The BEST guacamole recipe! Made with 6 simple ingredients, it's an easy party appetizer or delicious topping for tacos, burritos, and more.
If you need a last-minute appetizer for a cookout this weekend, make this guacamole recipe! Actually, scratch that. Make this guacamole recipe if you need an appetizer for a cookout, party, gathering, or get-together at any time of year. With just 6 ingredients, it’s super easy to make, and it never fails to be a hit. It’s creamy, tangy, salty, and delicious. Even Jack, who’s generally not a fan of avocado, can’t get enough of this homemade guac.
How to Make Guacamole
If this is your first time learning how to make guacamole, you won’t believe how easy it is! You only need a few simple ingredients:
- Avocados. Try to buy them a day or two in advance to make sure they’re fully ripe. If they’re soft, store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make your guac. If they’re firm (or rock hard), let them ripen at room temperature for a day or two. To check to see if they’re ripe, squeeze them. They should have a slight give.
- Red onion. It adds crunch and sharp, savory flavor.
- Cilantro. For freshness.
- Lime juice and zest. They make this homemade guacamole tangy and bright.
- Jalapeño. For heat!
- And salt. To make all the flavors pop. I typically use fine sea salt in my cooking, but I think that coarser salt makes the best guacamole. I recommend using flaky Maldon salt here, but if you don’t have it on hand, regular kosher or sea salt will work just fine.
Dice the red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño, and zest and juice the limes. Slice each avocado in half lengthwise, and carefully remove the pit. Score the avocado flesh in a grid pattern, and use a spoon to scoop it into a large bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients, and gently mash with a fork or a potato masher to reach your desired consistency. (I like my guac chunky, but you do you.)
Season to taste, and enjoy!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Easy Guacamole Recipe Tips
- Make it just before serving. Like bananas and apples, avocados start oxidizing, or turning brown, after you slice them open. This discoloration won’t change how your guac tastes, but it doesn’t look appealing at parties and get-togethers. For the brightest, greenest guac, mash everything together right before serving. In the unlikely event that you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and press a layer of plastic wrap over the guac’s surface. Seal the container, and store it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Taste and adjust. Everyone has different guac preferences, so don’t be afraid to adjust your homemade guacamole to your tastes. If you like it tangier, add more lime. If like it spicy, toss in extra jalapeño. And always, always salt to taste.
- Change it up! This easy guacamole recipe is great as-is, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play with it. Feel free to add extra veggies, cheese, or even fruit to create a new texture or flavor profile. I love sprinkling mine with Cotija cheese, stirring in grilled corn kernels, minced garlic, or chopped tomatoes, or topping it off with mango or pineapple salsa. It’s also delicious with pickled onions or pickled jalapeños instead of raw ones or a swirl of adobo sauce from a can of chipotles. Let me know what variations you try!
Best Guacamole Serving Suggestions
I typically serve this easy guacamole recipe in one of two ways: as a dip or as a component in Mexican or Tex Mex meals. If you’re enjoying it as an appetizer, you’ll definitely want tortilla chips for dipping, and it tastes great with sliced veggies, too. Serve it on its own, or make a larger appetizer spread with refried beans, tomatillo salsa, tomato salsa, and/or pico de gallo.
Otherwise, dot your homemade guacamole onto nachos, or scoop it up with baked taquitos. Pile it onto a burrito bowl with cilantro lime rice and fajita veggies, or tuck it into a taco. Or make an at-home taco bar! Set out the guac, pinto beans or black beans, and whatever other fixings you like. Pile them into tortillas, and eat!
P.S. Don’t forget the margaritas to drink.
More Favorite Appetizer Recipes
If you love this recipe, try one of these fun appetizers next:
- French Onion Dip
- Jalapeño Poppers
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Cowboy Caviar
- Hummus
- Baba Ganoush
- Best Deviled Eggs
- Or any of these 50 Easy Party Appetizers!
The Best Guacamole
Ingredients
- 3 ripe avocados
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
- 1 small diced jalapeño
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste
- ½ teaspoon cumin, optional
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the avocados, onion, cilantro, lime zest and juice, jalapeno, salt, and cumin. Mash until the ingredients are combined but still a bit chunky. Season to taste.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Can you substitute lemon for lime
Love this recipe. It went over well with Saturday night tacos. Didn’t have limes and used 4 cup tbsp of lime juice.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
I love all the different recipes you share .
Please keep them coming.
Thank you so much!
I didn’t want the “heat” added in there so that everyone would eat some. Instead I put in some fresh garlic for spice without the heat and it was delicious.
….add the cumin that is optional….it MAKES a huge difference!!!
So good. I’m so glad I made it. Zest of lime is a must.
Hi Jeanine! I work for Pollinator Partnership, the largest nonprofit in the world dedicated exclusively to the health of pollinators through conservation, education, and research. We are currently in the midst of creating a pollinator cookbook: a compilation of recipes that include pollinator reliant ingredients. Would it be ok if we included this recipe in our cookbook (with your fantastic imagery)? We would of course credit you and your website, and link out to the original recipe. Let us know! Thanks.
Hubby said it’s the best guacamole he’s ever had!
So simple, but OMG. This is SO GOOD. Lime zest adds another dimension to the flavor all together!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this again today, this time remembering to add the lime zest. That took it from a really delicious homemade guacamole to a restaurant quality recipe for guacamole, which, I think, is something you are famous for. You are brilliant at making recipes. Thank you for sharing.
Hi Courtney – wow, twice! I’m so glad the zest put it over the top! 🙂
I made this today, but with more onion, because I wanted to use my entire small red onion so I didn’t have to put half of it in the fridge, and it was still so good! It was citrusy and spicy and fresh, and I even forgot to zest the lime, so I bet the next time I make it, it’ll be even better. I’m waiting for the mangos I bought to ripen so I can make your mango salsa and this guacamole at the same time for a full fiesta in my mouth. Thanks, Jeanine! This recipe is so much better than how I used to make guacamole. This one has a really exciting, fresh flavor. I can see why it’s still enjoyed by someone who doesn’t love avocado.