I’ve always loved guacamole but my consumption this summer has been off the charts.
So much so that creating my own guac bar is only fitting.
If you’re like me, you don’t have to throw a party to set out a spread like this. I can down this by myself on a random Monday.
I’ve made more meals out of The Best Peach Mango Salsa and guacamole than I can count. I don’t even need chips, just a spoon.
After the avocado is mashed in a bowl with a squirt of lime juice and dash of salt, it’s time for the add-in’s. I love the textures and flavors of veggies in guac and they really help to stretch one avocado. I try to limit myself to one avocado per day, but sometimes that’s impossible.
A big tip if you just need a few tablespoons of various veggies is to buy a ‘fajita mix’ or ‘stir fry mix’ in the refrigerated case of the produce department. It’s an easy and more cost-effective way to incorporate a wide variety of veggies without having to buy a whole one of each.
For pops of color and nice texture I like tomatoes, bell peppers (any color), corn, black beans, or olives.
If you’re a heat seeker like I am, add diced jalepenos, green chili peppers, poblano peppers, ground cayenne pepper, or cumin. Stirring in a couple tablespoons of spicy salsa works, too.
For bold flavor, add onions, garlic, salsa, or pico de gallo. And I love cilantro and always go overboard with it because it adds big flavor and for me it’s what makes guac taste authentic.
Get creative and if you think crumbled goat cheese, char-grilled corn, pickled jalepenos, mango or pineapple sound good, add them.
Serve your DIY guac with chips, flatbread, toasted pita bread or baguette slices. To keep carbs down and veggie intake up, sometimes I use speared bell peppers as my dippers. Sometimes I just use a spoon and shovel.
If you plan to do a guac bar for an event, only mash about half the avocados you think you’ll need in the beginning (I budget 1 avocado per person), and as time passes, mash as needed. Even if it doesn’t turn brown, guac turns darker and looks less appealing over time.
Whatever you add to your guac, I highly recommend washing it down with a couple of The Best Homemade Margaritas or a non-alcoholic 5-Calorie Lime-Raspgberry Margarita Fizz.
Just remember avocados are loaded with healthy fats. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway.
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Do-It-Yourself Guacamole Bar
Ingredients
Essential
- 1 medium ripe avocado, mashed
- juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste
- pinch salt, to taste
Optional Add-Ins
- bell peppers, any color
- tomatoes
- onions, red, white, yellow, Vidalia, green, scallions, etc.
- garlic
- cilantro
- pico de gallo
- jalepeno peppers, fresh, canned, pickled, etc.
- green chili peppers, fresh, canned, fire-roasted, etc.
- poblano peppers
- serrano peppers
- ground cayenne pepper
- red pepper flakes
- cumin
- salsa
- corn, fresh, frozen, char-grilled, etc.
- black beans
- olives
- cheese, crumbled Cotija, feta, goat, blue, etc.
- mango
- pineapple
- anything else you love
- Serve With, optional
- sour cream
- salsa
- pico de gallo
- margaritas
Serve With (optional)
- sour cream
- salsa
- pico de gallo
- margaritas
- Serve On
- tortilla chips
- flatbread
- toasted pita bread
- baguette slices
- crackers
- speared bell peppers
Serve On
- tortilla chips
- flatbread
- toasted pita bread
- baguette slices
- crackers
- speared bell peppers
Instructions
- Peel and de-seed the avocado. Scoop out and mash the flesh in a medium bowl.
- Add the lime juice, salt to taste, and stir to combine.
- Add as many add-ins, to taste, as desired and stir to combine.
- Serve with optional ‘serve with’ items (sour cream, etc.) and serve on chips or alternate dippers. Guacamole is best enjoyed fresh.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is SO not fair Averie… You take the most gorgeous photos with bright eye-catching colors and make everything look so appetizing, and… I’m allergic to avocados. I’d probably end up making my own “salsa” out of all of your mix-ins if you invited me to your random Monday party! It all looks absolutely incredible, but why should we expect anything else from you? ;)
Didn’t know you were allergic…ugh, that’s no fair!
What a great summer recipe! Can’t wait to try it myself. Yum!
julieblanner.com
I absolutely love this, such a fun party idea. Pinned!
Thanks for the pin!
We have some guacamole fools in my family. And I am one of them.
What an original idea. Truly—-kind of additional bit of party fun. What with a margarita in hand might be created! All efforts would be amazing I am sure.
Even the plain avocado is creamy and decadent all by itself.
With a margarita or many in hand, there’s no telling what could be created :)
I love guacamole, and this is making me want to invite people over and have at it :)
Love the setup of this Averie, makes me want to throw my very own fiesta!
Margaritas and Guac, what a perfect combination that I never get sick of. I love the idea of having a guac bar. Pictures are gorgeous! Thanks for this lovely idea :D
What a festive idea for a get-together, love this! As usual, Averie, your photos are gorgeous! (Much as I love guac, would never imagine it could photograph this beautifully!)
Oh, and best part of this post for me? Seeing above Related Recipe for Avocado, Cream Cheese, and Salsa-Stuffed Puff Pastries…somehow I missed this one but it looks incredible. Always love your savory posts, thanks! :)
Thanks for the compliments on my photography! And glad that the Avo Puffs are new-to-you :)
Beautiful photos! The colors are stunning.
This would be such a cool thing to do/bring for a potluck or an outdoor BBQ. I generally stick to the basics for guac – lime, cilantro, and garlic, but I listened to a Sporkful podcast about guac and I was intrigued with all the wacky and off-the-wall ideas. Goat cheese sounds fantastic!
Thanks for the compliments on the photography and I’m like you, I usually do keep it pretty basic but also use it as an excuse to clean out my crisper drawer, to an extent. Even I do not put brock or cauli in my guac :)
Your guacamole is Perfect, Averie! Nice & chunky!! (I never understood why some people and restaurants mash the avocado until it’s a sad paste.)
Yumm…I’m on my way!! :D
I know, over-mashing to the point of mush, well that’s baby food! I mean with a ripe avo, it literally takes about 10 seconds of mashing in a bowl, tops. Any more than that, and you WILL have mush. Ick.
what a fun idea! I am going to have to do this at my next party!
Thanks, Shelly! I’d gladly trade you for that pink cake you just made. Stunning!
What an awesome idea! If I didn’t eat all of it by myself, this would be such a fun spread for the summer. I’m always looking for new treats to put out for our never-ending stream of guests and I am just in love with this one! Thank you so much for sharing. :-)
Glad you like the ideas, Colleen!
Oh, I think this is the most genius idea ever. I love guacamole more than life, most days. Although I’d probably just eat it all plain with a spoon before I had a chance to mix anything in! Genius, just genius. Pinned!
Sometimes I DO eat it all before I even get all the other things sliced and diced :)
My kind of party!
Healthy fats – I have been telling myself that a lot lately :). Do I even need to mention how much I adore this idea? There would be no complaints if we had a guac bar every night of the week. Yum!
Now THIS is the way to do guacamole! Love the photos & the DIY bar idea ~pinning & sharing on Facebook today :)
Thanks for pinning, sharing, and being awesome. We need this, and many margaritas, and some time to catch up!! xoxo