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Alton Brown Guacamole Recipe

This easy homemade Guacamole recipe from Alton Brown is the best you’ll ever try! Pair it with some salsa and crunchy tortilla chips for dipping and enjoy the fresh flavors of summer!

Serve this with my Homemade Salsa and Velveeta Queso!

Wooden bowl filled with Guacamole with a black tortilla chip in the middle.

You guys, when it comes to Mexican food, I just don’t think it gets better than a big ol’ bowl of homemade guacamole with fresh ingredients.

There are so many different ways to make Guacamole dip, and there’s not right or wrong way, but in my opinion, nothing beats the Alton Brown’s Guacamole recipe.

Let’s talk about the best ingredients for guacamole, how to tell if an avocado is ripe, and how to keep guacamole from turning brown!

Overhead image of ingredients needed to make guacamole.

Ingredients

  • Avocados– Read below to know how to pick ripe avocados!
  • Lime Juice
  • Cumin
  • Salt
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • White Onion
  • Garlic- Mince it fresh at home. This garlic twister makes it easy. (Way better than the jarred stuff.)
  • Roma Tomatoes
  • Cilantro
  • Jalapeno Pepper

Pro Tip: Want to try creamy guacamole? Add 2 Tablespoons of sour cream to the mix!


How to Tell if an Avocado is Ripe

A ripe avocado will have these 3 signs:

    • The Avocado is soft (but not mushy) on each end when you gently press it.
    • It’s darker in color (vs. a brighter green.)
    • The stem of the avocado comes off easily and is green or yellow underneath.

A hand holding each end of an avocado to test for ripeness.Close up shot of a hand holding an avocado with an arrow pointed at the pit.

How Long Does it Take for an Avocado to Ripen?

  • An unripe avocado generally takes 4-7 days to ripen when stored at room temperature.

How to Ripen an Avocado Faster

  • Placing an avocado in a brown paper bag will speed up the ripening process.
  • Conversely, placing an avocado in the refrigerator will slow down the ripening process.

How to Keep Guacamole From Turning Brown

  • Air is the enemy when you’re keeping guacamole fresh.
  • Pack the guacamole down in an airtight container and remove as much air as you can.
  • Use a good, sticky plastic wrap to create a tight seal on the top of the guacamole with no air in between. I swear by this kind.
  • Pour water over the top of the plastic wrap and then place the lid on the container to really seal it good. Avocado is so dense that it doesn’t absorb the water if any touches the surface.
  • Coating the avocados in Lime Juice also helps to keep it fresh and green

Do Avocado Pits Keep Guacamole Fresh?

  • Not as well as you may think.
  • Long Story Short: Only the surface area of the guacamole that the pit is touching is protected from browning. This article explains it best.

3 avocado pits on a wooden surface.

How to Slice an Avocado

  • This avocado slicer makes slicing an avocado and removing the pit much easier.
  • Otherwise, use a sharp knife and start at the avocado stem and work your way around as evenly as you can.
  • Carefully tap the sharp end of the knife into the pit and twist/pull up to remove.

Sliced avocados with their pits removed on a white surface next to an avocado slicer.

Do you love spicy food? My friends at Chili Pepper Madness make a great spicy guacamole recipe!

Close up view of a hand dipping a tortilla chip into a bowl of guacamole.

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Guacamole

5 from 3 ratings
This easy homemade Guacamole recipe from Alton Brown is the best you'll ever try! Pair it with some salsa and crunchy tortilla chips for dipping and enjoy the fresh flavors of summer!

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe avocados
  • 1 Tablespoon lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup white onion, diced
  • 1 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Instructions

  • Dice up the onion, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeno and set aside.
  • Slice the avocados and scoop the pulp into a medium bowl.
  • Add the lime juice and use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to mash the avocado, leaving some larger chunks for texture.
  • Stir in the salt, cumin, and cayenne.
  • Use a silicone spatula to mix in the diced vegetables, garlic, and cilantro.
  • You may serve immediately with salsa, or Alton Brown suggests that you cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour prior to serving.

Notes

Pro Tip: Want to try creamy guacamole? Add 2 Tablespoons of sour cream to the mix!

How to Keep Guacamole From Turning Brown

  • Air is the enemy when you're keeping guacamole fresh.
  • Pack the guacamole down in an airtight container and remove as much air as you can.
  • Use a good, sticky plastic wrap to create a tight seal on the top of the guacamole with no air in between. I swear by this kind.
  • Pour water over the top of the plastic wrap and then place the lid on the container to really seal it good. Avocado is so dense that it doesn't absorb the water if any touches the surface.
  • Lime Juice in the guacamole also helps to keep it fresh and green

Nutrition

Calories: 171kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 202mg, Potassium: 531mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 295IU, Vitamin C: 16.1mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 0.7mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!

Recipe Source: Alton Brown

 

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4 comments on “Alton Brown Guacamole Recipe”

  1. This is my go to recipe for Guacamole! It is so good and my family request this all the time. Thank you for sharing!

    • Hi Kristy! That’s awesome, I am so glad you like it! I think I’ve been making this for about 8 years now, I love it too! 🙂 Thank you so much for the review! -Stephanie

  2. Thank you so much for submitting to YG – it appears you submitting them twice! 🙂 I do stuff like that all the time…………Anyway as the new co-owners, we hope you will continue submitting as we redesign and refurbish the site adding new categories and a whole new front page and submission process soon which is much easier. This recipe will be shared on the FB page today as part of National Tortilla Chip Day!

    • WOW that is SO great, how exciting! I had no idea I submitted it twice, hahaha oopsy! Well I’m really excited to see the changes happen on your site and I’ll definitely continue to submit!! Thanks for the comment and I can’t wait to run over to your Facebook page to see the guac post! 🙂

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