“Guacamole for extra?” is the phrase I hear the most at the local fast food chain or burger joint. But why pay extra for guacamole when you can do it yourself? Moreover, many fast food chains’ guacamole is heavily watered down and loses the richness and nutrients that 
homemade guacamole contains.
Guacamole is simple to make, delicious, and contains countless health benefits. Among the proven benefits of avocado include antioxidant properties that protect the body against toxin build up, healthy plant fats that help promote heart health and contains fibres that will improve digestive health and nutrient absorption.
If you’re still on the fence about making this versatile dip yourself, the entire process from preparation to seasoning took less than 15 minutes. Guacamole is a nutritional and tasteful gem when added to your breakfast toast, house party appetizers and even salads dressings.
Step 1: Pick your finest
One of the first things you will notice about avocados is the color of the peel. The darker the peel color, the riper the fruit. Besides the color, test the firmness of the fruit by applying gentle pressure; if the fruit is overly soft and mushy like a boiled potato, it is best to avoid. However, if the fruit is too firm, it will not produce the best guacamole right away but letting it sit on the kitchen table for anytime within 10 days could help it soften without being overripe.
Here I used 4 ripe avocados for 2 serving sizes of guacamole
Step 2: Prepare supplementary ingredients
Avocados alone has a slight bitter taste and adding sweeter and tangier ingredients such as tomatoes and lemon juice helps neutralize its taste. For the perfect guacamole use:
¼ diced red onion (I’m using garden grown yellow onions)
½ diced ripe tomato (I’m using garden grown grape tomatoes)
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro (here I’m using ground cilantro leaves)
2 teaspoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of salt
Pepper to taste
Optional: Paprika, your favourite hot sauce
Run your spoon along the edges like this.
Step 3: Mash avocados
To remove the avocado flesh from the shell, use a spoon and move along the outer edges. Once the avocados are de-cored and separated from the shell, the most exciting part of the prep process begins.
So that you end up with these.
While a hand blender can be used here, I find the old-fashioned two spoon method of crushing avocados to work the best for rich guacamole. This method produces less waste of ingredients and creates a thicker consistency. Once the avocados are well-crushed, add the diced onions and tomatoes in slowly as you continue to mash the avocados.
Step 4: Season
Slowly work in the rest of the supplementary ingredients to achieve consistency throughout. 
Step 5: Serve
Taste test: unlike store bought guacamole, homemade guacamole has a rich creaminess without the added preservatives. If you’re not a fan of chunky guacamole, try adding a teaspoon of olive oil to smooth out the consistency.
