The best guacamole recipe ever

If you want to make the best guacamole, there are a few things you need to know. I swear by this recipe, but also by these tips that help make it the best it can be.

Avocados can be a splurge in your grocery budget, so you really don't want to waste them with bad guacamole.

Common mistakes people make that cause their guacamole to suck:

• mashing the avocado so it's too smooth
• adding too much of one ingredient so it throws off the flavor balance
• not enough flavor so the whole thing is totally bland, or the opposite - too salty

Everyone I've ever served my guacamole recipe to has said it's the best guacamole ever. Who am I to argue?

My dad used to just drop off ingredients at my house to take his freshly-made guacamole to go. Mom, the woman I inherited all my cooking skills from, even says my guac is the best. Our nephews also can't get enough of my guacamole. You should see the kids' faces when I make it! Outside my family, the praise is equally positive. My best friend officially calls my guacamole recipe "Maura-mole" and I think that's beautiful.

Here's what makes it so good: Fresh ingredients

Yes, that's really the secret.

• Fresh, perfectly ripe avocado
• Serrano chile for a little heat
• Diced Roma tomatoes (Mexicans know these as jitomate saladet) for body and texture
• Diced red onion for crunch
• Freshly-squeezed lime juice (NEVER bottled lime juice!)
• Freshly-minced cilantro (totally optional)
• Kosher or sea salt, to taste (NEVER use table salt!

Why use red onion instead of white?

White onion is used more than red onion in Mexican cuisine. And although white onion is slightly crunchier than red onion, it's also a sharper onion taste, which means the flavor can potentially overwhelm the rest of the ingredients. Red onion is also less pungent, meaning it won't give you raunchy onion breath, but it still has plenty of flavor; red onion also adds a decent crunch to the texture.

The garlic debate

My mom always put garlic in her guacamole, and while I like the way it tastes, I prefer it without because it allows the onion and the chile flavors to shine through. Also, my Mexican side of the family doesn't use garlic, so I leave it out most of the time.

How to store leftover guacamole properly

You can read more about my method in this tutorial how to keep your guacamole fresh and green if you have leftovers. I'm not going to give you an entire science lesson here, but the basics go like this: avocados have an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase that, when exposed to air, causes it to oxidize and turn from green to brown. I was truly disgusted to learn some of the weird things people of the internet do to keep their guacamole green, such as covering it with water or milk (gross, really?), too much citrus or thinking the pit keeps it from oxidizing. Stop doing those and ruining your guac. The only thing that keeps avocado from turning brown is to prevent it from being exposed to oxygen.

The best vehicle for guacamole (aka what kind of chip to use)

I don't want to tell you what to do here so much as remind you that you have options. We all have different tastes in chips and if you like flimsy Tostitos, well, I won't stop you. (But aren't you tired of your chips breaking in half?) I prefer the homestyle kind of hearty, thick, salted tortilla chips.

Shoutout to El Milagro, the best tortillería in Chicago that also makes THE BEST tortilla chips. If someone is willing to send them to you, it's worth paying the postage to get them shipped.

Chicharrón botanero (aka chicharrón delgado) is also a great option, which also pairs well with fresh raw tomatillo salsa.

Print

If you're here because you're a guacamole-lover, you might also like these recipes:

• Classic guacamole with white onion
• BLT guacamole
• Fruity guacamole with pomegranate seeds and mango
• Fruity guacamole with pomegranate seeds and pineapple
• Guacahummus (just like it sounds: guacamole mixed with hummus)

39