Quick and Easy Homemade Guacamole
There are few pleasures in life equal to making your own guacamole. It’s such a versatile and delicious dip, what’s not to love? It’s equally at home at a barbecue, a dinner party, or just snacking on your couch. Have it with chips, on tacos, in burritos, or on toast. This recipe is quick and easy and will make you the star of the show.
Guacamole is great all year round, but there’s something special about making it during the summer. I guess it’s because most of the ingredients I used came from my garden. It’s so satisfying growing and using your own vegetables. It’s so versatile as well. I grew yellow tomatoes, so that’s what went in this guacamole. I also grew serrano peppers, so I used those rather than jalapenos.
Nothing says ‘summer’ more than a batch of fresh, homemade, from the garden guacamole. And now you can make your own using this easy recipe. The avocado, or ‘alligator pear’, as it was known in the early 1900’s, is a fruit domesticated thousands of years ago by various groups of Mesoamericans. The traditional ingredients for guacamole are: avocado, cilantro, onions, jalapenos and lime juice. I have added tomatoes and poblano to this recipe, but they are optional.
Ingredients
- Avocado– I like avocadoes that are not too hard nor too ripe. Wondering how to pick out the best avocados for this recipe? More on that below.
- Tomato– I used a yellow tomato from my garden, but Roma’s are the best as they have less water.
- Cilantro– the best herb, in my opinion.
- Onion– white onion is traditionally used, but any onion you have will work.
- Poblano pepper– I roasted the poblano, helping to soften it and bring out its smoky flavor.
- Serrano/jalapeno pepper– either one of these peppers will work in this recipe.
- Lime juice– this is what ties it all together.
- Cumin, Salt, and Pepper– a bit of spices to kick up the flavor.
How To Pick Out an Avocado
Avocados an be tricky to pick out. Too hard and you won’t be able to cut into them; too soft and they won’t hold up. How can you tell which ones are the best? To get the ripest avocados ready to be used, you want to feel a bit of ‘give’ when you press on it. If they’re hard like a rock, they are not ready. You first want to look for the avocados that aren’t bright green. The bright green ones are not ripe. The ripe ones are dark green, almost black. Once you find one that is not bright green, gently press on it. If you can feel some ‘give’, then it is ready. If you have to press hard to feel some give, then it is not ready. If it has too much give, it is too mushy and not good either. It’s better to buy the under-ripe ones and then let them ripen on your counter for a few days rather than buy over-ripe ones. If you are making guacamole that day and you find some that seem just slightly too ripe, they could work as long as you use them immediately.
Making homemade guacamole
Guacamole is pretty simple to make. You’re just chopping stuff and mixing them together in a bowl. The only thing that makes this recipe a bit longer is sauteeing the poblano. The first step is to cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. This isn’t always easy. The below video shows how I like to do it.
Next, you’ll chop the avocadoes, tomato, onion, cilantro serrano and poblano. Then, you’ll saute the poblano in a bit of olive oil till they look a bit charred and are soft.
Note about poblano-I find that when I saute it, the smoke it produces bothers me. It’s because of the capsaicin. It may not bother you, but it’s something to be aware of. Rather than sauteing poblano on the stove, I have been microwaving it once I cut it in small pieces. Not as good as sauteing, but at least the smoke doesn’t bother me this way.
I use a spoon to remove the cut avocado from the peel. Just slide the spoon in between the flesh and the peel and scoop out.
Look at all those beautiful colors! I love the bright orange with all of the green. Just add in the lime juice and salt, stir and you are good to go. If you don’t want a guacamole that is chunky, I suggest mashing the diced avocado up before adding it in with everything else.
This guacamole goes wonderfully on my carnitas tacos recipe, along with my salsa verde recipe. So, so good! Be sure to also check out my Carnitas recipe for the best, most flavorful shredded pork you will ever eat.
You definitely want to eat guacamole as soon as possible. It’s at it’s peak right after you make it, and will last for two days in the fridge in an airtight container. Because avocado oxidizes in the air, your guacamole can quickly turn brown. It is still edible this way, though not always appealing. Lemon juice on top of guacamole does help to keep it from oxidizing, thus allowing it to stay greener longer. It still doesn’t have a very long shelf life, especially since it’s homemade and there are no preservatives in it.
If you are making guacamole for a party, I recommend making it the day of the party. You want it to look it’s best and be as fresh as possible. Everyone loves guacamole, so it may not even have time to turn brown before everyone has devoured it.
Other Recipes to Try
Recipe Notes
Store guacamole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. Guacamole is best right after it’s been made
No, I do not recommend freezing guacamole.
Guacamole turns brown due to the avocadoes in guacamole oxidizing with the air. You can still eat it. If you find it unappetizing, you can scrape the brown parts off.
Yes, you can. Add the guacamole to a storage container and smooth it down so it has a flat surface. Add a thin layer of lemon/lime juice to cover the surface. Once you’re ready to use it, drain the juice off the top. You still will want to use the guacamole within a day or two.
Although avocado is considered a ‘good’ fat, guacamole is still high in calories so should be consumed sparingly.
Quick and Easy Homemade Guacamole
Ingredients
- 3 avocados, medium
- 2 Roma tomatoes, or 1 medium tomato
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 1 serrano pepper
- 1 poblano
- 1/2 cup cilantro, torn
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Halve the avocados and remove the pits. Cut up the avocado.
- Juice half a lime. Cut up the poblano. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan. Add the poblano and saute until slightly charred and soft.Alternately, if the smoke from sauteing the poblano bothers you, you can microwave it for 60 seconds, adding more time in 15-second bursts if it is not soft enough.
- While poblano is sauteeing, cut up the tomato, onion, serrano, and cilantro. Add these to a large mixing bowl. Keep an eye on the poblano as you cut up the vegetables to be sure it does not burn. If you want a less chunky guacamole, mash the avocados up with a fork before adding to the other ingredients.
- Once the poblano is done, add it to the bowl with the other ingredients. Add the lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors develop. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- I do not recommend freezing guacamole. It would not hold up well.
- If sauteing the poblano bothers you, it can also be microwaved.
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