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This homemade guacamole dip is the easiest, most simple guacamole recipe you’ll ever find. With only fresh ingredients like ripe avocado, fresh cilantro, white onion, freshly squeezed lime juice and just the perfect amount of salt.
About My Homemade Guacamole
Costa Rican avocados are HUGE- like the size of a large man’s fist. They are super good, but Costa Ricans tend to just eat a piece of sliced avocado with a little salt sprinkled on it. I remember the first time I told my house mom in Costa Rica that I loved avocado she literally gave me half of a huge avocado with a spoon- and then was offended when I couldn’t eat it all.
So I felt it my duty to introduce Costa Ricans to my guacamole a few years ago, and now I’m the life of the party. People are like vultures around my guacamole when I take it anywhere in Costa Rica. That’s because Costa Ricans really don’t eat guacamole. Which is weird because their avocados are so perfect for it.
For some reason, every single person that tries my guacamole immediately falls in love with it. And people- this is the most unfussy, unpretentious, EASY guacamole recipe you will ever find. Seriously.
Case in point. My husband’s grandma hates avocados. See, when she was growing up in Costa Rica her family was super poor- they didn’t have much variety of foods. They also had an avocado tree in their front yard- so they ate a lot of avocado. She got sick of it. I made her my guacamole and she ate the entire bowl without sharing.
What’s tough about guacamole is keeping avocados on hand for when you want to make the guacamole. They seem to ripen and go bad in a span of like 45 minutes. My trick? Once the avocados are ripe (I buy them in bulk and Sam’s Club and Costco) just thrown them in the fridge. They will stay ripe for up to a week and you can pull out a perfectly ripe avocado for days on end.
Ok, enough chatter- here’s my guacamole recipe!
Guacamole Dip Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons white onion, finely chopped
Instructions:
Cut your avocado in half and remove the pit. Using a spoon scrape the avocado into a small bowl and mash. Chop your onion and cilantro.
Juice your half lime right over the mashed avocado and add onion, cilantro and salt. Stir.
I always test for salt by dipping the tortillas chips I am going to use into the guacamole, as the chips are often salty and so I under-salt the guacamole. If you are using this recipe for guacamole not eaten with chips then you will need to add a bit more salt.
Serve and eat!
Notes: This easy guacamole recipe doubles or triples nicely. If you are making this guacamole ahead and want to avoid it turning brown, you will need to add extra lime.
If you are making a huge batch of guacamole (like more than 2 or 3 avocadoes) you can use a potato masher instead of a fork to mash the avocados a bit faster.
If your avocado is a bit too hard, I add 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream before I mash- it doctors the avocado right up and no one will know you used a hard avocado!
Popular Recipes from Pura Vida Moms:
- Costa Rican Arroz con Pollo Recipe
- Baked Carnitas Recipe For Carnitas Tacos
- Mango Popsicle Recipe
- Chimichurri and Avocado Toast Recipe
Substitutions
You can substitute red onion for the white onion.
In a pinch, I have substituted lemon juice for the lime, but I don’t like it as much.
Variations
Sometimes I have a huge guacamole craving but not fresh ingredients on hand. In that case, here’s how I make “authentic guacamole” using only my spice cabinet. Use dried cilantro, salt, garlic powder (no onion), and then add lime juice from the jar! Viola!
You can also just mash the avocado and then stir in a bit of store-bought salsa. Quick and easy and fairly delicious. Which brings me to the next point…
Another variation of guacamole uses tomato. I don’t like tomato in my guacamole so I am firmly team “no tomato” for guac. Feel free to add in a tablespoon or so of diced tomato, but I won’t be eating it! 😉
Serving Suggestions
I just love to dip a tortilla chip in guacamole for a fun gluten-free snack. But- I also love to serve this as part of a pork carnitas taco bar. Or serve it with my legendaryBeef Carne Asada.
Or NACHOS. I love to layer freshly fried tortilla chips, this amazing Costa Rican style shredded beef, refried black beans, chimichurri, mozzarella cheese and guacamole on top. YUM.
Or empanadas! Slather this on top of an empanada. I have a zillion empanada recipes– and now I’m extra hungry. BRB.
Another favorite healthy lunch idea is to make my carrot and green bean picadillo, put it on a corn tortilla and then add a dollop of guacamole on top.
I also like to drop a ball of guacamole into my legendaryDamn Good Torchy’s Tacos Queso Dip Recipe. Or make a dip bar using all my favorite dips below:
- Costa Rican Black Bean Dip Recipe
- Easy Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe
- Easy Chimichurri Dip Recipe
- Creamy Mexican Green Salsa Recipe
- Chile del Arbol Salsa Recipe
FAQ
Can guacamole be frozen?
Yes! You can. You just have to add a little extra lime and get it into an airtight container. Then freeze. I defrost in the fridge or it turns brown.
When guacamole turns brown is it still ok to eat?
Yep. It tastes the same (or maybe even better) it just looks weird. Avoid guacamole with mold, however.
What’s the best way to store guacamole?
A lot of people say to cover it with plastic wrap, but I find it to be better in an airtight container that doesn’t let any light in. I will often just put it in a bowl and cover the bowl with a plate on top so that no light gets in.
Might I suggest some co*cktail pairings for your guacamole fest?
- 100 Calorie Paloma Margarita
- Tropical Rum Punch co*cktail Recipe
- Tropical Mimosa- Guava co*cktail Recipe
- 20 Latin co*cktails For Your Next Party!
Printable Recipe
Yield: 1 cup
Easy Guacamole Dip Recipe
This homemade guacamole dip is the easiest, most simple guacamole recipe you'll ever find. With only fresh ingredients like ripe avocado, fresh cilantro, white onion, freshly squeezed lime juice and just the perfect amount of salt.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons white onion, finely chopped
Instructions
Cut your avocado in half and remove the pit. Using a spoon scrape the avocado into a small bowl and mash. Chop your onion and cilantro.
Juice your half lime right over the mashed avocado and add onion, cilantro and salt. Stir.
I always test for salt by dipping the tortillas chips I am going to use into the guacamole, as the chips are often salty and so I under-salt the guacamole. If you are using this recipe for guacamole not eaten with chips then you will need to add a bit more salt.
Serve and eat!
Notes
This easy guacamole recipe doubles or triples nicely. If you are making this guacamole ahead and want to avoid it turning brown, you will need to add extra lime.
If you are making a huge batch of guacamole (like more than 2 or 3 avocadoes) you can use a potato masher instead of a fork to mash the avocados a bit faster.
If your avocado is a bit too hard, I add 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream before I mash- it doctors the avocado right up and no one will know you used a hard avocado!
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