Discover the authentic taste of Mexico with this homemade chunky mortar and pestle guacamole made in a molcajete! Try it today and experience the deliciousness of traditional molcajete guacamole that will transport your tastebuds to the heart of Mexico.
What Is A Molcajete?
Before we dive into the recipe, let’s talk about what a molcajete is. A molcajete is a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle made from volcanic stone. It’s used for grinding and mixing spices, herbs and other ingredients. And is especially useful for making guacamole. The rough texture of the molcajete’s surface belps to crush and grind the ingredients, resulting in a perfectly flavored chunky guacamole.
Using a molcajete to make mortar and pestle guacamole is a traditional and authentic method that yields a delicious, chunky texture and simply brings out the best in those avocados.
So, let’s learn how to make molcajete guacamole, just like your favorite Mexican Restaurant does table side.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This classic recipe features perfectly ripe avocados, zesty lime juice, fresh cilantro, and a blend of aromatic spices, all hand-mixed to creamy perfection in a volcanic rock mortar.
- Ripe Avocados
- Cilantro
- Limes
- Onion, Sweet onion, yellow or white onion, or if you like a bolder flavor, use red onion.
- Jalapeno Pepper
- Coarse Kosher Salt: Coarse salt will act as an abrasive, assisting you as you grind with the tejolote, which is the stone pestle.
Step by Step Instructions, It’s Easy
Let’s get started.
- Step 1: Place chopped onion, half of the cilantro, the chopped jalapeno pepper and salt in the molcajete.
- Step 2: Using the pestle, start grinding the mixture into a paste. The salt will draw moisture out of the vegetables and act as an abrasive.
- Step 3:
- Carefully cut the avocados in half, removing the pits and scoop the flesh into the molcajete. Mix well with the paste and add the rest of the cilantro, giving it a rough mash.
- Season to taste with lime juice, extra chile and salt. Garnish with a few totopos (corn chips) and serve. Voila! Mortar and Pestle Guacamole.
FAQ’s
Choose ripe avocados for the best flavor and texture. They should give slightly to the touch but not be mushy.
The best way is to give it a good strong spray with a kitchen faucet spray nozzle. Once free of food, turn the molcajete upside down and let it air dry. If you need additional help, use a good wire brush and water. Do not use soap or soapy water, the soap will get trapped in holes of the molcajete and may impart a soapy taste next time you use it.
You can’t, but you can slow it down. Use Hass Avocados and always add lime to guacamole. If not serving immediately, cover the guacamole with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap so it’s directly on the surface. Keep it cold as warm air is guacamole’s enemy. Limeless, uncovered guacamole at room temperature will turn dark pretty quickly. I’ve never found the avocado pit trick to work at all, aside from annoying guests.
Tips For Succes
- If you prefer a milder guacamole, remove the seeds and veins from the jalapeno before chopping.
- For a smoother texture, use a fork to mash the ingredients before placing them in the molcajete. However, keep in mind that a chunky guacamole texture is traditional for guacamole made in a molcajete.
Serving/Presentation Tip
Serve table side mortar and pestle guacamole with blue corn chips. Blue chips will compliment both the green of the guacamole and the charcoal color of the molcajete.
What to Serve the Guacamole with
Perfect for dipping chips, here are some other serving ideas.
- Use as a topping for tacos or burritos.
- Place a dollop on top of nachos.
- Try it for breakfast, on top of a Scrambled Egg Sandwich.
- Dress up a burger with a dollop of guacamole.
Variations
When I attended a lecture by famous chef Rick Bayless, he spent quite a bit of time talking about guacamole variations and using seasonal produce. Once you’ve got your base of simple guacamole, here are some ingredient ideas to dress things up.
- Diced tomatoes. I like to use Cherub brand small tomatoes. Available year round, they’re a variety of grape tomatoes that are flavorful and have a sturdy structure for easy dicing.
- Top with crumbled Cotija cheese. Cotija cheese is reading found in supermarkets and is a dry, salty Mexican crumbling cheese.
- When making guacamole during the holidays, top with pomegranate seeds to make a red and green color scheme.
- Fine dice some jicama for some cool crunch. Either mix it in to the chunky guacamole or sprinkle on top.
- Add some toasted Pepita seeds, or toasted slivered almonds to the top of guacamole before serving.
- Sprinkle on some bacon bits.
- Add a tropical feel by stirring in some chopped mango to make Mango Guacamole.
- Make it even more “green” by adding some roasted tomatillos to the guacamole mixture and topping with green olives.
In Conclusion
Making guacamole in a molcajete is a fun and traditional way to prepare this delicious Mexican dip. With just a few simple ingredients and a little bit of elbow grease, you can create a flavorful and chunky guacamole that’s perfect for any occasion.
So grab a molcajete and get ready to impress your friends and family with your authentic Mexican guacamole!
This recipe is adapted Masienda, the experts in all thins masa, and any type of equipment you’ll need to make Mexican food in your own kitchen. If you don’t own a molcajete, they’re great product source.
Related Recipes
And if you’re looking for more South of the Border recipes, don’t miss my Mexican Southwest Category. You’ll find lots of spicy inspiration including the most popular on my site for this Southwestern Mexican Casserole made with Ground Beef and Tortillas. It’s a comfort food crowd pleaser.
Chunky Molcajete Guacamole
Equipment
- Molcajete Morter and Pestle
Ingredients
- 3 Large Avocados
- 3 Tablespoons Sweet Onion diced
- 1 Tablespoon Jalapeno Pepper minced, including seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Coarse Kosher salt or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup Cilantro divided, fine chopped
- 1 – 2 Small limes juiced
Instructions
- Begin by grinding a coarse paste of onion, jalapeno pepper, salt and half of the cilantro in a molcajete. The salt will act as an abrasive, assisting you as you grind with the tejolote. (If you like the texture of diced onion, reserve half of the onion to mix in at the end.)
- Carefully cut the avocados in half, removing the pits and scooping the flesh into the molcajete. Mix well with the paste and add the rest of the cilantro, giving it a rough mash.
- Season to taste with lime juice, extra chile pepper and salt. Garnish with a few totopos (chips), chopped cilantro and serve.
Notes
- Choose ripe avocados for the best flavor and texture. They should be slightly soft to the touch but not mushy.
- If you prefer a milder guacamole, remove the seeds and veins from the jalapeno before chopping.
- For a smoother texture, use a fork to mash the ingredients before placing them in the molcajete. However, keep in mind that a chunky guacamole texture is traditional for guacamole made in a molcajete.
Nutrition
(Mortar and Pestle) Molcajete Guacamole … It’s What’s For An Appetizer
We buy this at the local Mexican restaurant so with this recipe, we’ll try making our own.