I’m a guac afficianado. I order it whenever I can, and my daughter and I race to the bottom of any bowl. Personally, I think this is the best guacamole recipe I’ve ever tried. This post contains some affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.
As I’ve mentioned recently, I discovered some rocking guacamole recently. And I’ve made it a few times since. Like twice in less than a week few times.
I may make it again before the weekend. It’s not quite the original recipe from Boudro’s, but rather my version of it.
That said, my husband thinks it tastes just as good as the original. Ok, so he tells me it’s the best guacamole he’s ever eaten.
So.
This homemade guacamole tastes amazing served with tortilla chips, and I make it every year for any football party we host or attend. I do a double batch, and it still always disappears.
I don’t make it only for guests, though. Why wouldn’t I use the best guacamole I know to go with any other dish I can justify.
This on top of carnitas stuffed quesadillas? Pure. Heaven. With tacos whenever I make my Spanish rice? It’s the perfect way to round out my Mexican skillet quinoa, too.
Authentic guacamole should not contain fillers. There’s no reason for sour cream or cream cheese or anything that “stretches” the guacamole.
Instead, focus on fresh and high quality ingredients. Each one should add to the flavor like the roasted peppers, lime, etc in this version that makes the best guacamole I’ve ever had.
How do I choose a good avocado?
If you don’t have ripe avocados, your guac won’t be as good. And we’ve all had bad or unripe avocados, especially since they are the perfect ripeness for such a short period of time.
To choose the perfect one, you want the avocado to give just a little bit when you gently squeeze it. You don’t want it to feel soft at all, however.
If you have a rock hard avocado, you simply need to let it soften on your counter for a couple days.
The other test is to flick off the stem, if your avocado has one on it still. If you can wiggle it with your thumb versus it feeling like it’s stuck in place, that’s a good sign.
If you can wiggle it off without too much effort, look at the color of the avocado you just revealed. If it’s a pretty green, buy it. It if looks less bright or brownish, skip it.
How do I keep my guacamole from turning brown?
Lime juice is your friend. The citrus prevents the avocado from turning brown, at least for a few hours.
This recipe has both orange and lime juice, and both work to protect the avocado. Make sure to add lime juice to the avocado as soon as you remove them from the skin.
Note: While lemon juice is great to keep apples from browning, don’t use it in this homemade guacamole recipe.
In addition, if you have any leftover guacamole, the best trick is to put it into a container and smooth the top as much as possible. Then add a layer of cold water on top of it and cover with plastic wrap.
The water won’t absorb into your guacamole, but it provides a perfect barrier from air reaching it.
When you want to enjoy it again, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Then carefully pour off the water (and blot it with a paper towel if you really want to) and dig in.
This fresh guac will stay not browned for at least three to four hours, as I’ve left it out for serving longer than that with no issues. This is part of why it’s the best guacamole recipe in my mind, but only part of the reason!
What is the best way to cut an avocado?
When I have a ripe avocado, it’s easy to cut with a steak knife. Run the knife around the avocado long ways, from the stem to the bottom and back up again.
Twist the avocado to open it, and the pit will be on one side and clean avocado on the other. Use your knife to carefully run through the avocado horizontally, then vertically so that you make crosshatches, stopping before you cut through the skin.
Use a spoon to scoop out the avocado into a bowl, and you have beautiful chunks. For this recipe, you don’t want to mash them or cut them further. Stirring breaks it down just enough, so no potato masher needed.
For the half with the pit, carefully whack your knife into the pit while holding the avocado in your other hand. Be sure to keep all parts of your hand away from the knife when you do this and be careful; I’ve gone to the hospital for stitches in this maneuver when I used too sharp a knife and wasn’t paying attention.
Gently twist the knife stuck into the pit to loosen it. Pull it out as it loosens, then carefully remove the pit from the knife again avoiding the blade.
Note: this is why I use a steak knife. It’s sharp enough to do what I want here without being so sharp that I risk cutting myself.
Repeat as you did with the first half, and discard the avocado pit and the skin.
Do I need to use cilantro to make the best guacamole?
You do not need to use cilantro if you’re a “cilantro tastes like soap” person. While cilantro definitely adds to the flavor of this guacamole and helps balance it, it still tastes good without it.
And yes, there are most definitely people who have a genetic component where cilantro tastes like soap. There’s nothing you can do to change that, so just leave it out of this if you have to.
I provide the guacamole ingredients that make this the best simple guacamole recipe that I love, but if there’s something you don’t like, leave it out.
One note: if you use cilantro, make sure you use fresh cilantro. This recipe is not designed for dried cilantro flakes.
What tomatoes should I use in homemade guacamole?
For guacamole, I use roma tomatoes. They have a great flesh to inside ratio, so you get the texture you want in your guac.
I cut them in half, then manually seed them. Simply run your finger through the seed portion while holding it over your sink or the garbage and pull out the seeds.
This gives you just the flesh of the tomato, which is what you want.
If you have other tomatoes on hand, they can work. Cherry and grape tomatoes are hard to seed, however, and beefsteak and other tomatoes tend to have a lot more innards than roma tomatoes.
Do I need to use a whole lime for the juice?
Fresh lime juice tastes best. There’s no getting around that.
However, there are times when I buy limes that simply don’t have as much juice as I need. And sometimes limes simply disappear, for which I blame my daughter.
I will augment with lime juice from a bottle if I need to, but do your best to juice your own. You can absolutely taste the difference.
What peppers should I use for this guacamole recipe?
In this recipe, I use a poblano pepper. It provides a great smoky flavor without making it too spicy for many people.
However, you can get creative and experiment with your peppers. Try using a serrano pepper, jalapeno pepper, or chipotle pepper in place of or in addition to the poblano.
The fun of cooking is that you get to adjust recipes to meet your preferences. Changing up the peppers lets you make a spicier guacamole if you prefer that, so have fun with your mix ins.
I do not, however, recommend using bell peppers. They absolutely do not belong in authentic guacamole.
Can I make guacamole ahead of time?
Nope. Guacamole is one of those dishes that you need to make just in time. Once you cut into the avocados, the clock starts ticking.
However, you can prep the majority of this in advance to save yourself time, which is what I do whenever I make this for friends. Roast your veggies a day or two in advance and chop them, then store them in the fridge in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap.
You can also juice your orange and lime, and add them to the veggies if you want. This is such a quick step that I generally do it as I make the guacamole.
Once you make this guacamole recipe, you should eat it within the next few hours. You also want to serve homemade guacamole at room temperature if you can, so making it ahead and refrigerating it doesn’t work well.
Rockin’ Guacamole AKA The Best Guacamole Recipe Ever
We start this homemade guacamole with four California avocados. If you have decent sized ones, you can use two or three. The ones in our grocer right now are pretty skimpy.
So first. That roasting of the roma tomatoes. It’s really not that hard.
I cut them in half, and removed their seeds. I then cut the poblano pepper in half and discarded its seeds and ribs (the white part inside). Peel the garlic cloves, but don’t cut them.
Add all those veggies to a baking dish, then drizzle just a little olive oil over them. Sprinkle some dried Italian seasonings (ironic, I know), and put them in the oven at 300 degrees for twenty minutes.
Cut the avocados in half and remove the seed. Run a butter knife through the avocados horizontally then vertically to make crosshatches.
Use a spoon to pull them from the skin, and dump them in a medium bowl. Juice the lime and orange directly over the avocado.
Chop the roasted tomatoes, garlic, and poblano, and add them to the avocado mix. Dice your red onion, and add it, as well.
Add the kosher salt and chopped cilantro. Stir the mixture gently, and you’re done. Taste test to ensure it’s the balance you want. I sometimes add a little more lime juice or extra salt, etc, depending on the ripeness of the avocados and how it all comes together.
YUM. Y.U.M.
When we use this as a topping, it technically serves ten. But if it’s your only appetizer, count on it being enough to serve about four for a large appetizer.
Unless you’re sneaking some while making it. Then it might only serve three. Or two. Because really, when it’s the best guacamole, you may eat more than your “fair” share.
Don’t forget to bookmark this recipe for the best avocado so you can make it again and again!
The Best Guacamole Ever
Yield: 10 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
This guacamole is bursting with flavor. It takes a little extra time to prep and create it, but it is well worth it. No step is difficult, and you'll watch this disappear!
Ingredients
- 4 roma tomatoes, roasted
- 1/2 Poblano pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 t dried basil
- 1 t dried oregano
- 1 T dried parsley
- 3 California avocados
- 3 limes (mine were small, you can get away with two if they have a decent amount of juice)
- 4 T chopped red onion
- 1/2 large orange (or a whole smaller one)
- 1 t salt
- 1/3 c chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes in half, and remove seeds. Slice poblano pepper in half and remove seeds and ribs. Peel garlic cloves, but don't cut them.
- Place veggies in a baking dish and drizzle olive oil, then sprinkle dried Italian seasonings. Bake in oven at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Once veggies finish cooking and cool, cut avocados in half and remove the pit. Chunk avocado and place in a bowl.
- Juice the lime and orange over avocado.
- Chop tomatoes, garlic, and poblano, and add them to avocado mix along with the diced onion.
- Add the salt and chopped cilantro. Stir mixture gently, and serve immediately.
Notes
You can prep the roasted veggies up to two days in advance. Store roasted veggies in the fridge.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 44Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
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