Easy 4 ingredient guacamole recipe with creamy avocados, garlic, jalapeno peppers and lime! Whip up a batch of this Mexican guacamole recipe in under 10 minutes!
Serve it with air fryer tortilla chips, smoked queso, Rotel Dip, pico de gallo and mango pico de gallo for a great Cinco de Mayo appetizer! Check out our What To Serve With Tacos guide for more ideas.
Favorite Mexican recipes to serve with this fresh guacamole recipe: Tacos al Carbon, Pollo Asado Tacos using Grilled Pollo Asado, Carne Asada, Carne Asada Tacos, Carne Asada Fries, Carne Asada Nachos, Refried Bean Dip, Flank Steak Tacos, Steak Fajitas or Chicken Fajitas.
4 Ingredient Guacamole
This easy guacamole recipe (Receta de guacamole) contains only 4 ingredients as to maximize flavor and minimize the prep work. The best guacamole recipes include: creamy avocados, garlic, jalapeno peppers, lime and salt. Since everyone has salt as a basic staple ingredient, I don’t count it as one of the “4 ingredients.”
Variations
This 4 Ingredient guacamole recipe is highly adaptable and a great “base” recipe to experiment with if you’re one who loves a ton of stuff in their guacamole dip. Instead of grabbing Trader Joe’s guacamole, Costco guacamole, or even a dreadful guacamole seasoning packet, learn how to make a healthy guacamole recipe to your exact specifications! Here are a few ideas:
- Guacamole Recipe Without Cilantro – many folks HATE cilantro and are looking for a recipe without it. This is it, baby! Of course if you like cilantro, add in some chopped leaves, to taste.
- Guacamole Salsa Recipe – It’s hard to simplify this recipe, as it’s the bare bones (in a good way), but it can be done. Just add about 1/4 cup of your favorite homemade salsa or pico de gallo in place of the jalapeños, garlic, salt and lime. Add more to taste.
- Diced Red or White Onions or Pickled Red Onions
- Diced Fresh Tomatoes
- Pickled Peppers or Pickled Banana Peppers
- Spices – cumin, chili powder or coriander
- Fruit – pomegranate seeds, diced mango, diced pineapple
How To Make Guacamole
Only a few steps and 10 minutes are required to make guacamole (como hacer guacamole) : Dice the jalapeños and garlic and add to a large mixing bowl. Scoop out the flesh of the avocados and add them to the same mixing bowl along with the lime juice and salt. Either cut with a butter knife or smash with a fork until well combined. No need to chill – it’s best to ingest immediately!
Best Avocados For Guacamole
The best varietal to make 4 Ingredient guacamole is ripe Hass avocados. They’re rich, creamy and easy to find at all grocery stores across the US as 80% of avocados are of the Hass variety.
How To Tell When An Avocado Is Ripe
There are two ways to tell when an avocado is ripe and ready to use!
- Gently squeeze the avocado in the palm of your hand. It is hard or mushy? If it is, put it back and find one that slightly yields to the pressure without leaving permanent indentions. Of course if you’re not using the avocado for 3-4 days you WANT the avocado that’s firm and doesn’t yield to pressure.
- A ripe avocado will have dark green, almost black skin with ridges vs smooth and bright green. If you’re not using the avocado for 3-4 days opt for the bright green and smooth avocado.
Chunky Guacamole vs Smooth Guacamole
The difference between the two final textures just depends on how the mixture is combined! For a chunky guacamole recipe, use a butter knife to “cut” through the avocado chunks and mix in the ingredients. For a smooth guacamole recipe use a fork, or traditional molcajete, to mash the avocados and ingredients together. If you’re not sure which one you prefer, start with chunky and continue to mash until your preferred consistency is reached.
How To Keep Guacamole From Turning Brown
You can’t keep it from turning brown altogether, but you can do a few things to prevent it from browning as quickly as it naturally would.
- Cover the 4 ingredient guacamole with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap should sit on the surface of the guacamole itself, not across the top of the bowl. You want as little air touching the guacamole as possible. This is my preferred method.
- Another option we’ve seen is to add enough water to cover the surface of the guacamole before storing. It works, but I prefer not to have any excess moisture added for storage purposes.
Uses
- Topping for tacos, street tacos, burritos, fajitas, carne asada quesadillas, tostadas, nachos, tortas, taquitos and flautas
- All things Birria (including Birria Tacos)
- Topping for Arepa Con Queso!
- Chili Cheese Fries topping!
- Make table side guacamole and chips for game day!
- Add it to an ahi tuna poke bowl or Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
- Breakfast Skillet, egg recipes, or avocado toast!
- Instant Pot Bean Recipes
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Grilled chicken or beef
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Eat Brown Guacamole
Yep. The brown color is due to exposure to oxygen. It doesn’t affect the flavor, it’s just a bit unpleasant to look at vs the bright green color
Should You Refrigerate Avocados
Refrigerating avocados will stunt the ripening process, so leave them on the counter to ripen vs storing them in the refrigerator. If the avocado is already ripe, I do stick it in the refrigerator to lengthen its shelf life.
Can You Freeze Avocados
Yes, you can freeze avocados or guacamole, but don’t recommend. The texture and taste are altered after thawing so the traditional taste and creaminess you love will be missing. Of course many other websites don’t mind ingesting previously frozen avocados and recommend it, so it’s up to you.
How Long is Guacamole Good For
When sealed in an air tight container, guacamole will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
What Drinks Go With Homemade Guacamole
NOTHING beats a bowl of chips and guacamole with a Michelada, Mango Michelada or Margarita. Or Corona. Or Modelo. You get the idea.
I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a recipe rating, snap a pic and use the hashtag #foodieandwine, after you’ve made the recipe, and post to social media!
Ingredients
- 4 Ripe Avocados
- 2-3 Cloves Garlic, Finely Diced or Grated (*Note 1)
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and finely diced (*Note 2)
- 1 Fresh Lime, Juiced (*Note 3)
- Salt, To Taste (*Note 4)
Instructions
- Slice the avocados in half and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and place into a large bowl. Discard the pits.
- Add the garlic, jalapeno, lime and salt to the bowl. For Chunky Guacamole: Use a butter knife to cut through the chunks of avocado and mix the ingredients. For Smooth Guacamole: Smash the avocado with a knife until smooth and creamy.
- Taste and adjust ingredients to suit your preference. Serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
