DIY Guacamole Seasoning Recipe - Peas and Crayons Blog (2024)

FAQs

How do Mexican restaurants keep guacamole from turning brown? ›

Pour a thin but visible layer of water or lemon/lime juice over the guacamole to form a barrier with the air. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, pushing the wrap, so it is flush with the guacamole to prevent air pockets, or put the guacamole in a sealed tub.

Adjust the amount of salt or crushed pepper in your guacamole. If you taste the guacamole and it's a touch bland, start by adding some salt and freshly crushed pepper to make it more flavorful.

You can make homemade guacamole 1 to 2 hours ahead, as browning is inevitable. Store it in the fridge with plastic pressed firmly over the top until ready to serve. If you'd like to get ahead further, the day before, chop the onion, mince the garlic, and dice the tomato.

Rather than reacting with the browning enzyme, a thin layer of olive oil acts can act as a barrier between the dip and the air. If oxygen never reaches your guacamole, it can't turn brown. Use how ever much you need to coat the surface of the guac.

Make your guacamole, then place any uneaten dip in a resealable container. Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the dip, lightly pressing all over to make sure the plastic is directly in contact with the entire surface of the dip. Store the guacamole in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

The avoFresh contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and calcium carbonate. You add the powder mixture to fresh mashed avocado. The avoFresh keeps the avocado fresh and from turning that off-putting brown that avocado pulp gets when exposed to air.

The most likely answer is an ingredient most people don't put in their homemade recipe but is in almost all store-bought versions. Citric acid is a commonly used flavoring and preservative in mass food production.

Add spice.

The onions and garlic add a nice zing to guac, but consider these spicy extras for an even spicier recipe: chopped jalapeno peppers (up to 1 whole, minced), cayenne pepper (up to 1 tsp), red pepper flakes (up to 2 tsp), hot sauce of your choice (to taste), diced green chiles or additional black pepper.

Ripe avocados have a pleasant, slightly sweet aroma and somewhat nutty flavor. As the fruit spoils, it may develop an abnormal taste and odor. If it has a sour taste or smell, it may have bacterial spoilage and should be discarded. A chemical odor and taste may mean it's rancid.

Most people prefer to use sweet white onion in their guacamole recipe. Red or yellow onion tends to give the guacamole too strong of a garlic flavor.

Should guacamole have tomatoes? ›

Tomatoes are great — but not in guac.

They don't add anything other than filler. When you eat guac, what you want is creamy avocado, fresh lime, savory onion, salt, and maybe a little cilantro, if that's your thing. I'm never putting tomatoes in my guacamole and neither should you.

Method #2: Covering the Guac With Avocado Peels

The technique: Pressing the avocado peels flat against the guacamole surface shields the dip from air. If air can't reach it, browning can't occur. The results: Good luck keeping the peels flat.

“Each panned guac gets sealed airtight with Saran Wrap,” he said. “Then it gets lidded, labeled and stored for later use. This process ensures freshness and prevents browning,” he continued.

To keep the leftover guacamole from browning, the employee rips off a sheet of plastic wrap, then presses it all the way down to the surface of the guacamole, knocking out the air that would be in the container if it was just sealed with a lid.

From the second you crack open that avocado, it's a race against the clock before it goes brown. But with the right prep, you can make guacamole last in the fridge for three to four days. Planning on storing guacamole in the freezer? It should last for three to four months.

But as every guac fan knows, the stuff has a tendency to look nasty in a hurry, a problem only compounded when the product is made in advance. Fortunately for Wholly, the brand had already pioneered a high-pressure process that removes all the air from the container, so the batch doesn't oxidize and turn brown.

The main goal is to prevent oxygen from touching the avocado's flesh. Plastic wrap is a practical, albeit not foolproof way to slow down the natural course of fruit aging. The trick is to make sure the plastic wrap is sealed flush with the flesh.

Fill a measuring cup with water that's cool or room temperature. Gently pour about a half inch of liquid over the top of the dip. Make sure water covers the surface completely—all the way to the container's edge. Editor's Tip: You may have heard a squirt of lemon or lime juice also keeps guacamole from browning.

Some people swear by this one, so we had to put it to the test. The verdict: Contrary to popular belief, adding the avocado pit to guacamole does not prevent oxidation. In fact, if it sticks out above the surface, it creates air pockets that prevent the plastic wrap from adhering tightly enough.