How Do You Stop Guac From Browning?

If youre watching the big game, guacamole is non-negotiable, and homemade is always best. But how do you prevent the dreaded brown guacamoleand how does packaged guac stay bright green?

If youve ever cut open an avocado, you know its only a matter of time before it starts to turn brown. Even your homemade guac will discolor after a while. Why is that? Oxidation. In the same way sun exposure ages our skin, oxygen is the enemy of fruit that doesnt want to brown.

Specifically, avocados and other fruits have an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase. When it consorts with oxygen, brown pigments form in the green flesh. Hence, when you leave out freshly made guacamole or a cut-up avocado, it turns brown pretty quickly. But packaged guacamole always seems to be bright green upon purchase, despite having sat on the shelf for countless days. Whats up with that?

Tricks of the Trade

Manufacturers have to make sure theres no oxygen present in their packaging if they want the product to stay green, says Ardy Haerizadeh, the CEO of guacamole manufacturer Yucatan Foods. They can do this by vacuuming the oxygen from packages, having plastic film in contact with the top of the guacamole, or filling the headspace of tubs with nitrogen gas.

The polyphenol oxidase enzyme is also sensitive to temperature and acid, so manufacturers can maintain the green color of their guacamole by refrigerating the product and by adding citric acid and/or ascorbic acid, says Diane M. Barrett, director of the Center for Fruit & Vegetable Quality at the University of CaliforniaDavis. Acids lower the pH to the point that the enzyme is not that active, explains Barrett, who adds that enzymes are also less active at cold temperatures.

While not a concern with packaged guac (that we know of), it may even be possible that there are no avocados in the mix: read more about mock guacamole.

DIY

Refrigeration, adding lemon or lime juice, and limiting exposure to oxygen can also help keep homemade guacamole from turning brown; the simplest way to keep it looking fresh is just to press a layer of plastic wrap fully onto the surface of the guac before you pop it in the fridge. Chowhounds offer a helpful guacamole timetable for a seven-layer dip. Once its unveiled, just eat fast and it wont have time to oxidizebut if it does, its still good; scrape off the discolored areas and re-seal with plastic wrap before storing any leftovers.

On a related note, if you do buy commercially prepared guacamole, read the ingredients carefully. Haerizadeh says the FDA hasnt created a standard of identity for the dish, so manufacturers can label pretty much anything they want as guacamole, whether its 95 percent avocado, or a guacamole flavor dip that contains less than 2 percent avocado.

As long as you have a ripe (slightly soft to the touch, and if its a Haas avocado, black on the outside) avocado, guacamole is simple to make yourself. Try some of our recipes, from classic to quite alternative.

And you know whats great to wash down all that guacamole? Something a little sour, a little sweet, and a little salty, like a margarita (bet you couldnt see that one coming).

1. Guacamole

Homemade guacamole is as easy as chopping and peeling a few ingredients and then mashing it all up. Here, youll need a tomato, lime juice, chiles, cilantro, scallions, and saltin addition to the avocados, of course. Get our Guacamole recipe.

2. Guacamole Taquero (Tomatillo Guacamole)

This tart-tasting blended version is a mix of avocado, tomatillos, epazote (or you can use cilantro), chiles, garlic, onion, and lime juice. Get our Guacamole Taquero recipe.

3. Bacon and Tomato Guacamole

The only other ingredient that could possibly make guacamole more decadent than it already is with all that creamy goodness, is bacon. Yeah, theres tomato in there too, and thats nice, but you know why youre making this one. Get our Bacon and Tomato Guacamole recipe.

4. Dungeness Crab Guacamole with Endive

Garlic is roasted until its sweet and jalapeos are all blistery-good in this recipe thats quite an indulgent appetizer when youre entertaining guests. Two of everyones favorite flavorscrab and guaccombine for a terrific start to a special meal. Get our Dungeness Crab Guacamole with Endive recipe.

5. Pineapple and Cucumber Guacamole

On the other end of the guac spectrum, theres this sweet, fresh, creamy, crisp (thanks to the cucumber), and acidic version. Diced instead of smashed or blended, its more salsa-like than the others. Get our Pineapple and Cucumber Guacamole recipe.

6. Toasted Almond Guacamole with Apricots

Now heres a guacamole with not one, but two unexpected twists. Celebrated Chef Rick Bayless came up with this nutty, sweet incarnation. Get our Toasted Almond Guacamole with Apricots recipe.

7. Avocado Crema

Not quite guacamole, this blend of avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice (made in a food processor) is nonetheless good anywhere you would use traditional guac, but also works as a sauce. Get our Avocado Crema recipe.

Related Video: Beware Avocado Hand

Original article by Roxanne Webber on May 8, 2009; updated article by Amy Sowder.