This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Harvard chapter.

Look no further, guac doesn’t have to cost you extra! My guac recipe will just basically save your life. As I am sure all of us know, guac is just THE life of any party. So, instead of breaking the bank and paying extra for guac, try this guac recipe and never turn back.

Bennie’s Bangin’ Guac will not only will save you money, but it will also make you feel like an accomplished chef because you can serve your very own guac, that you made from scratch, to your friends and family. Or, as I often do, you can just eat it all yourself. If you aren’t going to serve it immediately, make sure you cover the guac tightly with plastic wrap or in a sealed closed container so that it doesn’t become brown.

The key to this guac recipe is to make sure that you are using very ripe avocados. If you have an under-ripe avocado, it will be hard and inedible. To make sure your avocados are ripe enough, you should look for avocados that are dark green in color and soft to the touch. If you have trouble remembering how to cut specific veggies, like I do, here are how-to videos on how to cut an onion and how to cut an avocado.

Bennie’s Bangin’ Guac

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 5 minutesTotal time: 15 minutesServings:4 servings

Instructions

Use a sharp, flat-blade knife to cut the avocados lengthwise around the seed (don’t worry about this because the knife won’t go through the seed).
There are two ways that you can remove the skin from the avocado. A simple way is to scoop out the flesh (weird word, I know) from the skin with a spoon. Alternatively, you can cut a checkerboard design, making squares in the avocado without piercing the skin, and then push out the flesh by flipping it upside-down and pressing on the skin.
Chop the tomato into small cubes and add to the avocado.
Dice up the red onion into small pieces. I usually use about 3/4 of a cup of the chopped onion, but you can change the amount of onion based on your taste preferences. Feel free to embrace the tears and put on a sappy rom-com or pretend you’re in a music video (yes ok I do that).
Add 1/4 cup of cilantro. To incorporate some zest into the dip, cut the lime in half and squeeze 1/2 of the lime all over the mix, saving the other 1/2 to use later. I just eyeball the amount of salt and pepper that I think seems right, but it’s always better to add less, because if you add too much, there is no turning back.. If you would like to make hot and spicy guac, add 1 jalapeño chopped with the stems and seeds removed. Again, you can alter these amounts to tailor to your flavor preferences.
You can go the old fashioned way and use a mortar and pestle (or spoon and bowl) to mash up and mix the ingredients together, or you can use a blender or food processor. Personally, I prefer finely chopped guac, so I usually do not do it by hand, but rather with a food processor of blender.
Once mixed and plated, squeeze the other 1/2 lime all over the guac to add extra flavor. Serve with tortilla chips, carrots, celery, or pita bread (basically anything) and enjoy!