This tableside guacamole is authentic with just seven classic ingredients. It's a restaurant style guac made easily at home in the molcajete or a bowl! Make it with fresh ingredients such as avocados, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime for a flavorful dip.
This is the classic guacamole recipe you'll come back to time and time again. Much like my other dip recipes, it's authentic flavor and simple ingredients create a great appetizer or topping.
You'll want to try many of my other Mexican-inspired recipes, including the guacamole recipes with fruit! Try grapefruit guacamole during citrus season, and grape guacamole in the summertime.
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Ingredients For This Easy Guac Recipe
These ingredients make a classic tableside guacamole. Read below for more ingredient swaps and options to make it your own.
- Ripe Hass Avocados: The foundation of a great tableside guacamole. Choose avocados that are slightly soft to the touch but not mushy. Slice in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh out of the peel.
- Scallions: Finely chop both the white and green parts to distribute evenly throughout the guacamole. You can swap the scallions for diced white onion for another classic option.
- Cilantro: Provides a fresh, citrusy flavor. Chop the leaves (and tender stems, if you like) so that every scoop gets a hint of cilantro without large, leafy bites.
- Jalapeño: Gives the guacamole with a kick of spice. Dice very finely for even distribution.
- Diced Tomatoes: Adds a slight sweetness and juiciness, contrasting nicely with the creaminess of the avocado. Cut open the tomato and remove the seeds and juice before dicing to prevent the guacamole from becoming watery.
- Lime Juice: Brightens the flavors and helps prevent the avocados from browning.
- Kosher Salt: Brings out all the flavors in the guacamole. Add more to taste at the end of the recipe.
How To Pick Ripe Avocados For Guacamole
Picking ripe avocados for guacamole is a simple process once you know what to look for. Here’s how to choose the best ones:
- Color and Feel: Start by looking at the color of the avocado. Ripe Hass avocados usually have a dark green to nearly black color. Gently squeeze the avocado without applying too much pressure. It should feel slightly soft but not mushy. A ripe avocado will yield a bit under gentle pressure, indicating it’s ready to eat.
- Stem Check: For avocados you bought and are letting ripen at home, peek under the stem or cap at the top of the avocado. Gently flick it off and look at the color underneath. If it’s green, the avocado is ripe. If it’s brown, the avocado may be overripe, and you might find brown spots inside. If the stem doesn’t come off easily, the avocado is likely not ripe yet.
- Overall Condition: Avoid avocados with significant dents or mushy spots, as these are often overripe or bruised. A smooth, firm skin (with a slight softness) is what you’re aiming for.
How To Make Tableside Guacamole
- Step 1: Start by slicing the avocados in half lengthwise around the seed. Rotate the halves against each other to open. Remove the pit by gently tapping it with a knife and twisting.
- Step 2: Scoop the avocado from the skins and discard the skins. This is easy with a large spoon.
- Step 3: Cut the avocado into chunks and place them in a bowl or a traditional molcajete. Smash to break up.
- Step 4: Remove the seeds and excess juice from the tomatoes.
- Step 5: Dice the seeded tomatoes into small pieces.
- Step 6: Remove the seeds and pith from jalapenos and cut into thin strips.
- Step 7: Finely dice jalapenos.
- Step 8: Season with lime, herbs, and salt.
Pro Tips
Making an authentic guacamole involves just a few easy steps, and I've got some pro tips to help you become the master of this dip!
Choose the Right Avocados: Opt for large Hass avocados as they are creamier and richer. If only small avocados are available, consider adding an extra one to get the right amount of creamy base.
Use Fresh Limes: Always choose fresh limes over bottled lime juice. The freshness of a squeezed lime provides a brighter, more authentic flavor. If the limes are especially juicy they'll yield about 2 tablespoons of juice each.
Keeping Guacamole Green: The oxidation process that turns guacamole brown can be minimized in a few ways:
- Use Lime Juice: Squeeze it directly on the surface of your guacamole. The citric acid helps prevent browning.
- Pit Trick: Place the avocado pits in the guacamole when storing it in the refrigerator. While not foolproof, it can help reduce surface area exposure to air.
- Plastic Wrap: Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole to create a barrier against air.
Texture: Don't over-mash your avocados; a chunky texture adds interest and contrast to the creamy parts.
Variations
There are so many things you can do with guacamole, and variations on the classic recipe. You can use this tableside guac recipe as a starting point and play with some of the variations here:
- Add fruit like mango, pomegranate arils, or pineapple. Try my grapefruit guacamole, and grape guacamole to start!
- Add crunch with vegetables like chopped radishes or jicama.
- Swap the green onions for diced red or white onion.
- Add spice by swapping the jalapeno with serrano pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce.
- Play with the herbs. Instead of cilantro you can use mint or basil.
What To Serve Or Make With An Authentic Guacamole Recipe
Serve your guac with the classic tortilla chips or corn chips, vegetable crudite, or crackers. Or, use it to make other appetizers, or as a topping for Mexican recipes.
All of these recipes, like this Jalapeño Popper Dip, are great game day snacks:
- Ground beef tacos
- Classic 7 layer dip
- Classic Totchos
- Nachos
- Carnitas tacos
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
FAQs
Traditional guacamole consists of avocados, herbs like cilantro, an onion like scallions or white onion, heat (in the form of hot sauce, chilis, or jalapeno), lime juice and salt. Beyond that guacamole can have less traditional ingredients like tomatoes, garlic, fruit.
No! In fact some authentic Mexican cooks will say never add lime juice as it ruins the balance of flavor. I like it both as a preservative (preventing the avocado from browning as quickly), and as a bright flavor. It acts a bit like salt to bring out the flavors of other ingredients and cut the richness of the avocado.
There are several American restaurants that claim to have invented tableside guacamole; the experience of watching a cook prepare fresh guacamole next to your table. Los Gringos Locos, a restaurant in Southern California is the loudest in it's claims of origin.
A molcajete, or stone mortar and pestle, has a rough basalt stone surface and is great for grinding and crushing ingredients. It's not necessary for guacamole, but the tool makes it easy to mash avocado into creamy and chunky pieces, and it's a nice touch for serving.
There are several ways to prevent oxidation on guacamole, or at least to slow it down. Cover the bowl of guacamole with plastic wrap pressing it onto the surface so no air can get through. Adding extra lime juice or covering the top with lime juice will help, and in some cases commercial kitchens will add preservatives like citric acid.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- Mexican Meatballs with Chipotle
- Mexican Tomatillo and Shredded Beef Soup
- Southwest Frittata with Black Beans
- Slow Cooker Arroz con Pollo
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📖 Recipe
Authentic Guacamole Recipe (Tableside)
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe Haas avocados ((You can use 3 small avocados))
- 2 scallions (light and green parts finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro ((you can add 3 if desired))
- 1 small jalapeno (seeded and finely chopped)
- ½ cup seeded, diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Peel and pit the avocados and cut into pieces. Place in a bowl or molcajete and mash to desired consistency, leaving some marble-sized pieces if desired.
- Stir in the scallions, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, lime juice, and salt. Adjust lime juice and salt to desired flavor. Serve fresh!
Video
Notes
- Leave the tomatoes out for a simple guacamole
- Swap the tomatoes for 1 small roasted, skinned, and chopped poblano chile
- Swap the scallions for ⅓ cup diced white onion
Nutrition
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Britney says
YES!!! This fresh-made guac is the best! And now I'm craving Mexican food...
Tara Teaspoon says
Glad you think so! It's such a classic!
Julie says
I had everything to make this except the jalapeno. Simple and good for you. Will go great with my tacos.
Tara Teaspoon says
Oh lovely. It's such a great recipe you could leave out the jalapeno, even the tomatoes and still get a great guac. Enjoy!
Julie says
I had some left over avocados that needed to be used up so I made this easy snack. I left out the jalapeno simply b/c I didn't have one but this was such a fresh, simple recipe. I have tried making guac so many times and can never get my ratios to work out (maybe I should follow a recipe!).
Julie says
Sounds delish! Just like my favorite Mexican restaurant