10 easy ways to elevate store-bought guacamole

The first step to sprucing up your store-bought guacamole should be to transfer it from the plastic tub it came in into a mixing bowl. Give it a stir to make sure all the ingredients are well-combined. You can also squeeze some fresh lime juice into your bowl for more flavor and to prevent your guacamole from browning.

If you taste the guacamole and it's a touch bland, start by adding some salt and freshly crushed pepper to make it more flavorful.

Crushed red pepper, cayenne, paprika, or even garlic powder can up the flavor in a store-bought guacamole and allow you to cater it to your own tastes.

While most store-bought guacamole will already come with red onion, chopping up some more can add more flavor and a more homemade-looking texture that will have you coming back to the bowl for more.

There's nothing better in the summer than freshly chopped tomatoes, so taking advantage of the season's freshest produce can add a lot to store-bought guacamole. Tomatoes on the vine or hot house tomatoes work well, as do halved cherry tomatoes for a burst of freshness in every bite.

Topping your guacamole with cilantro and chives can add a burst of subtle flavor and prevent your guacamole from looking like it came straight from a grocery store shelf.

It's pretty rare to find store-bought guacamole that includes fresh citrus fruits like pineapple or mango, so adding these fruits will certainly take your guac to the next level and impress your guests.

It's important to gauge how creamy you want your guacamole to be, however. Too much sour cream can easily overpower the other ingredients in your guacamole.

Even if you don't have the energy or time to make guacamole from scratch, dicing and smashing up just one fresh avocado to add to your mixture can make a huge difference texturally.

While some store-bought guacamole can be a little too puréed in consistency, adding freshly smashed avocado will make it a little chunkier and seem much more homemade.

With making store-bought guacamole appear more homemade, a lot can depend on how it's served. Even if you make no additions, try transferring your guac to a stylish serving bowl, a mortar and pestle, or a molcajete bowl, which is the traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle.

This will elevate your dish and give the illusion that you were smashing your own avocados to make it, as well as provide a good vessel for adding any extra ingredients.