About this Recipe

By: Rachel

The best dishes are made with love. When you take the time to build complex flavors, layer by layer, it shows in the final product. I love Mexican food, and while pre-made products always work in a pinch, nothing compares to homemade guacamole and salsa. It is, hands-down, my favorite way to begin a meal. This fresh guacamole and salsa recipe will definitely become a staple in your repertoire.

A Love of Mexican Cuisine

Every cuisine features its own wonderfully unique flavors and textures… but for me, it isn’t hard to pick a favorite. I have loved Mexican food my entire life. The diversity of Mexican cuisine is immense. From the smoky, grilled foods of the North to the fresh seafood of Veracruz to the comforting corn dishes of Oaxaca, I’m here for it all.

Some of my favorite dishes include birria, a complex and delicious braised beef dish from Jalisco. I love making birria enchiladas, a twist on this classic dish. Chiles Relleños are another favorite, although I usually make my baked version that is a lot simpler and quicker to make than the authentic version.

Whatever dish I choose, my favorite way to begin the meal is definitely with homemade guacamole and salsa, and plenty of tortilla chips.

How To Make Homemade Salsa

I love growing fresh chiles, tomatoes, and tomatillos in my garden. Grilling fresh vegetables (especially over a charcoal grill) imbues a smoky flavor that enhances the flavor of cooked salsas.

I like to make a big batch of cooked salsa at the end of the summer, when my garden vegetables are ripe. I freeze them in small batches to use all year-round, omitting fresh cilantro and lime, which I add fresh when I’m ready to use them. Freezing only works for cooked salsa—not fresh salsas, like pico de gallo!

I use these salsas to make Cactus Nachos, the iconic nachos from Seattle’s Cactus Restaurant. Be sure to give them a try!

Making the Best Homemade Guacamole

Like anything else, the best homemade guacamole starts with great ingredients. You will need perfectly-ripe avocados, raw onions, fresh jalapeños and cilantro, kosher salt, and juicy limes.

I recommend using a traditional molcajete, (a mortar and pestle works too) to prepare your guacamole. For the very best flavor and texture, grind your onion, jalapeños, and cilantro to a paste with kosher salt. Allow this mixture to settle in the lime juice for a few minutes—they will cook slightly in the acid, improving the flavor. Then you can mash in chunks of avocado to the consistency you prefer.

Homemade Guacamole and Salsa: Delicious Mexican Dips

This selection of salsas, along with the best creamy guacamole, make the perfect beginning to a Mexican-inspired meal.

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Print Recipe

Ready In 1

Meal Type Snack

Good For Mexican, Tex-Mex

Yield servings

Equipment

1 Molcajete (optional, for the guacamole)
1 Food Processor (optional, for the salsa)

Ingredients

Guacamole

2 tablespoons chopped white onion
1 chopped jalapeño pepper (leave seeds for more heat, or remove them for a more mild guacamole)
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 1 small lime
2-3 ripe avocados

Charred Tomato Salsa

3-4 ripe, fresh tomatoes
1-3 fresh jalapeño peppers (leave seeds in for more heat, discard for a milder salsa)
2-3 cloves unpeeled garlic
1 large red onion (sliced)
Juice of 1-2 fresh limes
¼ cup (5-7g) finely-chopped cilantro
Kosher salt to taste

Tomatillo Salsa

8 ounces tomatillos husked and rinsed
1 diced jalapeño pepper (leave seeds in for more heat, discard for a milder salsa)
1-2 cloves unpeeled garlic
½ chopped white onion
¼ cup (5-7g) finely-chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 small fresh lime
Kosher salt to taste

Pico de Gallo

2 large dliced tomatoes
1 diced jalapeño pepper (leave seeds in for more heat, discard for a milder salsa)
1 small diced white onion
½ cup (15g) finely-chopped cilantro
Juice of 1-2 fresh limes
Kosher salt to taste

Step by Step Instructions

Guacamole

Step 1

Add the onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and salt to a molcajete or a mortar and pestle, and grind to a paste (the coarse salt will help this along).

Step 2

Add the lime juice, and stir to combine. Allow to sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes before you add the avocado.

Step 3

Slice your avocados lengthwise, and carefully remove the pit using a chef’s knife. Hold an avocado half in your non-dominant hand, and with your other hand, cut each avocado 3-4 times each way lengthwise and crosswise, so that when you scoop the meat out with a spoon, you have small-ish chunks.

Step 4

Scoop the meat from each avocado into your molcajete, and mix with the tejolote (the pestle). Your guacamole should not be perfectly smooth; you still want some texture with chunks of fresh guacamole.
Taste, and add more salt or lime as needed.

Charred Tomato Salsa

Step 1

Place the vegetables over a grill grate, and grill until blackened in spots. I love the flavor that a charcoal grill imparts, though gas works too.
If you are unable to grill, set the tomatoes in a foil-lined sheet pan, and broil until blackened in spots. Place the remaining vegetables in a dry cast-iron skillet, and char.

Step 2

Allow the vegetables to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin from the garlic, and the stems from the jalapeños.

Step 3

Blend the vegetables using a blender or food processor, and pulse to desired consistency (do not use high speeds, especially on powerful blenders, like a Vitamix—you will grind the seeds of the tomatoes and the jalapeños, leading to an unpleasant bitterness and undesired color).

Step 4

If your salsa is too watery, you can transfer to a saucepan and simmer until reduced to your preferred consistency.

Step 5

Transfer to a clean bowl, cool to room temperature, and stir in cilantro. Add lime juice and salt to taste.

Tomatillo Salsa

Step 1

Char the tomatillos, chile, and garlic until blackened in spots. I prefer a charcoal grill, though gas works too.
If you are unable to grill, set the tomatillos in a foil-lined sheet pan, and broil until blackened in spots. Place the chile and garlic in a dry cast-iron skillet, and char.

Step 2

Allow the vegetables to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin from the garlic, and the stem from the chile.

Step 3

Blend the vegetables using a blender or food processor, and pulse to desired consistency (do not use high speeds, especially on powerful blenders, like a Vitamix—you will grind the seeds of the tomatoes and the jalapeños, leading to an unpleasant bitterness and undesired color).