Vegan Guacamole

Easy vegan guacamole that uses fresh ingredients for a healthy dairy-free snack.  It’s easy to put together in just a few minutes and you have a delicious snack or appetizer.

The recipe is adaptable and can be altered to your preferences.  Actually, I would say this is more of a suggestion than a recipe.  If you don’t like red onion, leave it out.  If you don’t like cilantro, leave it out.  If you’re like my husband and prefer more of a “one jalapeño to one avocado” ratio, add more.  Change up the ingredients for the vegan guac and make it your own.

Picking a Good Avocado

The hardest part of making this vegan avocado dip is waiting for the avocados to be just right.  To check for ripeness gently press the avocado (not too hard, the avocado might bruise), it should be firm but give a little under the pressure.  Ripe avocados are not too soft and mushy, nor too firm and hard.  When you find a good one, check it for indentations that are soft.  If it does it may be overripe or bruised.    

If you can’t find a good ripe avocado that’s ready to use, then pick one that’s not ready yet and ripen it at home. To speed up ripening, place the avocados in a brown paper bag with a couple of bananas.  The time it takes to soften the avocados will vary depending on how much they need to ripen.  It may take a couple of days or be ready overnight.  

According to Edgar’s Fruit ripening bananas release ethylene gas, which gets trapped and circulates inside the bag to quicken the ripening process.  If the avocados are ready but you're not, then store them in the refrigerator.  This will not halt the ripening, it will only slow it down.

How to Make Vegan Guacamole

Slice open the avocados and remove the pit.

Slice a cross-hatch pattern for cubes, but don't cut all the way through the skin. This can be done with a dinner knife, then scooped out with a spoon. You can also make slices or just scoop out the flesh as it is with a spoon.

Mash the avocados with the back of a fork or a potato masher until it reaches your desired texture.  

Then add the diced red onion, diced jalapeño, crushed garlic, lime juice, and salt to the mashed avocados.  Then stir to combine.

Then taste and adjust to your preferences.  Do you prefer more salt?  Add a pinch more.  Prefer a little more tang?  Add a little more fresh lime juice.  If you’re like my husband and prefer it even spicier, add the entire jalapeño and leave the seeds in.

How to Store Leftover Guacamole

Guacamole is susceptible to oxidation, which is why that beautiful green color turns brown.  The lime juice in the recipe will slow this process down and keep it from immediately turning brown, letting you enjoy your freshly made avocado dip.  It’s only a temporary solution and won’t prevent leftovers from browning.  

I did a little testing to see if onions would help preserve the guac.  I used a red onion because, well, the recipe calls for it and that would be convenient.  I also tested a yellow onion because it releases more sulfur than white or red onions and the sulfur compounds slow oxidation.

Both onions slowed the browning of the guacamole.  I stored both servings in glass containers with lids that clipped on for an air-tight seal.  

Photo A shows the leftover guac with peeled onion halves on the day it was made.  

Photo B shows the leftover guac three days later, the guac is starting to brown and there is some residual liquid. 

Conclusion:  If you have leftover vegan guacamole, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator with the leftover red onion.  

Serving Suggestions

• tortilla chips
• sliced raw veggies
• burrito bowl
• tacos
• taco bowl
• red lentil chili or quinoa chili topping
• use it as a condiment on sandwiches

I hope you enjoy the recipe (or suggestion) for plant-based vegan guacamole!

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