Guacamole

Who can resist this scrumptious and healthy dip made from ripe avocados? This homemade guacamole contains only the freshest ingredients, is super easy and fast to make and is heart healthy. Learn my secrets for how to make the best authentic homemade guacamole.

I'm going to toot my own horn for a minute. And I'm ok with doing this because I NEVER do it (Im typically hard on myself). Ok, so here goes. I have been told that I make AMAZING guacamole. I know!! It's silly but I'm so proud of this!! Every time we go out to a Mexican restaurant and order guacamole, my friends and family immediately say, "Oh my goodness Amanda, your guac is so much better!"

And I have to agree...it is! And I know this because I've had 2 different friends come to my house on different occasions when I was serving my homemade guac and they literally ate half of the HUGE bowl! That's like 4-5 fresh avocados! Yeah...that good. And it's the easiest recipe to make. And it's quick!

I've been told I should sell it, but I don't want to. I don't want to deal with adding preservatives because what makes this dip so amazingly delish is the fact that I use only the FRESHEST INGREDIENTS!! Did you get that? That's one of my secrets to making the most amazingly delish homemade guacamole. Did I say amazingly delish yet?

Only The Freshest Ingredients

What ingredients do I use in my recipe? I'm glad you asked! Here are the ingredients:

• Avocado
• Cilantro
• Shredded Cheese
• Onion
• Garlic Salt
• Lime
• Garlic Clove

Before you start asking me why I don't use certain ingredients...wait until the end of this post because I'm going to touch on MORE ingredients that can be used. But before we go there, we need to talk about avocados.

What You Need To Know About Avocados

I have friends who will not touch avocados because, "they contain too much fat". Ok, stop right there. We need to talk about this for a minute because I'd like to take this opportunity to educate you on the nutritional benefits of avocados.

Let's look at just SOME of the benefits of avocados:

• Avocados are considered fatty fruits. Avocados are rich in monounsaturated fats and that's a GOOD thing because monounsaturated fats help reduce bad cholesterol levels in your blood. That means it can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Avocados contain a TON of fiber.
• By eating fresh avocados, you can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Avocados consist of 73% water.
• Avocados are high in antioxidants.

Yeah...amazing stuff. Do you feel better about eating avocados? You should!! Want to know more about the benefits of avocados? Read this article. It's fabulous. Everything you need to know about avocado

Step-By-Step - Making Homemade Guacamole

Now that I've made you feel A LOT better about eating fresh avocados, let me walk you through how to make my homemade yumminess.

Step 1 - Avocados

First, slice the avocados. You'll want to slice them vertically. This makes it super EASY to pop out the avocado seed!

Next, take a large spoon and scoop out the fresh avocado into a large mixing bowl. You'll want to ensure you scrape all the avocado away from the black peel.

Step 3 - Fresh Limes

You guessed it...lime juice! It's an absolute MUST in this recipe. The key here is FRESH! Don't expect the guacamole to taste good using bottled lime juice. It must be fresh lime juice. So go ahead and slice that lime horizontally.

It's really hard to get ALL the lime juice out by squeezing with your hands. I use a hand held citrus press to help squeeze all the juice out of each lime.

Look how much juice comes out of the lime! You could never get that much juice by squeezing with your hands!

Step 4 - Fresh Garlic

Garlic lover right here...like BIG time garlic lover!! But I need you to really hold yourself back and only use one garlic clove for this recipe. Why, you ask?

Step 5 - Garlic Salt

Because you're going to add in some garlic salt! Garlic salt is essential to this recipe!

Step 6 - Shredded Cheese

I know...this is different but guys you have to add some cheese into your bowl of fresh avocados. Fresh grated cheese makes the flavor pop in my homemade guacamole.

Step 7 - Cilantro

Now it's time to chop that fresh cilantro!! Cilantro is absolutely a MUST ingredient. Chop it up finely so you can sprinkle it into the bowl of avocados.

Step 8 - Mix All Ingredients

Finally...it's time to mash all these crazy fresh ingredients together! If you have a hand held potato smasher, use it to mix all these ingredients. If not, use a fork.  You're going to have the option to make either a creamy or chunky guacamole. I like it in the middle...I like creamy but at the same time I like little chunks of avocado. So mix it up to your liking!

Final Result - Homemade Guacamole

After you mix all your ingredients together, you've got yourself a big bowl of homemade guacamole! Looks delish, right? Go ahead...grab a chip or 7 and dive in!

What to Eat With Guacamole

Holy guacamole! So versatile!!! Gosh, I think the question is what can you NOT eat with guacamole...lol. But I'll give you my favorite pairings:

• I love adding my homemade guacamole to my Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos with Endive and Avocado Salad.
• Homemade guacamole is perfectly paired with my Baja-Style Soft Chicken Tacos.
• Guac and chips go great with my Mexican Street Corn.
• You can also add guacamole to your burger.
• Avocado toast is AMAZING!
• Guacamole is great for breakfast, especially when you are serving it with an omelet.
• Eat guacamole on tacos, burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas!
• Instead of eating chips with your guac, eat fresh veggies like celery, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower with your guac!

Tips And Tricks

• Roll the lime - If you want ALL the juice to come out of that lime, roll it on your counter or cutting board. By putting pressure on the lime and rolling it, it helps get the juice loose so more lime juice comes out of the squeeze.
• Use a Citrus Press - You get a TON more juice out of your fresh lime if you use a citrus press. You can buy one here on Amazon. Oh..and if you need a hand held potato masher, you can get it here on Amazon.
• Soft Avocados, Not Hard - When picking out your avocados, make sure that when you gently press them they are soft. Not too soft though. Keep in mind...you do not want firm avocados when making guacamole.
• Keeping Guacamole from Turning Brown - We've all heard that adding an avocado seed to your guacamole will help keep it from turning brown. This works well...but try this new trick I just learned. Just before you go to store the bowl of guac in the refrigerator, take a tiny bit of water and add it on top of the guacamole. The goal is to have a super thin layer of water on top of the guacamole. Place the lid on and place it in the fridge. The next time you grab that bowl of guacamole out of your refrigerator, it should still be fresh and green! Give it a try!
• Use Guacamole Instead of Mayonnaise - Next time you go to make a sandwich, spread on a thin layer of guacamole instead of mayonnaise. It's delish and a much healthier fat than mayonnaise!

Other Ingredients and Toppings

There are so many ingredients you use when making guacamole!

• Red Onion - this is an optional ingredient in my recipe but I always add it in! The red onion provides HUGE flavor! If you don't like red onion, use a sweet vidalia onion.
• Pomegranate Seeds - some people like a sweet guacamole. If this is you, add in some fresh pomegranate seeds! They provide a super refreshing taste!
• Tomatoes - I like adding a small amount of fresh diced tomatoes into my guacamole!
• Corn - Adding cooked corn is a fun add!
• Jalapeño - If you want to add a bit of spice, add some diced Jalapeño!
• Fresh Mango - ...SO amazing in guac! Also...try fresh peaches!
• Cojita Cheese - Sometimes I switch out the freshly grated cheese and add in Cotija cheese instead. It's a YUMMY substitute!

Guacamole is just so versatile and I love that! Ya'll, this recipe is super easy and fast to make. Instead of picking up that pre-packaged guacamole at the grocery, make your own fresh version! It's so much better than store bought! Seriously...there is just no comparison in taste. With summer now in full swing, this recipe is a HUGE winner in my house! You're going to love it!

Here's what I want to know…did you make my Homemade Guacamole? If you did, I’d LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments below! And don’t forget to rate the recipe! FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest because ya'll... I’m CONSTANTLY posting yummy food that I know you will love! Don't miss out on the yumminess!