The best guacamole keeps it simple: just ripe avocados, salt, a squeeze of lime, onions, chiles, cilantro, and some chopped tomato. Serve it as a dip at your next party or spoon it on top of tacos for an easy dinner upgrade.

Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

Guacamole! Did you know that over 2 billion pounds of avocados are consumed each year in the U.S.? (Google it.) That’s over 7 pounds per person. I’m guessing that most of those avocados go into what has become America’s favorite dip, guacamole.

Where Does Guacamole Come From?

The word “guacamole”, and the dip, are both originally from Mexico, where avocados have been cultivated for thousands of years. The name is derived from two Aztec Nahuatl words—ahuacatl (avocado) and molli (sauce).

Watch our video on how to make guacamole!

Ingredients for Easy Guacamole

All you really need to make guacamole is ripe avocados and salt. After that, a little lime or lemon juice—a splash of acidity—will help to balance the richness of the avocado. Then if you want, add chopped cilantro, chiles, onion, and/or tomato.

Guacamole Tip: Use Ripe Avocados

The trick to making perfect guacamole is using ripe avocados that are just the right amount of ripeness. Not ripe enough and the avocado will be hard and tasteless. Too ripe and the taste will be off.

Check for ripeness by gently pressing the outside of the avocado. If there is no give, the avocado is not ripe yet and will not taste good. If there is a little give, the avocado is ripe. If there is a lot of give, the avocado may be past ripe and not good. In this case, taste test first before using.

The Best Way to Cut an Avocado

To slice open an avocado, cut it in half lengthwise with a sharp chef’s knife and twist apart the sides. One side will have the pit. To remove it, you can do one of two things:

Method #1: Gently tap the pit with your chef’s knife so the knife gets wedged into the pit. Twist your knife slightly to dislodge the pit and lift to remove. If you use this method, first protect your hand with a thick kitchen towel before proceeding.

Gently tap the pit with your chef’s knife so the knife gets wedged into the pit. Twist your knife slightly to dislodge the pit and lift to remove. If you use this method, first protect your hand with a thick kitchen towel before proceeding. Method #2: Cut the side with the pit in half again, exposing more of the pit. Use your fingers or a spoon to remove the pit

Once the pit is removed, just cut the avocado into chunks right inside the peel and use a spoon to scoop them out.

Still curious? Read more about How to Cut and Peel an Avocado

Guacamole Variations

Once you have basic guacamole down, feel free to experiment with variations including strawberries, peaches, pineapple, mangoes, even watermelon. One classic Mexican guacamole has pomegranate seeds and chunks of peaches in it (a Diana Kennedy favorite). You can get creative with homemade guacamole!

Simple Guacamole: The simplest version of guacamole is just mashed avocados with salt. Don’t let the lack of availability of other ingredients stop you from making guacamole.

The simplest version of guacamole is just mashed avocados with salt. Don’t let the lack of availability of other ingredients stop you from making guacamole. Quick guacamole: For a very quick guacamole just take a 1/4 cup of salsa and mix it in with your mashed avocados.

For a very quick guacamole just take a 1/4 cup of salsa and mix it in with your mashed avocados. Don’t have enough avocados? To extend a limited supply of avocados, add either sour cream or cottage cheese to your guacamole dip. Purists may be horrified, but so what? It tastes great.

Here are a few other guacamole recipes to try:

Other Ways to Use Guacamole

Guacamole has a role in the kitchen beyond a party dip, of course. It’s great scooped on top of nachos and also makes an excellent topping or side for enchiladas, tacos, grilled salmon, or oven-baked chicken.

Guacamole is great in foods, as well. Try mixing some guacamole into a tuna sandwich or your next batch of deviled eggs.

How to Store Guacamole

Guacamole is best eaten right after it’s made. Like apples, avocados start to oxidize and turn brown once they’ve been cut. That said, the acid in the lime juice you add to guacamole can help slow down that process, and if you store the guacamole properly, you can easily make it a few hours ahead if you are preparing for a party.

The trick to keeping guacamole green is to make sure air doesn’t touch it! Transfer it to a container, cover with plastic wrap, and press down on the plastic wrap to squeeze out any air pockets. Make sure any exposed surface of the guacamole is touching the plastic wrap, not air. This will keep the amount of browning to a minimum.

You can store the guacamole in the fridge this way for up to three days.

If you leave the guacamole exposed to air, it will start to brown and discolor. That browning isn’t very appetizing, but the guacamole is still good. You can either scrape off the brown parts and discard, or stir them into the rest of the guacamole.