Fresh from the Kitchen: Recipes & Food Inspiration
- Use perfectly ripe avocados, fresh cilantro, squeezed lime juice, and diced jalapeño for bright, balanced flavor.
- Cube avocados, mash with a fork or pestle, mix in red onion, jalapeño, lime, and salt, then fold in cilantro.
- Serve fresh for best color and taste; refrigerate up to two days with plastic wrap pressed onto the surface to slow browning.
Creamy, zesty, and ready in just 3 simple steps, this easy guacamole is the tried-and-true recipe I’ve been making for over 10 years — and it disappears every single time!
Love avocado as much as I do? I have you covered with more amazing avocado recipes: Wild Mushroom Avocado Toast, Creamy Cucumber Avocado Salad, and Avocado Pesto Pasta.
Quick Look: Easy Guacamole
- 🔪 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 5 minutes
- 🍽 Total Time: 10 minutes
- 👨👩👧👧 Servings: 4 servings
- 🌱 Calories: 67 calories
- 🍠 Dietary breakdown: Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free.
- 😋 Flavor Profile: Creamy, buttery, a little spicy, and bright.
- ✅ Difficulty: Easy-peasy — just measure, mash, and dig in!
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Why You’ll Love This Easy Guacamole Recipe
- Creamy and Fresh — Buttery avocado, fresh grassy cilantro, and bright lime juice. What’s not to love?!
- A Classic — Name someone who doesn’t like guacamole! I’ll wait.
- Crazy Simple — It’s made with common ingredients in 3 anyone-can-do-it steps.
- Completely Versatile — Scoop it with chips, dollop it on tacos, burritos, or nachos, spread it on wraps or Jackfruit Tacos, spoon it over Tofu Scrambles, and more!
If you ask me, a bowl of freshly mashed guacamole and chips is a welcome treat any day of the year! You know I’d never leave you hanging, so today I’m sharing the easy guacamole recipe I’ve been making for over 10 years.
Friends and family flip when I serve it at al fresco happy hours and taco nights — it’s as perfect scooped up with tortilla chips and an Agave Margarita as it is dolloped on Tempeh Tacos or Loaded Vegan Nachos. Best of all? It’s incredibly quick and almost mindless to prep — but that can be our little secret!
For more easy dip recipes: Brilliant Black Bean Dip, Pecan Muhammara, and Sweet Potato Hummus.
Key Ingredients
Avocado: The belle of this guacamole ball! Choose avocados with dark, almost-black skin that give slightly when pressed — that’s how you know they’re perfectly ripe. Purchase them underripe and set them on your kitchen counter to ripen to perfection. Buy the avocados at least 2 days before you plan to use them
Jalapeño: Use half a pepper, seeded and diced, for a gentle warmth. Keep the seeds in for more kick, or leave the pepper out entirely for a mild, family-friendly dip. Save the rest for garnish!
Fresh Cilantro: Brings a light, grassy citrus note that, combined with the lime juice, gives guacamole its signature flavor. If cilantro tastes soapy to you (it’s genetic!) or just isn’t your thing, feel free to omit it.
Lime Juice: Fresh is always best! Squeeze two limes for this, or measure out about 2 tablespoons. Bottled works in a pinch.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Variations
Guacamole is endlessly riffable — here’s a whole fiesta of flavors you can spin it into:
- Mango: Sweet, juicy mango is one of my favorite guacamole add-ins. See my Mango Guacamole Recipe for the full scoop.
- Tomato: Mash in ½ cup diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes for color and a naturally sweet note.
- Salsa: Use up extra salsa or pico de gallo by stirring in a few spoonfuls.
- Extra Spicy: Bump the jalapeño up to a full pepper, or swap in serrano for a little more heat or habanero for a serious kick.
- Super Creamy: Mash in a tablespoon of vegan mayonnaise for an extra-rich finish.
How to Make Easy Guacamole
- Mash avocados. Place one of the avocados in a mortar or large bowl and mash slightly with a pestle or fork.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the remaining avocado, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and sea salt. Hold the cilantro.
- Mash. Using a pestle or fork, gently work the guacamole until it reaches your desired texture.
- Add the cilantro. Stir in the cilantro until it’s well blended into the dip.
- Season to taste. Add more salt for savoriness, lime juice for brightness, or jalapeño for heat. Enjoy!
How to Prevent Guacamole Turning Brown
If you are making guacamole in advance of serving it, like for a party, place a sheet of plastic wrap directly into the surface of the dip. Store it in the fridge. This will prevent the guacamole from turning brown. Remove the plastic wrap right before serving it.
Jenné’s Recipe Tips
- Cut the avocados into chunks first. Cubing them before they go in the bowl makes mashing quicker and more even. Then start with a fork and switch to the pestle for that perfectly rustic finish.
- No mortar and pestle? No problem. You can make this right in a serving bowl with a fork. The texture won’t be quite as rustic, but it’ll be just as delicious.
- Don’t over-mash. Leave a few chunks for texture! In my opinion, guacamole is best with some body, so go gentle and stop before it turns into a smooth purée.
- Season right before serving. Taste and adjust to suit your preferences — more lime for brightness, more jalapeño for heat, or a pinch of salt for savoriness.
- Serve it fresh. Guacamole is at its absolute best within an hour or two of making it, so whip it up close to serving time for the freshest flavor and greenest color.
Serving Suggestions
There are endless ways to put this guacamole to work! Set it out as a dip with tortilla chips and crunchy veggies, spread it on sandwiches and wraps, or dollop it over any of these:
Storage Directions
Guacamole is best enjoyed fresh, though leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. To slow the browning, press a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the surface so no air can reach it.
Easy Guacamole Recipe FAQs
Usually it’s the add-ins. Tomatoes and salsa, in particular, release liquid as they sit, so drain or seed them before mixing in. Mashing the avocado just before serving (rather than ahead of time) also keeps it thick and creamy.
Browning occurs when an avocado comes into contact with air, which oxidizes it and turns it brown. Lime juice helps to slow the process. When storing, press a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the surface before refrigerating. A little extra squeeze of lime over the top doesn’t hurt, either!
Guacamole is at its best when fresh, but you can prep it a few hours ahead. Store it tightly covered (plastic wrap pressed to the surface) in the fridge, and give it a quick stir and a fresh squeeze of lime before serving.
Only as spicy as you want it! Half a seeded jalapeño gives it a gentle warmth. Leave the seeds in for more heat, or skip the pepper altogether for a mild, crowd-friendly dip.
Yes! This guacamole is naturally vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and soy-free — just whole, plant-based ingredients.
More Easy Avocado Recipes
If you tried this Easy Guacamole Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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Place the avocados in a mortar or large bowl and mash slightly with a pestle or fork.
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Add the red onion, jalapeño, lime juice, and sea salt, then mash with a pestle or fork until the guacamole reaches your desired texture.
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Add the cilantro and stir well.
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Season to taste with more salt, lime juice, or jalapeño before serving.
Make it your own: Stir in diced mango, tomatoes, or a few spoonfuls of salsa or pico de gallo. For extra heat, bump the jalapeño up to a full pepper or swap in serrano or habanero. For a super-creamy finish, mash in a tablespoon or two of vegan mayonnaise.
Tips for the best guac:
- Cube the avocados first for easier mashing, then start with a fork and finish with the pestle for a rustic texture.
- No mortar and pestle? Use a bowl and fork — slightly less rustic, but just as delicious.
- Don’t over-mash; leave a few chunks for body.
- Season right before serving and adjust to taste.
Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 288mg
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