This 3-Ingredient Taquero-Style Guacamole Is a Game-Changer for Tacos

Guacamole is old—really old. The word itself comes from "ahuacamolli," which means “avocado sauce” in Nahuatl, and the dish dates back at least the Aztec empire in Mexico, before the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. At its most basic, it requires little more than avocados and serrano or jalapeño chiles, traditionally mashed in a large basalt mortar and pestle with some salt. The Aztecs prepared such avocado-based sauces for hundreds of years, , making guacamole and its progenitors among the oldest continuously prepared dishes in the Americas.

An early written recipe for guacamole appeared in 17th-century autobiography of the pirate William Dampier. He described a mash of avocado, sugar, and lime that he was introduced to near modern-day Panama. It was one of many forms of guacamole, both then and now. They vary in texture and consistency, ranging from thin and saucy all the way to something so chunky it might be described as a salad, and anything in between. These differences can reflect regional or personal preferences, as well as how the guacamole is intended to be used; whether as a condiment on tacos, alongside roasted meats and rice and beans, spread on sopes, or as a dip with tortilla chips.

The guacamole recipe I'm sharing here is not sweetened or mashed into a chunky salad, and it isn’t your standard game-day chip dip either. Instead, it's a taquero-style guacamole. Think of it more as an avocado sauce: pourable, creamy, and spicy with a zesty kick of cilantro. It’s ideal for spooning over (or into) tacos, quesadillas, burritos, nachos, and whatever else your heart desires. It goes particularly well with tacos de asada, tacos capeados or a hearty papa loca (a grilled potato mashed with cheese and topped with carne asada). 

Most taco shops throughout Mexico have some version of this sauce. If it’s watered down too much, clients might complain that they’re being served “aguamole.” In some cases you may even encounter a "guacamole" that doesn't even have avocados in it, but instead is made with cheaper summer squash, sometimes referred to as “fake guacamole.” 

I learned the recipe below from second-generation taquero Paco Gaztelum, who often serves it at Tacos El Veneno, his taco cart in Mazatlán, Sinaloa. Paco spent the bulk of his cooking career perfecting this sauce so that it's avocado-forward with just the right hint of heat. He says the key to his sauce is as simple as picking good avocados. Ultimately, if the avocado tastes good, the guacamole will taste good. Picking great avocados is a bit easier in Mexico for Paco, where high quality, fresh avocados are more abundant than in other countries. Still, Paco says cooks in the U.S. and elsewhere can find the best ripe avocados available by following a few guidelines.

How to Select the Best (and Ripest) Avocados

Paco recommends using Hass avocados in his recipe. Hass avocados are widely available in the US and their buttery, creamy texture and flavor consistently produces flavorful guacamole. But Hass are not the only good avocados out there, and if you have access to other types of avocados, it can be worthwhile to try them. Just make sure to measure the avocados by weight, and not by the number of avocados, to ensure the right ratio of avocado to water; otherwise the consistency may be way off.

As a Hass avocado ripens, it darkens in color, and its dark color is the first good indicator of whether it's ripe. But a dark color alone will not tell you if the avocado is at it's peak. Ultimately, the best indicator for when an avocado is ripe is its feel: A ripe avocado should be soft, especially near the stem, but it shouldn’t feel spongy or hollow. You can also wiggle the stem—if it’s ripe, the stem will easily peel away from the fruit. 

Avocados have a short window of perfect ripeness, so make sure to take ripening time into consideration when shopping and meal-planning, and be prepared to purchase your avocado a few days before making the guacamole. (For avocado ripening tips, check out our guide on how to ripen and store avocados.)

Fine-Tuning the Guacamole’s Aromatics

If you don’t like spice (or your chile smells particularly pungent), you can cut it in half and remove the seeds, which carry a lot of the heat. This works for both serrano and jalapeño peppers. Another tip from Paco: The spiciness of most serranos and jalapeños can be gauged by looking at the veiny white striations on the outside of the chile. The larger and more visible these marks are, the spicier the pepper. 

Another parameter to keep an eye on is the salt level. Paco says that when seasoning this guacamole, it’s important to keep in mind the dish you plan to serve the sauce with. Serving it with salty, heavily seasoned pork tacos? You might want to scale down the salt amount in this guacamole. Is it going on a lighter fish dish? You might want to be more heavy-handed with the salt. “The quantity [of salt] is about balancing the dish, taco or chip, whatever you’re going to eat,” Paco says.

Like any really good guacamole, this recipe is almost infinitely flexible. Try it without cilantro, with a squeeze of lime, or with more or less salt or water to dial in your favorite version. I’ve had taquero-style guacamoles with a hint of garlic, a little finely chopped tomato, and even small chunks of queso fresco. As Paco’s father, a retired taquero, likes to say, “En la cocina, el cocinero manda”—in the kitchen, the cook is in charge. 

The Best Way to Store Taquero-Style Guacamole

This guacamole, like all guacamole, is best enjoyed very shortly after it’s prepared, but what about leftovers? Is there a way to prevent leftover sauce from browning? Oxygen is what causes avocado to turn unsightly brown. As is discussed in Serious Eat’s perfect guacamole recipe, there are a few hacks out there that claim to prevent this, such as the common tip of putting the pits on top of the guacamole to prevent browning or adding acid (most often lime juice). But the best option is to is to store the guacamole in a container that minimizes the amount of air it’s exposed to (a squeeze bottle works best) and to press a double layer of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole if it is going to be exposed, to minimize oxidation.

In a blender, blend avocado, cilantro, serrano, water, and 1 teaspoon salt until completely smooth. Season to taste with additional salt as needed. Serve.

Special Equipment

Blender 

Notes

A seeded jalapeño can be substituted for the serrano chile for an even less spicy option.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The guacamole sauce is best eaten the same day it's made. It should be refrigerated in an air-tight container when not in use (a squeeze bottle works great). Second-day leftovers still taste good, and light oxidation on top disappears with stirring. After that, the loss of flavor and color become increasingly noticeable.