Mexican
Avocado Black Bean Tacos
Spiced beans, avocado sliced not mashed, and a five-minute pickled onion that lifts the whole plate.
20 minServes 4Easy
Classic Guacamole
Traditional guacamole is avocado, lime, salt, chilli, onion and coriander. Everything else — cumin, garlic powder, sour cream, mayonnaise — is an addition, and most of them flatten it.
Mash with a fork or a pestle. A food processor makes a smooth green sauce, which is a different, lesser thing.
MyAvocadoTree Editorial TeamPublished 4 September 2026Updated 4 September 2026
Prep
10 min
Cook
No cooking
Total
10 min
Servings
6
Difficulty
Easy
Cuisine
Mexican
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- No cooking
- Gluten-free
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Put the onion, chilli, coriander and salt in a bowl and crush them together with the back of a spoon or a pestle for about 30 seconds. This releases far more flavour than simply stirring them in later.
- 2
Halve the avocados, remove the stones and scoop the flesh into the bowl.
- 3
Add the lime juice and mash with a fork, leaving clear lumps of avocado throughout.
- 4
Fold in the tomato if using, then taste. It almost always needs more salt and a little more lime than you expect.
- 5
Serve within the hour, with the surface smoothed flat.
Recipe tips
- Crushing the aromatics with the salt before the avocado goes in is the single step that separates good guacamole from bland guacamole.
- To keep it green, press cling film directly onto the surface, or pour a thin layer of water over the top and drain it before serving. The avocado stone myth does not work — it only protects the patch it covers.
- Deseed the tomato. The jelly around the seeds waters down the whole bowl.
- Salt in stages and taste as you go; under-salted guacamole tastes like plain avocado.
Nutrition (approximate)
Estimated per serving from the ingredient quantities above. Treat these as a guide, not a measurement — ripeness, brands and portioning all shift the numbers.
- Calories
- 165 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Storage
Keeps up to a day in the fridge with film pressed onto the surface. Any browning is only on the top layer — scrape it off and the rest is fine. Do not freeze.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop guacamole turning brown?
Exclude air. Press cling film flat onto the surface, or cover with a 1 cm layer of cold water and pour it off before serving. Lime juice helps but does not do it alone.
Does the avocado stone really keep it green?
No. It only shields the avocado directly underneath it from air. The rest of the surface browns as normal.
Should guacamole have cumin or garlic?
Traditional guacamole has neither. Both are common in restaurant versions abroad — add them if you like them, but taste it plain first.
Which avocado is best for guacamole?
Hass, or any thick-skinned variety with dense, oily flesh. Watery varieties make a loose, pale guacamole.
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