The One Ingredient I Never Add To Guacamole (No Matter What!)
I’ve eaten a lot of guacamole in my life. I’ve had some that was amazing, and some that was truly awful — and everything in between. You know what ingredient has never shown up in my favorite batches of guacamole? Tomatoes.
Look, if you want tomatoes in your guacamole, I’m not going to stop you — but you’ll never catch me adding them to mine. While tomatoes are a commonly added ingredient, I think guacamole really only needs ripe avocados, salt, onions, jalapeños, and cilantro. Sometimes people make pico de gallo and fold that in instead, but it’s just not for me!
And here’s the thing: I’m not averse to non-traditional add-ins or a new spin on guacamole! I’ve had it with peas, and I kind of love a chopped celery crunch. I’m open! Just not open to tomatoes. Maybe I’m a hater, but I have my reasons.
Why I Don’t Like Tomatoes in My Guacamole
- They dilute the avocado flavor. Unless it’s a peak-season tomato (more on that later), chopped tomatoes aren’t adding much in the way of flavor. In fact, they’re getting in the way of the concentrated avocado flavor I’m trying to cultivate. All the other ingredients feel like supporting flavors, but tomato is competing to be the star.
- They ruin the creamy consistency. Unlike avocados, tomatoes are very high in water content. That means the second they get mixed into the seasoned guacamole, they’re going to start leaching water. One of the best things about guacamole is the creamy, dreamy texture. Why would I want to add something that is going to take away from that?
- They don’t taste very good out of season. Listen, I’m trying to eat guacamole year-round. While I do love tomatoes, they only taste delicious raw for a small portion of the year. If it’s not peak summer, I’m just not trying to highlight an off-season Roma tomato.
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