The best simple and healthy and easy guacamole recipe, perfect for snacking, as a toast topping, or just to eat by the spoonful! Plus tips for making flawless guacamole every single time!
If you love this traditional guacamole recipe be sure to try my other amazing Mexican dip, Avocado Crema. Both are perfect to pair with my easy chorizo street tacos. Enjoy!
Are we ready to have a serious guacamole conversation?
My most controversial post ever on Instagram had to do with guacamole. I am a purest and I believe two things very very strongly.
- Garlic does not belong in guacamole
- Tomatoes do not belong in guacamole
Truth is I don't think there is one perfect best guacamole recipe, but I do know that 90% of the guacamoles I've tasted have been sub-par. There are a few very simple tricks to make sure your guacamole is always the best! (and I won't be mad if you decide to add tomato or garlic).
Confession Time
This is technically not my recipe. It's Jordans. He is the guacamole master. The reigning king. The one and only guac maker in our house.
I gave up.
His is better. He agreed to go step by step for me so I could make this post. He also agreed to an IGTV, This is a very big deal.
How to Pick the Perfect Avocado for Healthy Guacamole.
You will not be able to judge the ripeness of an avocado by color alone. Give a gentle press at the top or neck of the avocado and when it gives to pressure it is ripe.
For guacamole, you want avocados that yield to pressure all over. They need to be very soft, softer than you may think.
If they yield slightly to pressure, use the avocado for slicing or salads, when they are soft all over they are guacamole ready!
How to Make Guacamole Healthier
Guacamole is inherently healthy and only requires a few simple ingredients. Avocados are full of healthy fats, (a good thing) and this authentic guacamole recipe is simply a combination of healthy plant foods all smashed together creating a genius delicious treat.
Homemade guacamole is healthier than store-bought guacamole, very simply it doesn't require any preservatives or additives
To amp up the nutritional power of guacamole switch up how you serve it.
Recipe Notes: Health Questions About Guacamole
Yes. Seriously yes. I do think you want to consider portions with avocados though. I love them but find I do best eating 1/4-1/2 an avocado at a sitting. I could easily eat 5 avocados when I'm eating guacamole, so I just tune in to my intuition a little bit deeper when guacamole is around.
However, guacamole is a special treat in my house. I don't eat it out typically and only eat Jordan's guacamole, his is the best and all others pale in comparison. If he made it every day, you bet I would eat it every day!
IS GUACAMOLE BAD FOR ME?
Absolutely not. It is simple wholesome ingredients/real food.
What Can You Serve Guacamole With?
Healthy Guacamole Dippers:
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Cut Fresh vegetables
- Sugar Snap Peas (my personal favorite)
- Siete brand tortilla chips (grain-free, super high quality and DELICIOUS!)
Healthy Ways to use Guacamole
Guacamole is one of my favorite healthy snacks and it's more versatile than you may know. In addition to being the perfect dip, delicious homemade guacamole has creative applications beyond Mexican food. A classic guacamole is a tasty addition to soups, toasts, salads and proteins. Adding it to a dish is a great way to add fresh ingredients to a meal.
- Spread on sourdough toast for the ultimate avocado toast. Top with sliced tomato, hard boiled egg, and a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning.
- Add a dollop on top of soup – it would be great on my Super Green Detoxifying Soup, Veggie Lentil Soup, Creamy Potato Soup, or Late Harvest Vegetable Soup
- Add a dollop on top of baked potato or baked sweet potato
- Top a grilled chicken breast with guacamole and serve with an heirloom tomato salad.
Ingredients to Make Healthy Guacamole
- Avocados
- Red Onion or white onion if you prefer a milder onion flavor
- Jalapeno Pepper (You could also use Serrano chili peppers)
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Coarse salt, kosher or sea salt
How to Make the Perfect Healthy Guacamole
This is truly the best healthy guacamole recipe in the world..the real deal. Mainly because it is not trying to be some fancier version of the original. Keeping it simple with the freshest ingredients is the best way to realize the full potential of this simple yet awesome dip.
- Finely chop the red onion, jalapeno, and cilantro, set aside.Scoop the flesh of the avocados into a large bowl. Begin to mash the avocado using a potato masher or a fork. Try not to turn the avocados into complete mush, you want some texture, chunks are good.
- Add red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, juice of 1 lime, and 1/2 the salt. Continue to mash, stir.
- Taste for seasoning. Add the other lime, and a bit more salt if needed (we always use the entire tsp of salt with 5 avocados)
- Top with additional cilantro, and serve immediately.
Expert Guacamole Tips
- Use more salt than you think (it's kind of the secret ingredient that I think many bland guacamoles are missing in the final product)
- Use more lime juice than you think. Lots of lime juice. (The acid from the lime juice is a counterpart to the natural creaminess of the avocado and really wakes up the guac!)
- Good guacamole is the perfect balance of flavors and textures from a few healthy ingredients; creamy fatty avocado, a little heat from jalapeno, herbaceous cilantro, a crunch and a bit more heat from finely diced red onion, and plenty of salinity and acid (lime juice) to balance it all out.
Recipe Notes: How Do I Open an Avocado?
- Place the avocado on the cutting board or hold it in the palm of your hand.
- Carefully slice into the avocado lengthwise until the knife blade hits the pit; (the blade should follow the avocado's long and tall side).
- Once you feel the blade on the pit, slowly spin the avocado lengthwise so that the knife makes an incision around the avocado, creating two halves. (Twist the avocado to open, revealing the pit in the middle of one side and a hollow spot in the other. You may need to gently twist it back and forth to loosen the fibers).
- To remove the pit, gently sink the length of the knife blade into it with a chop. You want the blade to grab onto the pit without cutting it in half. Then, twist the blade along with the pit to loosen it from the flesh.
- Knock the pit on your cutting board to remove it from the knife. (Never try to grab the pit with your hand to remove it. It is very slippery and your knife blade is sharp. This may produce a very painful outcome).
- Very carefully, score the avocado flesh in a crosshatch pattern with the tip of your knife. The blade should go deep enough to help separate the flesh but not so deep that it cuts through the skin.
- Scoop out the cut flesh with a spoon. You can skip the scoring and simply dig into the avocado flesh with a spoon to scoop out since it will be blended anyway.
Stick to the basic main ingredients. A great guacamole is a simple combination of avocado, onion, cilantro, salt, and lime juice.
Salt and plenty of lime juice. Most bland guacamoles are missing the right amount of one or both of these.
Storing Guacamole
Squeeze extra lime juice on top and cover with a layer of plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is actually touching the top of the guacamole.
If you do this one simple thing your guacamole won't brown. Store in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
Bonus tip: I think guacamole served cold is a problem. It definitely has less flavor. Allow your guacamole to come to room temperature or at least a bit warmer than cold before you serve it.
MORE HEALTHY SNACKS YOU WILL LOVE!
Instant Pot Artichokes with a Creamy Basil Parmesan Dip
Matcha Collagen Cashew Butter Toast
Swiss Chard and Feta Cheese Quesadilla with Cucumber Kalamata Salsa
I hope you love this healthy guacamole recipe! If you make it be sure to tag me @abrapappa on Instagram so I can see your masterpiece!
Healthy Guacamole
Ingredients
- 5 avocados ripe, see notes.
- 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced taste for heat, you may want more or less
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 limes, juiced about 4 tbsp of fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp coarse salt kosher salt is fine
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients by finely chopping the red onion, jalapeno, and cilantro, set aside.
- Scoop the flesh of the avocados into a large bowl. Begin to mash the avocado using a potato masher or a fork. Try not to turn the avocados into complete mush, you want some texture, chunks are good. Add red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, juice of 1 lime, and 1/2 the salt. Continue to mash, stir.
- Taste for seasoning. Add the other lime, and a bit more salt if needed (we always use the entire tsp of salt with 5 avocados).
- Top with additional cilantro, serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Your avocados should be ripe, yileding to gentle pressure all over.
- Add as much or as little heat (from the jalapeno) as you like
- Store leftovers in the fridge, top guacamole with extra lime juice and plastic wrap touching the guacamole to prevent browing.
