This easy guacamole recipe is the ultimate crowd pleaser dip! It’s made with fresh ingredients, incredibly flavourful, and takes just 15 minutes to whip up.
Mexico is one of my favourite places in the world for so many reasons, but the food definitely ranks at the top of the list. I’ve gotten into this in full detail in both of my Tulum guides. First, our adventure staying in the town . Then, when we stayed on a hotel on the beach in Tulum . The food is beyond anything I thought it would be. And with every single meal, I had guacamole.
This is not guacamole with mango or pineapple added, nor is it guac with peas smashed in with the avocado or any other tricks and swaps. This right here is a classic, easy guacamole recipe that reminds me of my travels in Mexico. It’s fresh, creamy, and if you’re anything like me, you will also want to have it with every meal.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Guacamole Recipe
- Simple and authentic . This is a no-muss, no-fuss guacamole recipe just like the kind they serve in Mexico. It’s a classic!
- Instant crowd-pleaser . Make this easy guacamole for a party and watch it disappear! No one can resist the creamy texture and zippy flavour.
- Serve it with anything . Keep it simple and pair it with tortilla chips, layer it in taco dip , or serve a dollop with black bean and corn quesadillas . There are endless options!
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Ripe avocados – You want a nice and ripe avocado. When you press into it, it should give a bit and leave a slight indentation. If it is soft and squishy, it’s better used in a smoothie or this creamy vegan avocado dressing .
- Jalapeño
- Tomato – Roma tomatoes are my favourite here because they have fewer seeds than many other varieties.
- Lime or lemon juice – This brightens the flavour and helps slow the browning of the mashed avocado. Use freshly squeezed juice for the best results.
- Cilantro or parsley – Cilantro is the classic choice, but if you don’t like it, you can use parsley.
- Red or white onion – If you’re not a fan of strong onion flavour, you can let the onion sit in the lime or lemon juice while you prep the rest of the ingredients. This will mellow them a bit.
- Sea salt and black pepper
- Ground cumin
How to Make Guacamole
- Mash . Use a fork, potato masher , or a pastry cutter to coarsely mash the avocado in a bowl.
- Combine . Mix in the remaining ingredients.
- Mingle . Let the guacamole sit for about 15 minutes to allow the flavours to mix, mingle, and meld!
My Favourite Ways to Use Guacamole
- A dip . Perfect with tortilla chips, crackers, or vegetables.
- On toast . Hello, upgraded avocado toast !
- In a wrap . Can you say wrap heaven? I love it with this marinated tofu , veggies, and greens.
- In a Mexican-inspired bowl . Pair it with rice or quinoa , black beans, corn and salsa in a vegan burrito bowl .
- On top of a burger . These easy grillable veggie burgers would be fantastic.
- With any Mexican recipe . We’re talking vegan enchilada casserole , jackfruit tacos , and more.
How to Store Guacamole
Guacamole is best fresh, but leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If it browns a bit, know that your guac is still perfectly safe to eat—just not quite as pretty!
I’ve tried several of the options floating around the internet for keeping guacamole from browning and in my experience, sticking the pit into the container seemed to work best. I’ve also added cold water over well-packed guacamole and while it kept the guacamole bright and green, it did make it watery.
More Crowd-Pleasing Dip Recipes
- Pretzel Dip
- Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Perfect Homemade Hummus
- Vegan Whipped Feta Dip
- Roasted Cauliflower Hummus
Ingredients
- 1 ½ large ripe avocados , 531.55g , pitted and peeled
- 1 jalapeño/chili , chopped
- 1 medium tomato , diced
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
- ¼ red or white onion , 50g
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- pinch black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the peeled and pitted avocados. Use a fork, potato masher or a pastry cutter to mash the avocado into rough chunks. Don’t over mush it especially if you want it chunky.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and mash together to combined and until well mixed.
- Let it sit for about 15 minutes for the flavours to meld together, then serve! Enjoy!
Notes
Easy Guacamole
Ingredients
- 1 ½ large ripe avocados 531.55g , pitted and peeled
- 1 jalapeño/chili chopped
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
- ¼ red or white onion 50g
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- pinch black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the peeled and pitted avocados. Use a fork, potato masher or a pastry cutter to mash the avocado into rough chunks. Don’t over mush it especially if you want it chunky.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients and mash together to combined and until well mixed.
- Let it sit for about 15 minutes for the flavours to meld together, then serve! Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Easy Guacamole https://jessicainthekitchen.com/easy-guacamole-recipe/ April 29, 2024
Here’s how to make date syrup at home for a natural sweetener to add to drinks, recipes, and so much more!
Cutting down on refined sugars? Ran out of agave or maple syrup? This date syrup recipe is going to be your new best friend. Once you know how to make date syrup, it’s going to become a staple in your kitchen for sweetening everything from high-protein overnight oats to your morning coffee.
It really is as simple as cooking Medjool dates in water—okay, there are a few more steps than that, but the bottom line is that making date syrup is easy and requires only two ingredients. Who knew you could make your own sweetener at home?!
Why You’ll Love Date Syrup
- Versatile . You can use date syrup all the ways you use agave nectar, maple syrup, and other liquid sweeteners.
- Natural alternative to sugar . If sweeteners formulated in a laboratory make your nervous, you’ll appreciate that date syrup is completely natural.
- Delicious . Date syrup tastes absolutely divine, with notes of caramel and a lovely, deep colour. You know how some sugar substitutes just taste kind of “off”? That’s not the case with date syrup!
- Two ingredients . And one of the ingredients is water! So really, all you need to pick up at the grocery store is a package of dates.
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Medjool dates – You’ll need pitted dates, so if yours still have the pits inside, remove them and then weigh out one pound.
- Boiled water – For soaking and simmering the dates.
Can I Make This Recipe With Another Type of Date?
You can use deglet noor dates to make date syrup, but they may take longer to soak and soften when boiling. I also think medjool dates make the most delicious syrup!
How to Make Date Syrup
- Soak . Combine the dates and boiling water in a pot and let them soak for 15 minutes, or until the dates are very soft.
- Boil . Bring the dates and water to a boil on the stovetop.
- Simmer and mash . Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, mashing the dates every 5 minutes or so. At the end of the simmering time, the mixture should look like loose applesauce.
- Remove from heat . Let the date mixture cool for 15 minutes.
- Extract the liquid . Strain the dates and liquid through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag, then squeeze the dates to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Reduce . Transfer the liquid back to the pot; bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Cool . Let the syrup cool, then use it or store it for later.
Tips for Success
- Make sure the dates are clean . Scrub the outsides of the dates since they’ll be soaking and cooking in the same liquid. Another option is to discard the soaking water and add new water for boiling.
- Don’t throw away the pulp . You’ll have about a cup of date paste left after extracting the liquid. You can use this as a spread for toast, waffles, and more!
- Adjust the consistency if needed . For thicker syrup, simply simmer it longer. If you’d like the syrup to be thinner, you can add more water.
My Favourite Ways to Use Date Syrup
Use this syrup anywhere you would use maple syrup or agave! Here are some ideas:
- Smoothies . Date syrup would be fantastic in this mango coconut smoothie .
- Pancakes, waffles, and French toast . Drizzle over protein pancakes , pumpkin waffles , and other breakfast foods that you’d normally top with maple syrup.
- Ice cream . The caramel flavour of this syrup makes it amazing on vegan ice cream .
- Yogurt . Sweeten vegan yogurt with your homemade date syrup.
- Overnight oats and puddings. I love using it in recipes like apple pie overnight oats , pumpkin chia pudding , and protein pudding .
- Baking . Use date syrup as a one-to-one substitute for maple syrup, agave nectar, or molasses.
How to Store
Refrigerate the date syrup in a jar or airtight container for up to 3 weeks. You can warm it in the microwave before using if you need to.
More Kitchen Basics
- How to Make Vegetable Broth with Veggie Scraps
- Homemade Oat Milk Creamer
- Vegan Sour Cream
- How to Make Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- How to Make Almond Butter
Ingredients
- 1 pound medjool dates , pitted or if not pitted, remove the pits, washed and drained*
- 3 cups boiled water , + more if needed
Instructions
- In a pot, add the dates, then add over 3 cups of boiled water. Let it soak for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, feel one of your dates – they should be extremely soft. Place the pan on the stove and bring the dates water mixture to boil. Lower to medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes, mashing down the dates every 5 minutes or so with a potato masher or fork or even just the sides of a wooden spoon, essentially breaking them up, scraping the pan to ensure the dates don’t stick to the bottom. They will be much softer now, almost dissolving and soft enough to extract all the sugars from the dates. The mixture should resemble a loose applesauce. Remove from the heat.
- Let the mixture cool for at least 15 minutes so you don’t burn yourself. Carefully spoon/scoop the dates and liquid into a nut cloth bag or cheesecloth. Squeeze out the pulp to extract all the liquid. You want to ensure only the liquid is coming out. You’ll end up with about 1 cup of date pulp/paste leftover – you can make a date spread out of this or add it to muffins, waffles, pancakes and smoothies!
- Add the squeezed out liquid back to the pot (I got a little over 2 cups of liquid) and back over the heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer (position 2 or low on most stoves) and allow to simmer for about 20-30 minutes, until reduced to a syrup that can coat the back of your spoon. Watch and stir frequently so it doesn’t burn! The liquid will begin to thicken and darken in colour until it’s a deep colour and There’s syrupy texture. If it gets too thick, add a little bit more water to the mix.
- Allow to cool and use anywhere you would use maple syrup, agave or other sweeteners! Enjoy!
- Store the date syrup for up to 3 weeks (depends on when you bought the dates of course).
