Easy Guacamole Recipe

If you're a guacamole lover, then nothing beats the fresh flavor of homemade guacamole prepared with a few mouthwatering, yet simple ingredients. My easy guacamole recipe is brimming with diced tomatoes, red onion, sweet corn, cilantro, and lime for a flavor-packed take on a south-of-the-border fave!

The best guacamole is the one prepared from scratch

Friends, if I were to guess, I'd say that I'm probably not alone in thinking that the price of guacamole on a restaurant menu is kind of outrageous!

When my husband and I went out to eat at a favorite Mexican restaurant a while back, and decided to order the home-style guacamole served table-side, we paid a cool fifteen bucks for it, which I must admit was a bit shocking. The portion wasn't even that generous—the definition of "mark up" if you ask me.

Admittedly, we enjoyed every bite of the guacamole (we'd better, at fifteen bucks a pop!). But being a bit of a guacamole "aficionado" myself, I thought I'd save my guacamole eating for home, where I wouldn't have to hand over a small fortune to enjoy it!

Enter my easy guacamole recipe, loaded up with all sorts of zesty, zippy and flavorful bells and whistles. It's perfect to dip into and cool off with during the warmer months. It's fantastic with my homemade chili cheese tortilla chips, or alongside our favorite south-of-the-border meals.

My recipe for easy guacamole

Luckily, guacamole is one of those delicious foods that is so, so simple to prepare. It's really just about knowing which ingredients and how much of them to add in to make the best tasting homemade guacamole. Then, it's just a matter of a bit of dicing and mashing things up!

I like a lot of flavor and texture in my guacamole recipe, so I tend to go in the direction of slightly more chunky guacamole with a lot of zip and a bit of kick. You could say that my guacamole recipe is a bit of a "loaded" guacamole!

My ingredient list is pretty simple, as I use fresh, ripe avocados, red onion, fresh diced tomatoes, lots of cilantro, and a good amount of lime juice, some lime zest, and sea salt.

But I also have a little surprise ingredient that I personally just love in guacamole. I add fresh corn kernels to give my recipe a unique twist and some extra texture. That little addition adds just the right amounts of sweet, crisp, and delicious!

And because I like my guacamole with a touch of heat, I tend to sprinkle in some red pepper flakes or some cayenne pepper (you can even add minced jalapeño). But that's just me, and it's totally optional depending on your personal taste.

Here's a sneak peek at my easy guacamole recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I mash up my avocados in a medium-size bowl using my masher or a fork, until smooth yet slightly chunky.
2. Next, I fold in all my add-ins along with some red pepper flakes or cayenne (optional) and some sea salt, until well combined.
3. If not ready to serve, I spoon it into a serving bowl, squeeze a little extra lime juice over top to prevent browning, and cover with plastic wrap (making sure it's touching the surface). I then keep the guacamole chilled in the fridge.
4. Or, I just enjoy the guacamole immediately with my favorite chips!

Recipe

Easy Guacamole Recipe

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This easy guacamole recipe is loaded with fresh tomatoes, red onion, sweet corn, cilantro and lime for out-of-this-world flavor!

Category: Side
Cuisine: Mexican-American

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition Info: 121 calories (per serving)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 medium avocados, soft/ripe but not super "mushy" when gently squeezed
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, finely diced
• ¼ cup fresh corn kernels (or you can use good-quality canned, blotted dry of liquid)
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus extra as needed
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Pinch red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)
• Corn chips, for dipping

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Cut your avocados in half lengthwise through the middle, and give them a twist to open. Remove the pit (I use my knife by carefully giving the pit a "whack" with it, then twisting to remove it) and scoop the flesh out into a bowl.
3. Then, mash the avocado with a masher or even a fork until nice and smooth yet still slightly textured, and fold in the remainder of the ingredients until everything is well-blended.
4. Enjoy the guacamole immediately with corn chips, or give an extra squeeze of lime juice over top of the guacamole and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, keeping cold in the fridge until ready to enjoy.

Tips & tidbits for my easy guacamole recipe:

• Ripe avocados: Choose avocados that are ripe and slightly soft, as these are going to mash up quite easily. If they're a bit firm, you may need to put in some extra work!
• Prep the add-ins first: Because avocados tend to brown or oxidize rather quickly, prep all your other ingredients first. Have your onion, tomatoes, corn, cilantro, lime zest and juice ready to fold in as soon as you finish mashing the avocados.
• Keep your guac looking fresh and green: You can make your guacamole slightly ahead of the time that you plan on serving it (about an hour or two), but know that it will begin to get a bit brown if it oxidizes. Adding some extra lime juice to the surface of the finished guacamole will help prevent this. It also helps to gently press plastic wrap to the surface of it and keeping it in the fridge.
• Make things spicy: If you enjoy a bit of "heat" in your guacamole, add in a sprinkle of red pepper flakes or cayenne, or even some fresh, finely minced jalapeño pepper—so delicious! Alternately, leave those out altogether if you prefer your guacamole to remain mild.

Craving more cozy and delicious dips? Check out my recipe for Mexican Corn Dip, Mango Salsa, Loaded Hummus, Mediterranean Feta Dip, Labneh, this hot and cheesy Artichoke Dip, or even this light and healthy Spinach Dip!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2018, and has been updated with even more love!