Guacamole is a beloved dip, but how do you take your recipe and transform it from "meh" to unforgettable?
Insider spoke with five celebrity chefs (and researched three more) to find out their different takes on how to make homemade guacamole taste like it came straight out of a restaurant kitchen.
Keep scrolling for some guacamole tips and secrets from your favorite celebrity chefs.
Rick Bayless suggests using seasonal "extra" ingredients to make your guacamole unique.
"Top Chef Masters" winner Rick Bayless prefers unique, seasonal spins on the classic recipe.
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"There are countless directions to take guacamole, but for me it's all about the seasons," the "Top Chef Masters" winner told Insider. "Strawberries and habanero in the spring, roasted poblano and corn in the summer, apple and fennel in the fall, and, in the winter, something rich and luxurious like brown butter with porcini mushrooms and crab."
Tim Love uses lemon juice instead of lime juice.
"Iron Chef America" winner Tim Love switches up his citrus.
Tim Love via Instagram
"The key to great guacamole, other than the avocados, is to use lemon juice — not lime — unlike what almost every recipe uses," "Iron Chef America" winner Tim Love said. "And just a little bit of Spanish olive oil makes the guacamole so creamy!"
Katie Lee's recipe uses asparagus.
Want to make your guacamole a little lighter? Try Food Network star Katie Lee's recipe.
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Food Network star Katie Lee's recipe for "Lightened-up Guacamole" calls for more asparagus puree than avocado, turning your favorite tasty dip into a lower-fat appetizer.
Marc Murphy said you should keep it simple and make sure your avocados are ripe.
"Chopped" judge and New York's Landmarc restaurant owner Marc Murphy doesn't believe in changing the classic recipe too much.
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"Keep it simple," Chef Murphy, a "Chopped" judge, said. "Ripe avocados make all the difference, and some citrus juice adds that extra pop needed for a perfect guacamole."
Ken Oringer suggests adding charred red onions.
The James Beard Award-winning chef (Uni, Coppa in Boston) goes for a smokier version of the dip.
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"Guac is even better with charred red onions chopped into it, which adds a nice smoky element," James Beard Award-winning chef Oringer said.
Curtis Stone said you should skip the tomatoes.
Food Network star Chef Stone drops a familiar ingredient from his recipe.
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"Lime juice prevents the guac from going brown," Chef Stone said. "Along with perfectly ripe avocados, add cilantro and a touch of garlic — that's all you need. You can add a quarter teaspoon of cumin to spice it a bit up [....] Tomatoes give guacamole a funny color. I like keeping it bright, so forgo the tomatoes!"
Wolfgang Puck adds several cloves of garlic for extra flavor.
Make your guacamole "California-style" by adding roasted garlic, Puck says.
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Master Chef Wolfgang Puck's recipe for California guacamole calls for one or two entire heads of garlic that will dial up the flavor of your guacamole immensely.
Alex Guarnaschelli suggests rinsing your raw onions to make them less pungent.
"Chopped" judge Alex Guarnaschelli (owner of Butter in New York City) has a few recommendations when it comes to the perfect guac.
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"Chopped" judge Alex Guaranaschelli told People she recommends rinsing raw onions in cold water and thoroughly draining them to dispense with some of that pungent raw onion taste in the final product. She also says that keeping your avocados thoroughly sealed after they're cut will keep them from browning before you're ready to make the dip.
