with respect to "stretching" avacodos into more guac volume, i use a nicaraguan trick: diced hard boiled eggs. dice the whites and stir in the mashed yolks for added richness and protein. the texture of the hard boiled whites almost matches the texture of an avocado chunk - soft and squishy. you'll hardly know they're in there once they're covered in green goo.

Cilantro! Chop some up and mix it in, it's good with or without tomatoes, and a touch of lemon juice! Pass on the curry and other Indian spices. In Venezuela we include it in our "parrillas" or BBQ's, along side boiled yucca.

Great article on guac! But I think that no guacamole is complete without cilantro! But I love this purist approach and appreciate the readers' ideas and comments.

Hey! I do my guacamole like this all of the time! Sometimes we add red wine vinegar if we've added the tomatoes to the mix. Neat.

Just what I was looking for! Thanks

I think Diana Kennedy's recipe is the best by far. Just a touch of onion and cilantro mashed in a mortar with chiles and salt. A great stretcher is finely shredded lettuce. Yes you heard me right. you have to let it sit awhile but it works.

Curry powder??? Hey, dunno what you use but everytime I have used anything called curry powder, its hideous. A good garam masaala is should do what its name suggests - add warmth and taste. I would suggest you be as picky about the "curry powder" as you are about the avocados! As amitava says - its the difference between fresh roasted cumin and the one off the shelf!

Sounds jummy. In Nicaragua, they put hard boiled eggs in their guacamole. Cilantro is a must. I prefer red onions, but I'm going to give white onions, cumin, and curry a shot with the garlic naan in my freezer. Thanks!

I am a guacamole purist - and I use just avacado, garlic, lime, salt and tomatoes. I agree that it shouldn't be a puree. (shudder). But the tomatoes are awesome, and the acid from them helps keep the guac fresh!!! Which is why you always dice your tomatoes first and add the avacado last. :). If you want to go crazy - curry is never the path I would walk. I'd go cilantro for the twist. Not too inventive, I know. But Guac shouldn't stray too far from it's true nature!! I really want one of those lava things that another poster uses! :) That sounds really neat.

I love guacamole. I prefer mine chunky with chopped white onions, cilantro, tomatoes (no juice) & jalapenos with seeds, salt and lime juice to taste. My husband is the resident taster in my house. My Superbowl spin on guacamole is to make a layer type dip with bean dip, chopped black olives & shredded cheddar to resemble "dirt" with the last layer being guacamole (grass or astroturf). I pipe "yard lines" with sour cream and place cake decorating field posts and football players in position. Before I purchased the field posts & players I colored small amounts of sour cream with food coloring in the colors of the teams playing and marked X's and O's in formation on the "50' yard line." It's a fun spin for Super Bowl.

I have a friend who has never liked guacamole *before* she tried mine. She's a bit of a foodie, too, so it makes me proud that mine is the only she'll eat. A few "never"s in my guacamole that I have seen some people use: Mayonaise - It just makes me shudder. Putting it in a blender - the chunkiness is the best part! Too much spice - why cover up the avocado flavor with habaneros? If I wanted spicy (crying and sweating, no less), I'd eat hot-hot-hot salsa. Always in my guacamole: cumin, lime, garlic salt, tomatoes, onion, fresh cilantro. I fork-mash/scoop my avocados out of the peel, add the ingredients dry to wet, then fork-mash until just distributed enough. Sometimes: *one* shake of tabasco, or fresh very finely diced jalapeno. Chili powder on top for some color (and smokey flavor). Ground coriander, fresh ground pepper. Thanks for all the great comments about onion vs garlic and tomatoes! I'll have to taste-test this summer!

If you want to try some more "bizarre" flavors in guacamole, might I suggest mint? There is a Pakistani chutney much like guacamole that has copious amounts of mint as an ingredient.

This reminds me of the guacamole I was taught to make, very simple. I grate a small amount of white onion, take two ripe but not overripe avocados and cut them into large pieces, add a dash of Tobasco, some fresh ground pepper, juice from half a lime and juice from a quarter of lemon and mix together until the chunks barely start to fall apart. I too don't like the tomato, I find it to be filler. I like it simple and robust in flavor and not creamed at all. I can't wait to try your mideastern take on this!

hmm, i have been told at least a thousand times (probably more) that i make the best damn guacamole EVER. Seriously, it creates crowds at potlucks/parties... i DO use diced tomato and chopped cilantro, otherwise it is not guacamole as has been passed down from my mexican mama and abuelita. It is true that the tomato extends the quantity (guac for 50 guests gets expensive), but it also adds a nice juicy tangy burst in every bite. And finally if you can find the organic thick n crunchy mexican style chips instead of the thin light commercial ones whihc cant dip without breaking, then it'll be a hit for sure...

Guacamole as it ought to be - simple. By the way the word sums it up: guac- comes from "Aguacatl" the Nahuatl word (Aztec) for avocado. And -mole comes from "molli", Nahuatl for sauce. But of course this is 'sauce' as made in pre-Hispanic times in a "molcajete", that many of your readers have already noted makes a much better version. As an alternative to white onions, also try red ones. And to make it more interesting, a few finely diced serrano chiles and fresh corriander.

I'm shocked anyone even ADMITS trying commercial guacamole - anyone who's ever seen an avocado knows that there's no way to put that into something and keep it fresh and delicious - furthermore, guac is so easy to make and has so few ingredients that I'm further stunned that someone would pick up a commercial product instead of simply making it themselves.

I see a lot of folks railing against garlic in guac...although I was once served, by a Oaxacan guy, no less, a version of guac that was simply avocado, lime juice, garlic, and salt. I don't know if it was a regional variation or just his take, but it was pretty fabulous. The garlic bite made up for the lack of onion and complimented the avocado well. If I'm feeling lazy I'll just mash up and avocado with a fork, add some lime and salt and call it a day. It's great on...well, pretty much anything. It's not guacamole in the true sense but it'll satisfy my craving for a while.

Hi Heidi! I've been a huge fan of your site for a while now, but this is my first comment. About the bowls, I'm not sure if these are exactly the bowls that you have, but they look pretty similar -- they're called Lotus Bowls from Peir 1. Keep up the wonderful site! You're an inspiration!!

Just thought I'd pop in and mention that I made the baked cauliflower popcorn that was on here a while ago, yum! It was a cauliflower from the garden I tend to with members of my college's environmental club too, I felt so proud of not killing it as soon as it sprouted out of the ground. I could go on and on about guac, but really, I'm not one that is picky about it. I love all the different variations. The most recent excellent kind I've tried had pomegranate mixed in, made for a nice texture change.

Hah, blasphemy....I'll conceed it's atypical, but however you want to categorize it at the end of the day it is delicious. I'd also argue a lot of people who love guacamole might be interested in a fresh way to play it. There must be 100,000 'standard' guacamole recipes available online. I love the note on roasting the cumin! I really should have done that (I almost always toast my spices!) - next time for sure.

I knew I would forget something in my excitement! I am not a seasoned chef, just an experimental cook. Yes some finely chopped green pepper and lots of freshly squeezed lime is what completes it!

Hi Heidi, I have accidentally tried what you recommended here- lots of cumin powder and curry powder. And as an Indian I would say that's a blasphemy! It kills the original Hispanico taste! I would even leave out the garlic, because that's an unnecessary cause of pungent breath. Instead you may use a dash of garlic salt if desired. Roma tomatoes, white onion, and cilantro finely chopped and added make the best combination. I completely agree with how you treat the avocado. Finally a tbsp of olive oil, a tsp of fresh ground pepper and salt to taste. But wait, here comes the deadly secret! Roast a tsp of cumin in over toaster or in a small pan. Then crush it with a pestle or coffee grinder. Add 1 tsp of the freshly ground cumin for 1 mid sized avocado. This is a killer .. of course you can tweak it here and there to suit your taste. People who have used fresh roasted cumin know very well that off-the-shelf cumin powder doesn't come anywhere close to it. Try it today!

Agree with chunks of avocado in guacamole, not puree :D

I like my guac chunky too, but the authentic mexican restaurant around here serves it smooth. My must have ingredients for it are lime, finely minced onion (red or white, but yellow will do!), finely minced hot peppers, a pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper. I may add any of the following depending on if I feel like it or if I have it on hand: cumin, cilantro, chopped tomatoes, olive oil. A pinch of cayenne pepper will do if I don't have fresh peppers. Lemon will substitute for limes if that's what I happen to have. The first time I made guac, I did put lots of garlic in it, and I think that put me off, but I think I'll try it your way: just one clove to 4 avocados. I can't wait to try it the other ways you and others suggested here, especially the different spices. Most likely, the avocado ends up in my stomach before I get around to making guac though! (Denise: my Peruvian friend puts the avocado pit in it too, to keep it from browning. I'm not convinced it works, but I've never been able to test the theory. The guac is long gone before any browning occurs!)

Wow, guacamole really strikes a nerve. Everyone has an opinion about how it should be made, and everyone seems to feel passionately about their recipe. Come to think of it, my wife and I can't even agree on how to make it. She likes lots of cilantro; I can live without it (though I enjoy it in pretty much any other dish). Great post.

Gourmet magazine suggests you add a crushed vitamin c in the guac to keep it from turning brown as it sits out during a party.

Gotta agree on the red onion. Red onion over white or yellow any day.

My husband makes the best guac - perfectly ripened avocados, salt, lime, a splash of olive oil, a little bit of diced tomatoes and chopped onion, some cilantro, NO GARLIC, and don't forget the JALAPENOS! He also uses our molcajete to get just the right texture - not too smooth. He puts a pit of the avocado in the center; it is said this helps slow down the oxidization of the avocado.

My husband makes the best guac - perfectly ripened avocados, salt, lime, a splash of olive oil, a little bit of diced tomatoes and chopped onion, some cilantro, NO GARLIC, and don't forget the JALAPENOS!

I love love love guacamole! However I have to disagree with the not using tomatoes. I think adding tomatoes makes the guacamole taste so much better and adds a great texture to the mix. I add cilanto to mine also which is a key ingredient. Here is my recipe and I promise everyone will love it! I make this for all of my parties and the dip is gone in a matter of minutes. 2 avocados pint of salt and pepper one roma tomato some thinly chopped white onion slices cilantro (use as much or as little as you want) squeeze of lemon juice Also if you want to try some other variations go to this link below- I work for a recipe website and there are a bunch there. Let me know if you try this one, I am curious if you like it or not. http://www.recipe4living.com/content/category/5/14/107/

I like the idea of a twist on guacamole! But as a Mexican, I feel compelled to let you know that your basic guac recipe is no good. You have to add salted, diced tomatoes and should omit the garlic. At most, Mex cooks use garlic salt; the other trick is that our limes are more like key limes than yours are. But tomatoes in your guac along with the other garnishes (guarniciones) make that guac happen!

Congrats on your new book! If it's anything like your last book it's gonna be a hit! ;-)

Thanks Heidi for saying it out loud: it is not a puree. Beautiful and mouth watering and making me homesick in this avocado-free part of the Polar Circle.

Pureed red onion in a food processor makes for a lovely pungent, but not too powerful, taste.

Great Ideas all around! I typically use Haas because they are all over the place here. I occasionally pick up another type - I believe it is a Gwen, also delicious - smoother skinned. And as Tim mentioned, in New Zealand avocados are bountiful and cheap. I'm not sure exactly what type we were getting there (not Haas), but they were smooth fleshed, not stringy, and wonderful. John J. Im intrigued by the layering idea, particularly with the overnight pickle technique. Sounds interesting and potentially delicious. Molly, the bowls came from my mom. It is still unclear how or where she acquired them....but I assure you, she wants them back ;) I'll let you know if/when she gives up the source.

Try: Avocados Worcestershire sauce Fresh oregano

I always add a splash of Kikkoman soy sauce to my guacamole. It always seems to do the trick. Looks delicious, Heidi!

Hi Heidi - I love the bowls you've been using in your photographs recently. Is there any chance they can be bought online?

Personally, I'm a huge cilantro fan. So, I think guac with cilantro is always better than guac without. Also, oddly enough, Siracha adds immensely to guac.

Love your description - it was a fascinating read! Like many people, I am also very picky about my guac. I pretty much don't bother with ordering it in restaurants unless it is an authentic place. I make mine very minimalist: avacado, lime juice (instead of lemon), salt, and hot sauce of cayenne. No tomatoes, but sometimes a little diced red onion. I do like mine fairly creamy, but not pureed - I usually use a pastry cutter to get the right texture. And I hatehatehate when creamy ingredients like sour cream or cream cheese are added - egh! The whole point of gauc is the texture of the amazing avocado Thanks for the great article and recipe! I had never thought of curry...will have to try this now!!

Love the photo and recipe. Mine is similar but I add a big bunch of parsley, jalapeno peppers or Tobasco sauce, and green onions to mix. YUM. I could it it straight with no chips or bread!

I've been making my guac with garam masala and cumin (sometimes chinese five-spice powder) for quite some time, it really is delicious. Every now and then, if I want it to be even chunkier, I add a cup of lightly chopped cashew nuts just before serving. Yum. I like the naan wedges, by the way, nice touch.

great recipes--when my daughter was in 2nd grade the spanish teacher taught them how to make guacamole. so at our house it is "guacamolly" Molly's mom

A friend of mine routinely makes her guac with curry powder. I'd thought she was nuts, but it is actually a nice twist. Even better with those yummy-looking garlic naan wedges! Remember that not all fats are created equal. Avocados are high in fat, but 2/3 of that is the health-promoting kind (monounsaturated). And no one ever got fat from eating avocados.

Guacamole is something I could never get right. I tried lots of variations, but it ends up not tasting quite right. Plus it always seems to look yucky. So I'll try your advice, especially the part about not over mixing and the tomatoes. I'm guilty on both counts. It's really a shame considering I grew up with several avocado trees in our backyard.

I love guac and avocados in general. They are in peak season here in New Zealand and at 10 for $4 I should be eating a lot more of them than I have been!

Can't wait to try the Indian version. I love cross "pollinating" culinary cultures! I'm not a big fan of tomatoes either but a couple of years back I was introduced to the addition of sun dried tomatoes -- Deeeeelish! and of course some serranos for the heat. Another trick I learned was to cut the mixture down with two knives similar to how you would cut butter into flour for a pie crust recipe.

This is a great recipe, Heidi. If I may give a suggestion... I'm a big fan of "levels" of flavor and texture. As anyone who really loves avocadoes will tell you, each stage of ripeness has its own charm. And lovers of Indian and Indonesian cuisine are well aware, unripe mangoes are terrific for pickling or frying as a vegetable. In the American south, we have the fried green tomato. Ripeness is, to me, one of those things that's open to interpretation. Bright green flavors abound in unripe produce, and there are all sorts of ways to present it. That said (and in light of my love for "levels" of flavor and texture), I might suggest using three perfectly ripe avocadoes for the bulk of this recipe, then finely dicing one slightly less ripe avocado to add little explosions of texture and flavor. It may be advisable to "pickle" that avocado in lime juice and salt for eight hours before preparing the recipe. You could take the "levels" theory a step further. Use two perfectly ripe, one under ripe, and one slightly over ripe. In this way, the entire spectrum of avocado flavor is presented cohesively in a comprehensive batch of guacomole. Do keep up the good work here. We all enjoy the site and its insights. John J. Goddard

I love my guac smashed by hand so it becomes creamy with chunks. I also like to add fire roasted jalepenos, white onions,, garlic (all hail the microplane for both), cilantro,lime juice, salt and pepper.

I'm happy to see other people's takes on guacamole. I agree that it must be chunky, and some of your tips will definately be taken on board next time I make some.

Habaneros anyone?

I have to say that I agree with you that it is important not to over flavour such a wonderful treat such as the tast of an avacado. It's like the necter of the gods to me. I like it simple. I would like to futher add to the topic of adding onions to the guacomole...green onions seem to have a much fresher taste even more so than white onions. I also use a dash or two of worchestershire sauce..NOT too much or it will over power..that would not be nice. So, my version is very similiar to yours. Avacado, green onions, worchestershire sauce, ONE clove of garlic and I do love the freshest tomatoes I can get. That's it..no more!! Once in a blue moon I'll fire in low fat mayo..but that's if I'm streatching it. Love this information...I stumbled upon this site when I was using my gmail...I'm looking forward to reading more. Thanks for all the information.

If you would like another twist, add tomatillos, either raw or boiled (two very different flavors, both very appreciated in Mexico City -my home-). Just put a couple of ripe light green tomatillos on the processor to make them into a sauce, mix this sauce with your chunky guacamole recipe -cilantro is very important here-, this version is found in all variation ranges from 80% guacamole 20% tomatillo sauce all the way to the opposite 20-80 which is fairly liquid and yummy on carne asada soft tacos, or just to dip your naan bread, pita or tortilla chips, if you like it spicy add chopped serrano chiles or raw jalapenos....please no canned or pickled jalapenos like the ones used for nachos. dried chipotles or moritas -refreshed on hot water, seeded and pounded with a mortar or molcajete are even better but lots of fire If you like middle eastern food its worth saying that Lebanese people in Mexico will almost always eat their kepeeh or kebbe balls with this guacamole-tomatillo. Very yummy, good kepeeh and good guacamole makes an adictive combination

wow...it looks like i am in the majority here. I am also VERY picky about my avocado taste but i HATE chunks. augh. i like the flavors all blended together, not a too strong bite followed by a too bland bite. We have a local company (casa sanchez) that makes quite possibly the best quacamole of my life. However, it is chunky so I put it in my food processer when I bring it home. Of course, I also hate my salsa chunky. It might have something to do with hating tomatoes and onions, but enjoying the flavors lol.

Not going to discuss recipes with anyone- that's all a matter of taste> But, just had to add my tips on the perfct guacamole, which I picked up along the way: First, after scooping out the flesh, squeeze at least half of a lemon/lime all over the avo you're going to use in the recipe. This is an excellent way to keep the bright colour. The juice reduces the browning effect on avo, so to add the juice before attacking the avo with your mashing device is ideal. Secondly, I only ever mash an avo with a fork. Ideal for keeping the texture you want and helps to keep colour as well. Cheers from France! D.

I tried guacamole several years ago, hated it, and hadn't had it again until last Sunday. I've been looking for a good recipe ever since. Its like you read my mind. I'm going to try and make this soon. I'm sure it will turn out great!

Wonderful recipe for guacamole. Avocado is quite good for you, but it is quite high in fat. So, to keep the fat content down, I use baked pita instead of fried chips. I cut the pitas in half, then in half again (so you have quarters), then pop them under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp up. Because pitas are a bit heartier than chips, they seem to work wonderfully with the guacamole --- especially one that is as flavorful as yours. Thanks!

try using lemon in Guac. It is a whole new world I must say. Had it first in Sydney ~ Bill Clark, I believe does it that way...on corn fritters.

Tryed this yesterday and Wow.

I'm also super-picky about my guacamole. The avocado MUST be chunky. I hate biting into raw onion, but I love the onion flavor. Now I grind up the onion with some salt in my molcajete before i mix everything else in and it's perfect. Yum!

Oh no! I'm so anti garlic in guacamole recipes. The traditional recipe that my (mexican) family uses is avocado, GREEN onion, a little chopped tomato, cilantro, salt, and fresh lemon juice. Cilantro is ESSENTIAL! Well, I know there are many variatons, but I believe that garlic really masks the true fresh flavors of the avocado and other ingredients.

A restaurant here in Cambridge, Ole, has a guacamole cart. If you order guac, they bring the cart to your table and make it fresh. As you can imagine, it is delicious. The menu is pretty meat oriented, but they have an amazing vegan stew. You should check it out if your ever in the Boston area.

Those who are Google-searching for guacamole recipes often can´t spell the word. Here´s some examples; guccemole, guaca molle, guacamolo, guacamoule, guaccamol, guaccamole, guaccero, guaccomole, guacemala, guachamole, guackamole, guacumolle, guakemale, guaqemole, guaqomolo Well, either way, guacamole is delicious, nutritious, and - unfortunately - quite fattening.

I don't like tomatos in my guacamole either--I love the toasted nan and the addition of curry and cumin give it another type of exotic flavor--I will try this next time I make guacamole-I will make my regular version-I add cilantro and scallions and lime juice and pepper-bon appetit

Thank you Heidi, for the guac-guidance. I'm always disappointed with my versions, so I'll definitely be trying yours. A good avocado is one of the most wondrous things ... I buy the hass variety here in Melbourne ... but I can't bear a bad avocado: to me, there are some varieties that have a simply putrid taste... kind of soapy and... well, inedible. I'll never forget growing up with an avocado-obsessed mother in Queensland who, every time she opened one would carefully save the seed until it dried out, then plant it in the backyard, or simply throw it out there. Over the years, so many avocado trees sprang up. Sadly though, I don't think any of them ever bore fruit. Now, an avocado half with a great homemade French dressing: bliss! That's a childhood memory I love.

Oh, Heidi, I am with you on being uber picky about the perfect guacamole. There are so many very bad versions out there! For me, lemon is essential--but your version sounds so good I may have to give it a try. I love how you reframe dishes in new ways, it always gets me thinking.

Hi Heidi! Are you partial to any type of avocado? I personally think Haas make the best tasting and have even waited until they were in season before I would dare make guacamole. Since I live in Hollywood now, I can get Haas more year fround than in Northern California. I even have a great produce truck that serves our neighborhood during the week in between Sunday Farmer's Market. My close second is the smooth skinned, organically grown large, meaty avocados that I get on Kauai. My parents moved there a few years ago and their neighbors have an honor box at the end of their driveway. I feel so spoiled getting to taste these nature's wonders but I don't know the variety. Oh well I'll call them Kauai gold lol! Oh, in lieu of tomatoes I add in a teaspoon of whatever salsa I have on hand, cumin, pepper and course salt. :) Cheers, Carey

this sounds fantastic. i hate how commercial 'guac' comes totally pureeed, homemade chunky style tastes sooo much better. i'm totally going to prepare this for my fraternity this sunday! thanks :D

I agree with lydia about the molcajete. It MAKES the guacamole. Try seasoning the molcajete with a fresh garlic half before starting. You will be delitefully surprised at the sutle nuance of garlic flavor. I too love cilantro, scallions, jalapeno, and tomatoes, but only a little bit of each.

Great ideas, Heidi. Love the idea of Indian-inspired guac!

I have always seen the commerical variety make it's way into the lounge room prior to a DVD night in. Hopefully I'll be able to taste a huge difference with cornchips, oh and naan bread :$

I agree with the recipe, but crave cilantro and fresh chopped jalapeno in it

Guac MUST be rustic to be served in our household. However, my husband swears by adding a splash of white wine vinegar to the mix (usually two parts vinegar: 1 part lemon or lime juice ~ can you tell we are both science majors?) Its a bit odd, and perhaps doesn't sound like the best idea . . . but hey, the proof is in the pudding - or guac, that is.

Ahhh rustic guacamole!! I have to admit, I have never made it, maybe coz hubby doesn't like "avo" as we call it here in Ozland. I am particularly partial to things with an Indian twist :), so I am going to try out this version. The Naan Bread looks yum, was it??

Heidi I have enjoyed your daily recipes and in fact have made the Noodle recipe of a few days ago with oohs and where did you get the recipe.

this is great. i'm of the opinon that guacamole should be more like avocado salad than the creamy commercial stuff that finds its way onto shelves and in restaurants. hopefully this post will bring people around

That recipe is so interesting Heidi. Your tips on 'ripe' avocados, 'no' tomatoes, 'white' onions are so interesting, apart from being informative to read. Have you also written a cookbook?

My guacamole has improved 1000% since I started making it in a molcajete I brought back from Guadalajara. It's lava rock, of course, and the teolote (pestle) is heavy enough, and coarse enough, to break down the ingredients without much pressure. Perhaps something of the lava works its way into the guac, or perhaps the other way around, but it makes the very best guac I've ever had!