Creamy 4-Ingredient Guacamole Recipe With A Time Saving Super Hack

One of my favorite things to snack on is a batch of air fried tortilla chips and a big bowl of guacamole. Whether you are snacking while watching a game or eating tacos for dinner, my 4-ingredient guacamole recipe is easy to make and comes together in about 5 minutes. You just can't beat that! Plus, this 4-ingredient guacamole has a time-saving ingredient that adds a flavor punch.

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4 Ingredients on a Mission

Avocados

Obviously, the star of this 4-ingredient guacamole recipe is avocados. Avocados are not only creamy and delicious, but they have many health benefits. According to Healthline, avocados are rich in vitamins (K, C, B5, B6, E), folate, and contain more potassium than bananas!

Avocados are one of my favorite foods and definitely the cornerstone of any guacamole.

Lime Juice

Lime juice is a staple in any guac recipe and serves multiple purposes in this recipe.

Purpose 1 - A squirt of lime juice helps cut through the richness of the avocado and brightens the flavor tremendously!

Purpose 2 - Have you ever wondered how to keep guacamole from turning brown? One trick is by adding lime juice! More about this later in the article!

Cumin

I love adding cumin to my guacamole. Cumin adds this beautiful earthy note to the guacamole that makes people scratch their heads, wondering what makes this guacamole stand out. It isn't overwhelming, just a tiny ⅛ of a teaspoon does the trick.

Fresh Salsa - A Game Changer

In addition to the ingredients listed above, authentic guacamole has tomatoes, onions, cilantro, garlic, and peppers in it. If you have time to dice these ingredients and add them to your guac, have at it! However, I promised a 4-ingredient guacamole recipe that comes together in 5 minutes, tops. Fresh salsa is the time-saving hack you need in your life.

The first thing I cannot stress enough - make sure to buy FRESH salsa for the tastiest results. Look for labels that have fresh ingredients and limited preservatives. You can often find fresh salsa in the deli section or produce section in most grocery stores.

I use fresh salsa for a variety of reasons:

1: It's quick!

2: It tastes great!

3: You can control the heat of your guacamole with salsa. If you like your guac to have a big kick, add salsa that is hot. If not, mild is the way to go.

4: Salsa makes this guacamole very versatile! Try different kinds of salsas in this recipe - like salsa verde - to add your own spin!

For the BEST RESULTS, pass the salsa through a fine mesh sieve to make sure the guac doesn't come out watery. In authentic guacamole recipes, the juice/seeds of the tomatoes are removed to cut down on the added liquid. This is the same concept.

How Do I Prevent 4-Ingredient Guacamole From Turning Brown?

When avocados are left in an oxygen rich environment, a chemical reaction takes place (oxidation), which results in the avocado turning brown. You can definitely eat the brown part of an avocado, but it may have a bitter taste. There are a few ways to postpone the browning process.

The key to prolonging the greenness of your guac is adding some type of acid to it. This is called "acidulating" the guacamole. I mentioned above that the freshly squeezed lime juice will add enough acid to help prevent the guacamole from turning brown right away.

It is best to try to serve the guacamole within a couple of hours of making it. If you want to make it earlier than that, you can cut down on browning by covering the top of the guacamole with plastic wrap. Be sure to gently pat the plastic wrap down on the surface of the guac. This will create an air-tight seal and prevent the guac from oxidizing right away.

Can You Freeze Guacamole?

I don't actually recommend freezing guacamole. It is not impossible - you can do it. However, the ingredients will lose their integrity during the freezing and defrosting process. The avocados lose their delicious flavor and the salsa can turn it into a disaster.

If you do choose to freeze 4-ingredient guacamole, here are some tips that will help you:

• Be sure to strain out as much liquid as you can from the salsa. Salsa ice that turns into salsa water is not your friend, take my word.

• Freeze your guacamole in an air-tight freezer bag for up to 3 months.

• Flatten the guacamole in the freezer bag to make it freeze quickly and evenly and to ensure there is no oxygen in the bag.

• When you are ready to defrost the guacamole, remove it from the freeze and defrost it in your refrigerator.

• Serve it with something flavorful because the flavor WILL be less intense after the freezing process.

Should You Freeze Guacamole?

I am usually the first person to encourage freezing foods for later. Guacamole is one of my exceptions. To be honest, I just can't say I recommend freezing guacamole.

The good news is that this 4-ingredient guacamole recipe comes together SO QUICKLY that you can make a batch of it in about 5 minutes.

In my opinion, it is better to spend 5 minutes whipping up a fresh batch of this guacamole when it is needed.

How To Ripen An Avocado

Who else has been in this situation?

You are having a party tomorrow. Guacamole is on the menu and today, you run to the store for your ingredients. When you arrive to the produce section, there are no ripe avocados.

Fear not! Here are some tips that will save your guacamole:

• Buy the ripest avocados in the bunch and take them home. Place them in a brown paper bag on your counter right away. Fold the top of the bag down to close it. Keep the avocados in the brown paper bag overnight. When you are ready to make guacamole, your avocados *should* be softer and easier to work with! OR...

• If all of the avocados are hard as a rock, look around the refrigerated produce section. Some grocery stores have fresh and ripe avocado halves that are ready to be taken home and used immediately. OR...

• If all else fails, check the freezer section of your grocery store. Some grocery stores carry frozen avocado halves. They may not taste exactly the same as fresh, but the fresh salsa, cumin, and lime in this recipe will kick the flavor up. Just be sure to defrost the avocados fully before making your guac.

4-Ingredient Guacamole Deserves A Front Row Seat At Your Next Party

Whether you are making hot honey chicken wings, buffalo chicken dip, or bacon-wrapped jalapeño shrimp for your next party, this 4-ingredient guacamole recipe deserves a spot at your table. Paired with store-bought or air fried tortilla chips, the guac will leave your guests scratching their heads thinking, "How can 4 ingredients yield such intense flavor?!"

I also love to pile this guacamole on my meatless breakfast tacos or eat it on the side of my delicious tomatillo chicken enchiladas!

With this 4-ingredient guacamole recipe in your back pocket, the possibilities are endless!

What are you waiting for? Let's dig in!

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Essential Tools

All of my posts contain my recommendations for essential tools. I have researched these tools. Many of them are already in my kitchen. The ones that are not come highly rated. I do the research so you don’t have to and I only recommend high-quality tools.

If you are just starting to furnish your kitchen with tools or if you are looking to expand your kitchen toolkit, be sure to reference Expert Guide: Equip Your Kitchen for Less Than $200. This guide contains links to all of the equipment items I recommend for a basic kitchen set up.

My essential tools when making this recipe include the following: