Spiced guacamole

Guacamole avocado dip recipe

It’s the fresh and flavourful avocado dip loved by nacho-toppers, tortilla-fillers, and chip-scoopers all over the world. If you answered “what is guacamole?” you’d be absolutely right! Originating in Central America during the Aztec era, avocado dip recipes have been around for over 500 years. The most famous of all is guacamole. This Mexican avocado dip is eaten with everything from traditional nachos and tacos to burgers and salads.

An easy guacamole recipe might call for as few ingredients as just avocado, a pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lime, however avocado guacamole is incredibly versatile. The best guacamole recipe will recognise the potential of the humble avocado, which has a soft texture and neutral flavour that is perfect for building upon. Look to traditional herbs and spices like chilli and culantro (Mexican coriander), or shake it up with your favourite flavours to make your personal style of guacamole avocado dip.

Picking the best fruit for this avocado dip

There are over 500 varieties of avocados in the world. The two most common kinds we get in Australia are Hass and Shepard. Both are usually farmed locally, with hass available most of the year whilst shepard avocado season is February through to April. Hass is the most popular avocado of them all. It’s ovular in shape with creamy flesh and a textured skin that varies from dark green to black depending on its ripeness. Shepard avocados are longer than Hass and have a thinner, smoother skin that stays green no matter their ripeness. Their taste is a little more nutty than Hass, but they have a similar buttery texture. You can use either of these avocados, or a combination of both, to make guacamole.

To the untrained eye, choosing the perfect avocado can be a challenge. You can’t really gauge the ripeness of an avocado from sight alone—except in the case of a black-skinned Hass, which is probably overripe. The ideal avocado will have the stalk or nub still attached to the top of the fruit. It being missing is a sign that it’s probably discoloured inside. When pressing on the surface of an avocado, it should be fairly firm with just a little bit of give. If it’s hard as a rock, it’s not ripe yet; if it’s squishy or collapses when touched, it’s overripe.

Unless you’re making guacamole on the same day you’re buying the fruit, it’s better to choose a less ripened avocado rather than an overripe one. Avocados will ripen at room temperature in 4 to 7 days. You can slow the ripening process by keeping them in the fridge. To make your avocado ripen faster, place them in a paper bag with a banana. Bananas produce ethylene, which the paper bag will trap, causing both fruits to ripen faster. Ageing an avocado with this method can reduce the ripening time to 2 to 3 days. This works with other stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots as well as avocados.

How to make guacamole dip

To remove the avocado stone, run your knife down and around the length of the fruit following the outline of the seed. Twist both sides of the avocado apart (they should separate without much force). If the seed doesn’t fall or pop out easily, carefully tap the seed with the blade of the knife to lodge it in the shell and pull it loose. Tap the seed off the blade using another utensil or the side of a bowl—don’t use your fingers! Use a spoon to scoop the avocado flesh out of the skin and into a bowl to mash with a fork, potato masher, or cocktail muddler. Your guacamole’s consistency is up to you—keep it chunky, or pulverise it into a creamy dip. 

Meanwhile, toast the ground cumin and coriander in a frying pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until fragrant (about a minute), then add the toasted spices to the avocado along with the onion, chilli, chopped coriander, and lime juice. Taste, seasoning with salt and pepper (optional) if desired. 

To serve, spoon the guacamole into a dish or ramekin and top with extra chilli, extra coriander, and chopped tomatoes. Pair with corn chips or tortilla strips as a dip, or on top of your favourite Mexican dishes. Make on the day and serve immediately for the best colour and flavour.

Now get cooking

Guacamole makes an excellent topper for nachos, tacos, rice bowls, potato fries, and even hot dogs. Add it to these hard-shelled Mexican tacos or these soft chicken tacos. You could swap the fresh avocado for your homemade guacamole in this veggie taco bowl, this Mexican-style fried rice, or this chicken tray bake.

Guacamole also works well inside wraps like this BBQ chicken one or this souvlaki one if you want a Graeco-Mexican fusion. And of course, you can bulk up your fajitas and burritos with a dollop of fresh guacamole as well.