🛒 Ingredients
- 3 ripeAvocados, ripe
- 1Lime, juiced (plus more to taste)
- ½ tspSalt (plus more to taste)
- ¼ mediumWhite onion, very finely diced
- 1Serrano or jalapeño chilli, minced
- 1 small handfulFresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 mediumRipe tomato, seeds removed, diced
- 1 cloveGarlic, minced (optional)
🛠️ Method
Prep the Aromatics First
Finely dice the onion, mince the chilli, and chop the coriander. Combine them in a bowl with the salt and half the lime juice. Let this sit for 5 minutes, the salt draws out the moisture and the lime slightly mellows the raw onion. This is the flavour base.
Handle the Avocado
Halve the avocados, remove the pit (tap a knife into it and twist), and scoop the flesh into a bowl or molcajete. Add the aromatic mixture. Mash with a fork, you want texture, not a smooth paste. Chunks of avocado should remain visible. A blender makes baby food.
Add Tomato and Adjust
Fold in the diced tomato gently, you don't want to break it down. Taste. It almost certainly needs more salt and more lime. Guacamole should taste bright and slightly acidic, not flat. Keep adjusting a little at a time until it snaps.
Serve Immediately
Guacamole oxidises fast. Serve right away with warm tortilla chips. If you must store it, press cling film directly onto the surface (not the bowl, onto the guacamole itself) to exclude air. The lime slows browning. Eat within a few hours.
💡 Chef's Notes
The pit trick doesn't actually prevent browning, that's a myth. The lime juice and plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface is what works.
No tomato version: Some Mexican regions make guacamole without tomato. Both are correct. Without tomato it's cleaner and more avocado-forward.
Scaling: This recipe scales perfectly. Just taste and adjust lime/salt as you go, the ratio shifts slightly with larger batches.
📜 A Short History
Guacamole's name comes from the Nahuatl word "āhuacamōlli," roughly "avocado sauce" or "avocado mixture," and it predates the Spanish arrival in Mexico. Avocados themselves were domesticated in Mexico and Central America thousands of years ago, and the Aztecs were already mashing them with salt and other seasonings long before tomato, lime, and coriander (all later additions or refinements) became the version most people recognize today.
🍽️ Nutrition (per serving)
Estimated from standard ingredient nutrition data for this recipe as written, serves 4. Most of the fat here is the naturally-occurring, mostly unsaturated fat from the avocado itself.