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10 easy ways to elevate store-bought guacamole

Erin McDowell   

10 easy ways to elevate store-bought guacamole
Simple additions like freshly chopped tomatoes, spices, and even sour cream can make store-bought guacamole taste more homemade.Foodbeast
  • Sometimes, purchasing store-bought guacamole is more practical than making it yourself.
  • Simple additions can make store-bought guacamole taste better and slightly more homemade.

Start by transferring your store-bought guacamole to a large mixing bowl in order to give it a good stir.

Start by transferring your store-bought guacamole to a large mixing bowl in order to give it a good stir.
Guacamole in a white bowl.      Maria_Lapina / iStock

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.

Adjust the amount of salt or crushed pepper in your guacamole.

Adjust the amount of salt or crushed pepper in your guacamole.
Salt and pepper shakers.      iStock

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.

Other seasonings and spices like paprika or cayenne can add a kick to standard guacamole.

Other seasonings and spices like paprika or cayenne can add a kick to standard guacamole.
Spices.      Nate LaGasa/Getty Images

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.

Adding more chopped red onion can bump up the flavor profile of store-bought guacamole.

Adding more chopped red onion can bump up the flavor profile of store-bought guacamole.
A person chopping red onion.      Anna Rolandi/Getty Images

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.

Chopped tomatoes can also make store-bought guac taste fresh and homemade.

Chopped tomatoes can also make store-bought guac taste fresh and homemade.
Guacamole with tomatoes and tortilla chips.      Anne N./Yelp

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.

Fresh cilantro or chives can also be added.

Fresh cilantro or chives can also be added.
Cilantro.      Mónica Durán / EyeEm/Getty Images

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.

Fresh fruits like mango or pineapple can give your guacamole a more unique flavor profile.

Fresh fruits like mango or pineapple can give your guacamole a more unique flavor profile.
A bowl of mango.      Aris Setya/Shutterstock

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.

Adding a dollop of sour cream can make your store-bought guacamole taste bright and tangy.

Adding a dollop of sour cream can make your store-bought guacamole taste bright and tangy.
A bowl of sour cream with a white spoon.      Sea Wave/Shutterstock

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.

Adding just one more freshly smashed avocado to the mixture can improve the texture and make it taste more homemade.

Adding just one more freshly smashed avocado to the mixture can improve the texture and make it taste more homemade.
A person holding a diced avocado.      INSIDER

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.

To make store-bought guacamole look more homemade, you can also serve it in a wooden bowl, a molcajete bowl, or a mortar and pestle.

To make store-bought guacamole look more homemade, you can also serve it in a wooden bowl, a molcajete bowl, or a mortar and pestle.
Guacamole in a molcajete bowl.      @rosamexicano / Instagram

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.

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