Extra creamy guacamole with a touch a sour cream, plus salsa and spices for an added kick.
Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner and it’s the perfect excuse to try this fabulous guacamole recipe!
Before our first daughter-in-law joined the family, she claims she didn’t know “chips and salsa’ was a food group! It is, isn’t it??!!
I think our house of 4 growing boys needed chips and salsa as a ready snack to help our food budget. We definitely had Costco-sized bags of chips and gallons of salsa in our pantry at all times! So, I guess it will not surprise you that this same daughter-in-law makes fabulous guacamole every time we visit. Recently, our youngest son requested the recipe so he could make it as a study-time snack. And I have permission to share it with you!
How to test ripe avocados?
First of all, color. The more green an avocado is, the less ripe it is. Ripe avocados tend to be more black.
Squeeze Test. Squeeze an avocado. Firm is not ripe. If it has a little give, it is just ripe and will create slices perfectly. If it completely squishes in your hand and the skin is wrinkly, it is too ripe. In between a little give and squishy is the perfect ripeness for smooth guacamole.
Typically at the grocery store you can find a variety of ripeness. If you need to make guacamole the day you purchase avocados, lean to the very ripe avocados. If you need guacamole in a few days, lean toward the avocados that are firm or have a little give.
Storing your avocados is easy depending on when you want to use them. The refrigerator can extend your shelf life. Storing them on your counter helps ripen them. Putting avocados in a paper bag helps them ripen quickly. If you add an apple in the paper bag, the avocado will ripen even faster.
Ingredients in This Guacamole Recipe:
Avocados: Ripe to extra ripe avocados are needed. If you want your guacamole a little chunky, use ripe avocados. If you want it extra smooth, use extra ripe avocados. I personally prefer a mix of both so the guacamole is smooth, but I can see chunks of avocados too.
Salsa: You can use any type of salsa you prefer with any level of spiciness. The salsa can be smooth or chunky, fresh or canned. This is the only ingredient that determines how mild or spicy hot your guacamole will be.
Sour Cream: You use just a little touch of sour cream, but that little bit really contributes to the “creamy” texture of this guacamole.
Spices: The perfect blend of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
Fresh Lime Juice: Fresh lime is optional, but adds a beautiful tangy flavor to the guacamole and also preserves the avocados beautifully—keeping the green color from turning brown as easily.
Opening an Avocado:
This is a simple and popular method for opening an avocado and removing the pit. However, you need to be wise and careful so you don’t cut yourself with a knife.
- Open the avocado with a sharp knife by cutting lengthwise to the center pit and rotating your knife around the avocado so the slice cuts the avocado in half to the pit.
- Grip each half of the avocado and twist opposite to release one side of the avocado from the pit and lift away exposing the pit.
- To remove the pit, hold the sharp knife with one hand. Put the blade of the knife on top of the pit. Use your other hand to gently tap the opposite side of the blade—wedging the blade barely into the pit. You don’t want to tap so hard that the blade cuts deeply into the pit. You just want to wedge the knife enough that you can twist the pit out and still be able to release the pit from the knife afterward.
- Still holding the knife with one hand, use your other hand with a folded towel or oven mitts to grip the avocado. Twist the avocado and the knife holding the pit in opposite directions to release the pit from the avocado.
- Carefully remove the pit from the knife blade by scraping the blade against a bowl or hard surface to release the pit. Don’t grab the pit with your hands to remove it from the knife!
How to Make Guacamole:
- Now that your avocado is open, with the pit removed—scoop out the flesh of the avocado with a spoon. Or you can make cuts in the avocado with a sharp knife or a butter knife, and then scoop it out into a bowl.
- Depending on how chunky you want your guacamole, you can smash all of the avocado or just part of it. Smash the avocado with a fork or a potato masher.
- Add all other ingredients and mix to incorporate.
- Use immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for up to one day.
Enjoy your Cinco de Mayo celebration with Guacamole!
–Kim
Guacamole
Ingredients
- 2 avocados
- 4 Tablespoons salsa
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- Lime Juice (½ – 1 lime) optional
Instructions
- Open avocado and scoop flesh into a bowl.
- Add all other ingredients and mix to incorporate.
