Dish guides
What is guacamole?
Guacamole is a Mexican dish of ripe avocado mashed with lime juice, white onion, coriander, fresh green chilli and salt, often with chopped tomato. It's served as a starter or side with totopos (fried corn tortilla chips), sometimes in the stone mortar (molcajete) it was made in, and it goes with tacos and grilled meat.
- At a glance
- Guacamole
- Mexican mashed avocado with lime, onion, coriander and chilli, served with corn chips.
- Pronunciation
- Say it like gwah-kah-MOH-leh · IPA /ɡwakaˈmole/
- Also written as
- guacamole con totopos, orden de guacamole, guacamole casero, guacamole a cuchillo, guacamole en molcajete, guac
What’s in it
Core ingredients
- ripe avocado
- lime juice
- white onion
- coriander (cilantro)
- fresh green chilli (serrano or jalapeño)
- salt
Often added
- chopped tomato
- totopos (corn tortilla chips)
- crumbled queso fresco or cotija
- pomegranate seeds (in season)
- chapulines (toasted grasshoppers, Oaxaca)
- chicharrón (pork crackling)
- garlic or sour cream (outside Mexico)
Allergens
| Allergen | How likely |
|---|---|
| Dairy | Sometimes contains |
| Gluten | Rarely contains |
| Shellfish | Rarely contains |
| Peanuts | Rarely contains |
| Tree nuts | Rarely contains |
| Fish | Rarely contains |
| Eggs | Rarely contains |
| Soy | Rarely contains |
| Sesame | Rarely contains |
| Diet | Suitable? |
|---|---|
| Vegetarian | Usually |
| Vegan | Usually |
| Pescatarian | Usually |
| Halal | Usually |
| Kosher | Depends — The classic recipe has no meat or dairy; strict kosher observance also depends on the kitchen and on toppings such as cheese or pork crackling. |
| Gluten-free | Usually |
Allergen and calorie details are AI estimates based on the menu and typical recipes. They can be incomplete — if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.
What goes into guacamole
The name comes from the Nahuatl āhuacamōlli, "avocado sauce". A traditional guacamole is made in a molcajete, a three-legged mortar of volcanic stone: onion, chilli, coriander and salt are ground into a paste first, then ripe avocado is mashed in, leaving it chunky, and lime juice is added. Many cooks fold in chopped tomato; others leave it out. A version labelled a cuchillo is chopped with a knife rather than mashed.
It's served fresh, because avocado browns quickly. The lime helps, and a good guacamole should taste of avocado, lime and salt, with heat that ranges from gentle to sharp depending on the chilli.
Guacamole outside Mexico
Tex-Mex and international versions sometimes add garlic, sour cream, mayonnaise or cheese, and the chips may be wheat-based or fried alongside breaded foods. In tourist areas of Mexico, the salsa-like avocado sauce at taco stands is often called guacamole too, though it's thinner, usually spicier and sometimes made with tomatillo.
How to order it
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Una orden de guacamole con totopos, por favor. | A portion of guacamole with tortilla chips, please. |
| ¿Pica? | Is it spicy? |
| ¿Lleva queso o crema? | Does it have cheese or cream in it? |
Not to be confused with
- Salsa de aguacate / guacamole taquero — Thin, blended avocado salsa from taco stands, often with tomatillo; runnier and usually hotter.
- Pico de gallo — Fresh chopped tomato, onion, chilli and coriander; no avocado.
- Mole poblano — Shares the Nahuatl word for sauce, but it's a cooked, dark sauce of chillies, nuts and chocolate.
Frequently asked questions
Is guacamole vegan?
Traditional guacamole usually is: avocado, lime, onion, coriander, chilli, salt and often tomato, with no animal products. Check the toppings, though. Some restaurants add crumbled cheese, pork crackling (chicharrón) or, outside Mexico, sour cream or mayonnaise. Ask "¿Lleva queso o crema?" (Does it have cheese or cream?) to be sure.
Is guacamole gluten free?
The guacamole itself is usually gluten-free, because none of its classic ingredients contain gluten. The chips are the thing to check: Mexican totopos are made from corn, but some restaurants use wheat tortilla chips, or fry the chips in oil shared with breaded food. If you need to avoid gluten, ask about the chips or eat it with vegetables.
Is guacamole spicy?
Usually mildly. Fresh serrano or jalapeño chilli gives it a gentle kick, and the amount varies a lot between kitchens. Restaurant guacamole is often mild, while the blended avocado salsa at taco stands can be quite hot. Ask "¿Pica?" (Is it spicy?), or request it "sin chile" (without chilli).
Does guacamole have tomato?
Often, but not always. Many Mexican cooks add chopped tomato, others make it with only avocado, onion, chilli, coriander, lime and salt, and both count as guacamole. Some menus list the ingredients; if you want it a certain way, ask for it "sin jitomate" (without tomato), which most places can do because it's made fresh.
How do you pronounce guacamole?
In Mexican Spanish, say gwah-kah-MOH-leh, with four syllables and the stress on MOH: in IPA, [ɡwakaˈmole]. The final "e" is pronounced, so it doesn't rhyme with "mole" the animal. The "g" at the start is soft and can almost disappear in fast speech.
