5 Minute Guacamole Recipe Without Tomatoes

This 5 minute guacamole recipe without tomatoes is fast, healthy, and delicious. We get the chunky texture and fresh flavors from creamy avocados, tart limes, and crisp red onions. This is my go-to guac recipe because it’s quick, easy, and delicious every time.

Guacamole is a popular side dish in Central America and Mexican cuisine, often served with rice and beans, burritos, or tacos. Here in the States, we put guac on anything and everything. My favorite thing is having guac on toast, or serving it as an appetizer with blue crunchy tortilla chips.

I prefer my own guacamole recipe because I am particular about the texture of my dip. Sometimes I like to pair my chips with something chunky, while other times, I want something creamy. I always use fresh avocados to create the best textures. You can make it creamy or chunky simply by deciding how much to mash it.

This 5 minute guac is the perfect partner for my Pico De Gallo Salsa recipe.

Bonus: This guacamole recipe has no tomatoes and it’s gluten free!

What’s the secret to this dish?

It’s not hard at all to make this recipe. In fact, you can scroll down to read the ingredients and instructions and you’ll have a good guac in your hands in 5 minutes. But if you want to perfect this dish and even make your own twist on it, you need to know some crucial details.

The secret you need to know for making guacamole is having the best ingredients on hand. You want to pick the freshest avocados, limes (not lemons!), and the right color onions. Read on and I’ll show you:

• When to buy avocados
• How to check for avocado ripeness
• How to ripen avocados
• Choosing lemons and onions
• How to customize your guac
• And more

When to buy avocados

I used to be one of those people that just grabbed produce without thinking about when I’m actually going to eat it. By the time I take it home, I’ve either left it out too long and it’s over ripe, or worse, I’m ready to eat it but it’s not ripe yet.

For best results, buy your avocados based on the time you’re ready to eat it.

Grocery Tip: Buy your avocados based on the time you’re ready to eat it.

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Ready to eat in 1 or 2 days: Buy ripe fresh avocados that yield to gentle pressure.

To be eaten in 3-5 days: Buy firm avocados. Unripe, firm or green avocados usually take four to five days to ripen at room temperature.

Beyond 6 days: Make a trip back to the store next week. Super soft mushy brown avocados are a deal breaker for this recipe. They are bitter, acidic, and foul. Unless you can remove all the brown spots, it’s not worth it.

Avocado ripeness test

The avocados are ready to eat when they are ripe. Here’s how you can tell the avocados are ripe and ready:

• Avocados are ready when the skin has a little give when you press it. It should feel firm like when you are pressing on your palm.
• You could also remove the stem (a.k.a. the “pedicel”, or the black belly button part at the narrower tip of the avocado) and check the color of the belly button. It should be a creamy or lightly dull green color. If it’s yellow, it’s not ready. Brown means it’s too old. 

This recipe is somewhat forgiving because it will let you use older avocados (meaning ones with mild brown spots) if you need. The acid from the lemon and onion will mask bitterness from an older avocado.

Love One Today shows side by side pictures on how to tell if an avocado is ripe.

Ripen avocados faster

Transform your unripe avocado to ripe avocados by putting your hard avocado in a paper bag and closing it. The closed bag will let the avocado release and trap the ethylene gas. This gas will ripen the avocados faster than if left out on the table or in the refrigerator. Voila, perfect avocados.

Pro Tip: Cut out out blemishes, which leads to the guac turning into a dirty green color.

Limes vs. lemons

Lime has a slightly bitter, acidic taste compared to lemons. Lemons tend to be sweeter. Limes contain higher concentrations of phosphorous, vitamins A and C, calcium, and folate.

I find that using fresh limes works best with the red onions in this recipe. But if you only have lemon on hand, you can use it. It will still taste good.

When shopping for limes, choose limes that are:

• Firm, shiny, heavier, and have a distinct lime smell. Unripe limes don’t have a smell.
• Rinds that are smooth and glossy with minimal dimpling. This article details more on how to choose limes.

Onion selection

Red onions work very well with the limes and avocados in this recipe. I have tried this recipe with different onions (red onion, yellow onion, white onion, and sweet onion) and found the red onions help create the best flavor for this recipe.

The yellow, white, and sweet onion have a lingering spicy aftertaste that did not taste as memorable for this guac recipe.

You can adjust the onions based on how intense you want your guac. Add more or less onions for a spicy kick. Smaller dices give a spicer flavor. Bigger dices give more crunch.

How to customize your guac

Try these additional ingredients, as much or as little as you like. I advise trying a little at a time to see if you like the new flavor

• Diced tomatoes for color and a little sweetness.
• Chili peppers and/or jalapeno pepper if you prefer spicy guacamole.
• Fresh garlic, minced garlic, garlic powder, or a generous amount of garlic granules for potency
• Fresh cilantro for freshness
• Roma tomatoes to add acidity
• Top with a dash of olive oil for a little nuttiness

What you need

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cups red onion, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 lime, juiced (2 tablespoons fresh lime juice)
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black peppercorn (or 1/8 teaspoon black pepper)

How to make 5 minute guacamole

1. Halve and pit the avocados, scoop out the meat and place in a medium bowl. Save the avocado pits if you plan on saving leftover guacamole.
2. Using a fork, mash the avocado until smooth. You can also use a potato masher if you want to make a lot of guacamole.
3. To the same bowl, add diced red onions, kosher salt, lime juice, and fresh cracked black peppercorn. Mix to combine.
4. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

How to save it for later

The good news is you can enjoy this bowl of guacamole up to 2 days later.

Honestly, if you want to eat it the next day and you have fresh avocados, I encourage you to make it again tomorrow. The color will look better and the flavors will be brighter.

If you want to save your guac, drop an avocado pit into the guac an airtight container, sprinkle lime juice, then lay a piece of plastic wrap covering the surface of the guacamole. Then put the lid on and keep it in the fridge. This will keep the guacamole green. Before serving, remove the brown part, or you can mix it in and eat it.

If you notice the flavor mellowing after storing in the fridge, you may want to add more lime juice and salt to taste.

Pro Tip: To keep it fresh longer, drop an avocado pit into your guac and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.

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FAQs

Creamy vs. chunky guac

I prefer my own guacamole recipe because I am particular about the texture of my dip. Sometimes I like to pair my chips with something chunky, while other times, I want something creamy. I always use fresh avocados to create the best textures. You can make it creamy or chunky simply by deciding how much to mash it.

Thoroughly mash the avocados until smooth if you want a creamy texture. Mash them just a little bit you prefer a chunky texture.

What else can I eat guacamole with?

The priority #1 for testing this recipe out is obviously dipping those crunchy tortilla chips into a nice bowl of guac.

But don’t you hate it when ran out of chips, and have guac leftover? Here’s some ideas to finish off that guac with some taste. Pun intended.

• Add a dollop on your taco salad or spread a generous layer of chunky guacamole on your sandwich.
• You can also eat guacamole as a side dish for savory protein dishes like chicken, steak, or barbacoa.
• You can enjoy guacamole dipped with vegetables, like celery or carrots. This is a popular idea for a party. Just double or triple your recipe for the crowd.
• Some people meal prep this guac just to save it for their Chipotle bowls. It’s much cheaper than ordering their guac, that’s for sure!
• My recent favorite is making a guac toast. Toast a slice of bread and slather a generous serving of guac on top. Spritz some lemon juice on it and you have a guac toast.

Budget Tip: Some people meal prep this guac for their burrito bowls, which is cheaper than buying it at Chipotle.

Why no tomatoes in this recipe?

Some say tomatoes are a filler if you put it in guacamole and the real taste of guac should not include tomatoes. I think this is up for debate. The tomatoes definitely change the texture and flavor of the guac. I suggest to try it out to see which way you like it.

To try this recipe with tomatoes, chop 1/2 a Roma tomato for each large avocado used. That’s 1 Roma tomato for this recipe.

If you have a tomato sensitivity or allergy, or you are tomato-averse, I made this guacamole recipe without tomatoes just for you.