You'll Think This Copycat Chipotle Guacamole Came Right from the Restaurant (2024)

Dips
Game Day
Super Bowl
Avocado
Guacamole

If you love Chipotle Mexican Grill's guac, then this recipe is for you.

Marta Rivera

Marta has 25 years of experience in the food service industry and has been developing recipes for 3 years. She is the author of Taste & See Cooks: Recipes to Inspire, Equip and Enjoy.

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Updated May 01, 2024

What’s So Great About Chipotle’s Guacamole?

Uh, everything! Whereas most chain restaurants’ guacamole seems to be squeezed from a plastic bag, or worse yet, scraped from an industrial tub, Chipotle’s guac is full of avocado chunks and speckled with fresh produce.

For me, the selling points of Chipotle’s guacamole have always been the hint of spice from the jalapeños and that shot of lime that hits you in the back of your jaw (in the best way possible, of course). Those are the flavors you won’t taste from a bucket of mass-produced dip.

You'll Think This Copycat Chipotle Guacamole Came Right from the Restaurant (5)

How To Make Copycat Chipotle Guacamole

Most restaurant recipes are easily replicated at home—you just need to have the right recipe in order to replicate it and make it as authentic as possible.

I sacrificed myself for you and gorged on an obscene amount of Chipotle’s guacamole because exhaustive research is important! I even sifted through the original dip to decode all of the ingredients.

The results were in! And they revealed that I didn’t need to exert that much effort. The ingredients were straightforward and easily identifiable: ripe avocados, red onions, fresh garlic, and cilantro leaves, and that vibrant lime juice, of course.

How To Pick the Best Avocados for Guac

The main ingredient in Chipotle’s guacamole is buttery-soft Hass avocado. Many people stress over how to pick the perfect avocado, and I’m here to give you my best tips. Not to brag, but I’ve been referred to as the avocado whisperer.

Picking the perfect avocado is an easy task:

Does the avocado still have its nubby stem? Chances are it’s not brown on the inside. I refer to that nub as the avocado’s lifeline, which keeps it from ripening faster, so always choose an avocado with that woody stub still attached.
Choose an avocado that, when pressed lightly with your thumb, yields to the pressure ever so slightly. If it feels extremely soft, it’s too far gone. If it's rigid and hard, it isn’t ripe. Your avocados are guac-ready (AKA ripe) when you press them and it feels like pressing into a just-ripened yellow banana. Not too hard, but not terribly mushy, either.

How to Ripen AvocadosREAD MORE:

You'll Think This Copycat Chipotle Guacamole Came Right from the Restaurant (6)

How To Keep Guacamole From Turning Brown

You can’t prevent the inevitable. Avocados will brown when exposed to air. It’s just the nature of the beast. Delaying that process is possible, but I believe that the oxidation of avocados motivates us to eat the guacamole quicker, so is that really a bad thing?

To keep your guacamole from turning brown quickly, refrain from making it too far in advance. Once you’ve cut and mashed the avocado, the clock starts ticking. Try to eat your prepared guacamole soon after it's assembled (that shouldn’t be too hard).

If you must store it, though, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the guacamole, then wrap the bowl in more plastic film, or cover it with a lid. This is the best way to prevent your avocado from browning excessively.

Acid from the lime juice in this recipe will also help delay oxidation of the guacamole. But, if you do end up with a layer of guacamole turned brown from the air, just use the edge of your spoon to scrape it off and discard.

Wanna know the best way to slice an avocado? We have a nice refresher here.

You'll Think This Copycat Chipotle Guacamole Came Right from the Restaurant (7)

How Should I Store Guacamole?

Prepared guacamole should be stored in the refrigerator with plastic wrap pressed against the surface of the dip. It will keep for no longer than three days. Any longer, and you’re condemned to scooping up dismally greyish brown guacamole.

Love Guac? Try These Other Recipes!

How to Make the Best Guacamole
Bacon and Blue Cheese Guacamole
Strawberry Guacamole
Avocado Deviled Eggs
Guacamole With Charred Sweet Corn, Bacon and Tomato

Copycat Chipotle Guacamole

Prep Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Servings8 servings

Yield2 cups

Ingredients

4 ripe Hass avocados
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 large jalapeño, optional
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (squeezed from 1 large lime)

To Serve

Tortilla chips, store-bought orhomemade

Method

Make the garlic paste:
Roughly chop the garlic cloves. Once the garlic has been chopped, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over it and crush the salt and garlic together by dragging the flat side of your knife over the mixture. This step should take no more than 1 to 2 minutes.
Mince the vegetables:
Mince the red onion and jalapeño pepper. Cut the pieces of both into cubes smaller than 1/4 inch (for the onion) and 1/8 inch (for the pepper). You should have about 1/4 cup of red onions and 1 tablespoon jalapeños. Discard the jalapeño seeds for a milder dip.
Mix the guacamole:
Slice and scoop out the avocado, then add it to a large bowl. Mash the avocado lightly with a fork, but leave it a little chunky for now. The avocado will become smoother once you mix everything together.
Add the garlic paste, red onion, jalapeño pepper, and cilantro to a large bowl.
Pour the lime juice into the bowl and fold the ingredients together, gently, until everything is mixed. Taste the guacamole and add more salt, to taste.
Cover and store:
If you don’t intend to eat the guacamole right away, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto its surface, and cover the bowl with a lid. Keep the guacamole refrigerated for up to 3 days. The surface of the guacamole might still brown, but just scrape the top off to reveal the bright green guac below!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
82	Calories
3g	Fat
15g	Carbs
1g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	82
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g	4%
Saturated Fat 0g	2%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 82mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 15g	5%
Dietary Fiber 3g	10%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 40mg	198%
Calcium 20mg	2%
Iron 0mg	2%
Potassium 290mg	6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.