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This is my kid-friendly 4 ingredient guacamole recipe! So simple, yet it's perfect for dipping tortilla chips into, topping a juicy burger with, or even spreading on toast. The kids love it, the grown-ups love it, it's the perfect snack!
We eat avocados and guac a lot. Like, a lot a lot. Especially during the summer, we are knee deep in burgers, tacos, and fresh produce that is begging to join a bowl of guac.
A typical guacamole is filled with a list of ingredients: red onion, jalapenos, diced tomatoes, it's basically a pico de gallo in there. And sure, we love it.
But when your 8 year old kid (or husband who dislikes spicy food) also wants to share in the avocado love you make an easy, yet well-seasoned and tasty, basic guacamole recipe. And honestly, and it's just a personal preference, but I may like this easy guacamole dip more than the usual one.
It keeps the main ingredients of an authentic guacamole recipe: creamy avocados, lime juice, cilantro, but I like to swap onion for garlic. It's perfect for dolloping on top of your burrito bowls, schmearing on avocado toast, and scooping up with chips or cucumber slices (a fave!).
This is an easy guacamole recipe that even the kids can get make on their own and you'll have no problems letting them snack on all day long.
It's made with fresh ingredients, got plenty of healthy fats, a creamy texture that littles can easily eat, and is a quick guacamole to make with a potato masher so they'll have plenty of fun making it. It's a great appetizer to keep them busy with on taco tuesdays this summer.
It's honestly the perfect avocado dip, and I have all the tips and tricks to making sure your 4-ingredient guacamole comes out delicious every time.
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How to Choose Ripe Avocados
Nothing is more disappointing than getting unripe avocados from your local stores. Hass avocados are the type you want to use, they're a medium size with lumpy skin that's green before it's ripe and a dark greenish black when they're getting ripe. But how do you find that perfect
My first tip, don't mush on it. You'll end up bruising the flesh of the avocado, leading to those overly soft brown spots no one wants to eat. But it should feel firm (not rock hard!) with no bruised, mushy spots in your hand.
My favorite secret tip for finding a perfect avocado is by popping off the stem! If the stem doesn't easily come off the fruit, it's unripe. If it comes off easily and the flesh beneath it is bright green, the avocado is perfectly ripe!
However, if the flesh is a brown color under the stem, that means it's overripe and not worth buying.
Ingredients.
Ripe Hass Avocados. Hass avocados are the small ones that turn dark when ripe, not the large smooth-skinned green ones.
Fresh Lime Juice and Zest. Or lemon juice, if that's what you prefer.
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper (look, I don't count these are ingredients. They are simply a must in any recipe!)
Fresh cilantro leaves. The stems can become bitter over time, so shave the leaves off the main stems before chopping.
Garlic. Traditional guacamole doesn't use garlic, but we are garlic lovers in this house! It just makes a simple guacamole taste even better, in my opinion! If you want to keep that traditional flavor, grate in or dice up a quarter of a white onion instead.
Variations
Fresh salsa. A secret ingredient to turning our simple guac into a classic one is using some fresh salsa. It's got all the ingredients you need in it already!
Garlic powder. Don't want that spicy raw garlic flavor? Use garlic powder! But be careful with garlic salt, that salt will change how much kosher salt you will use.
Grated onion. If you're missing that onion flavor but don't want that onion crunch, grate a little white onion into the mix! But only a little; grated onions have a stronger flavor punch than dicing it.
How to Make Easy 4-Ingredient Guacamole from Scratch
First things first, make sure you're using fresh, quality ingredients. This is a delicious recipe made with four basic ingredients, so there's nowhere to hide!
Carefully scoop out the flesh of the avocados, zest and juice the limes, finely chop the cilantro leaves, and grate the clove of garlic with a microplane zester, then add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl.
Mash the ingredients with a potato masher or large metal fork, stirring to combine everything and move the unmashed avocado to the forefront.
Season with salt and pepper, tasting and adding as needed, then give another stir.
Transfer it into a medium bowl for serving! For the best results, sprinkle a little more cilantro and lime juice on top of the guacamole, then serve at room temperature.
Serve with
Tacos. All the tacos. This guac is so delicious with carnitas, barbacoa, and birria.
Make your own chipotle bowls, complete with black beans, cilantro lime rice, and grilled skirt steak!
Storing Instructions
When storing leftover guacamole I do three things: put it into an airtight container, squeeze on some lime juice, and press a piece of plastic wrap flat onto the surface of the guacamole.
It'll keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Storing the guacamole properly will keep it from turning brown. Cover the surface of the guacamole with plastic wrap and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge so oxidization doesn't occur.
If you end up with unripe avocados, you can have them nice and ripe much quicker with this method: place the unripe avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana until they are ripe. The apple/banana releases a gas that speeds up the ripening process.
Guacamole can stay out on your countertop safely for two hours.
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4 Ingredient Guacamole Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ripe Hass avocados, flesh scooped from their skins
- Zest and Juice of 2 limes
- 1 fresh garlic clove, grated
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped finely
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except salt and pepper into a medium mixing bowl and mash well with a potato masher or a large fork.
- Mash until the guacamole is to your desired smoothness, then add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve at room temperature.
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