamole can be prepared in two ways: with a bowl and fork or in the molcajete, a Mexican mortar and pestle. Making it in the molcajete gets the most incredible results. Let us show you both simple methods of preparation.

Freshly Made Guacamole
Freshly Made Guacamole

How to Make

Start With the Ingredients

Fresh ingredients make the dish. Guacamole just requires a few ingredients:

  • avocado
  • white onion
  • tomato
  • serrano peppers
  • cilantro.

Because it is an uncooked dish, what you choose to make it with really counts. Unripe or poor quality ingredients have nowhere to hide. And, please, please, please don’t add those guacamole seasoning packets. They have no place in a properly made guacamole dip.

Guacamole Ingredients
Guacamole Ingredients

How to Tell if an Avocado is Ripe

When you are choosing avocados, you want ones that are ripe but not overly mushy. To tell if an avocado is ripe, use your thumb and gently push on the top where the stem connects. This is the narrower end of the avocado. The flesh should give a little. If it doesn’t give a little,  it isn’t ripe enough. If it gives too easily, it is too ripe and won’t make a good guacamole but it will make a great salsa in the blender. Don’t throw out mushy avocados.

How to Pit an Avocado

Avocados have large pits that need to be removed.

The most common method for removing the pit is to use a kitchen knife cut all the way around the avocado lengthwise then twist the two halves of the avocado until one side pops off.

Then holding the side of the avocado with pit in the palm of your hand with the pit facing up hit the pit with the sharp side of the knife blade to embed the knife in the pit. Twist the knife sideways and the pit will pop out.

A word of warning: Avocado injuries that send people to the emergency room are common. Use a great deal of caution when removing the pit to avoid cutting your hand.

To Lime or Not To Lime?

Should you add lime to your guacamole? I say no. I side with the great Diana Kennedy who says you should never add lime to your guacamole because it spoils the delicate balance of flavors. Can you add lime? Of course. I would recommend that you add lime sparingly to gently give the flavor an acidic boost. You want to enhance the flavor not overpower it.

Method 1 – Guacamole Made in the Molcajete

Our first guacamole recipe is our favorite method of preparation. If you have a molcajete, use it to make the best guacamole. The results are incredible.

(Check out our Video Guide to Using a Molcajete which includes a great recipe for making a rustic salsa. Molcajetes are a must-have in a Mexican kitchen.)

Mexican Molcajete
Molcajete

Build the Flavors in Layers

Add the onion, serrano chile, cilantro, and salt to the molcajete and grind until you have a uniform paste. The paste takes on a beautiful dark green color from the cilantro.

Grinding the ingredients releases the volatile oil of the vegetables and more evenly disperses the flavors throughout the guacamole.

Making Guacamole in the Molcajete, Step 1
Step 1 – Add Onion, Chile, Cilantro and salt
Making Guacamole in the Molcajete, Step 2
Step 2 – Start Grinding
Making Guacamole in the Molcajete, Step 3
Step 3 – Grind for 1 to 2 Minutes
Making Guacamole in the Molcajete, Step 4
Step 4 – It is Ready when You Have a Uniform Paste
Making Guacamole in the Molcajete, Step 5
Step 5 – Add the Avocados
Making Guacamole in the Molcajete, Step 6
Step 6 – Grind Until the Avocados Are Broken Up but Still Chunky
Making Guacamole in the Molcajete, Step 7
Step 7 – Add the Tomatoes
Making Guacamole in the Molcajete, Step 8
Step 8 – Use a Spoon to Incorporate the Tomatoes
Guacamole Made in the Molcajete
Serve in the Molcajete With Chips

Method 2 – The Fork and Bowl Method

Our second authentic guacamole recipe is the classic way to prepare it if you don’t have a molcajete.

You just need a large bowl and a sturdy fork. The avocados are mashed instead of ground. If you are making a double-batch a potato masher will make quick work of it.

Making Guacamole, Step 1
Step 1 – Add the Avocados
Making Guacamole, Step 2
Step 2 – Mash With a Fork
Making Guacamole, Step 3
Step 3 – Mash Until Slightly Chunky
Making Guacamole, Step 4
Step 4 – Add the Other Ingredients
Making Guacamole, Step 5
Step 5 – Incorporate the Ingredients and Salt to Taste
Freshly Made Guacamole
Fresh Homemade Guacamole

How to Serve Guacamole

Serve guacamole with homemade corn tortilla chips. Guacamole tacos are a thing. To make, spread a couple of spoonfuls on a warm corn tortilla fold and eat.

It is a great side dish for carne asada. It is enjoyed throughout Mexico and for that matter the world.

Freshly Made Guacamole
Print Pin
3.44 from 32 votes

Authentic Guacamole Recipes

How to make guacamole. 2 methods of preparation: the best-known method, prepared with a bowl and fork or made in the molcajete, a Mexican mortar and pestle. Both methods have the authentic Mexican taste.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Guacamole Recipe, Guacamole Recipe Easy, How to Make Guacamole
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 265kcal
Author Douglas Cullen

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe avocados
  • ¾ cup finely chopped Roma tomato
  • 2 serrano chiles very finely chopped seeded and deveined
  • 3 heaping tablespoons of finely chopped onion
  • 3 tbsp. of minced cilantro
  • salt to taste usually about ¾ of a teaspoon

Instructions

  • STANDARD METHOD
  • Remove the flesh of the avocados.
  • Mash the avocados with the back of a fork.
  • Add the other ingredients and incorporate evenly.
  • Add salt to taste.
  • MOLCAJETE METHOD
  • Add the chopped onion, serrano chile, cilantro, and salt to the molcajete.
  • Grind until you have a smooth paste.
  • Add the avocados to the molcajete and grind until slightly chunky.
  • Add the tomatoes to the molcajete and incorporate. Do not grind the tomatoes.
  • Adjust the salt.

Notes

Preparation
  • Guacamole should be served as soon as you make it. Don’t make it in advance. It doesn’t keep well. It turns brown very quickly.
  • Don’t chill the guacamole. It should be served at room temperature.
  • The recipe calls for two serrano chiles which make a moderately hot guacamole. Add up to 2 more serrano chiles if you want it hotter. Leaving the seeds and veins in the chiles will make it even hotter.
  • You can add lime juice to give it an acidic boost but add sparingly so not to overpower the flavors of the other ingredients.
Substitutions
The following ingredients are acceptable substitutions that will give comparable results.
  • You can substitute jalapeños for the serrano peppers.
  • You can substitute red onion for white onion.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cup | Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 20g | Sodium: 488mg | Sugar: 1g

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  • Chicken Tacos with Avocado Salsa

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda Priesmeyer says

    July 29, 2020 at 9:50 pm

    5 stars
    Loving these authentic recipes!

    Reply
  2. Dave says

    February 06, 2021 at 1:26 pm

    5 stars
    This is how I make mine! I add a little garlic.

    There’s a definite bond between the cook and the food when hand-making salsas and guacamole in a seasoned, lava-stone, molcajete from Mexico! I believe that the hand-crafting and history of the molcajete and the tejolote, adds an increased depth of flavor.

    Reply
  3. Bruce says

    February 06, 2021 at 7:55 pm

    I hate to see the word authentic used when it comes to recipes. A dish is made one way in some city and made differently in a city a 100 miles away. They are both “authentic” probably. Eat what you like the taste of. I like burritos as they are made in the Mission. I’ve had my share of burritos in Mexico and I like the Mission ones better. They are easier to find in the Mission also.

    I have all the respect in the world for Ms Diana Kennedy and probably own 10 of her great cookbooks. I make guac with what grows on our property and that includes limes. The lime juice helps keep the guacamole from turning brown, plus I like a little citrus taste. During a good season we get 400+ avos and make a lot of guacamole.

    Reply
  4. besten says

    May 07, 2021 at 12:43 pm

    5 stars
    thank you<3333

    Reply
  5. TXtrish says

    February 10, 2022 at 4:16 pm

    Two other tips that I use. A way to see if the avocado is ripe is to both gently feel it, and pop off the stem button at end. If it’s green, good to go. If it’s brown, probably over-ripe. The other tip which generally works for removing the pit, it is hold the open pitted half in one hand and using two fingers gently squueze. If it’s reasonably ripe the pit typically just slides out. I no longer use a knife to remove it; learned the hard way. BTW, I swear by the molcojete method, getting the initial ingredients down to a paste makes all the difference. I always add jalapeno.

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      February 14, 2022 at 10:00 am

      Thanks for the tips! We totally agree with you on using the molcajete method. It definitely brings out more flavor. Cheers!

      Reply
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Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

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D. Cullen Profile Picture

Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

More about me →


Most Popular Recipes

  • Classic Salsa Verde
  • Restaurant Style Salsa
  • Traditional Sopa de Fideo
  • Red Pork Pozole
  • Chicken Tinga
  • Agua de Jamaica
  • Tres Leches Cake
  • Beet Salad with Feta Cheese and Citrus Balsamic Viniagrette
  • Red Enchilada Sauce
  • Mole Poblano

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