I made guacamole using Chipotle's recipe and I'll never pay extra for the side again (2024)

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To prepare, I gathered my ingredients and all the tools I needed, according to Brauze.

To keep things consistent with the chef, I used three avocados, one and a half limes, and one-third of a red onion. I grabbed the closest thing I had to a whisk and sharpened a knife as per Brauze's instructions.

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The first step was slicing, peeling, and mashing the avocados.

Brauze takes care to walk home cooks through his process of mashing up the avocados. He says the goal is to get them to a partly mousse-like, partly chunky consistency.

To get there, the chef suggests first using a whisk to break the halves into chunks and then lightly mix in a circular motion.

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Next, Brauze focuses on the aromatics.

He refers to the onion, cilantro, and jalapeño as aromatics seeing as they add the iconic smell to this dish.

Brauze shows his virtual audience how to easily get a fine dice on the onion and jalapeño while offering tips for cutting the cilantro properly (he bends the entire stalk in half and cuts across).

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Then it's time to hit it with some fresh lime juice.

Brauze suggests using half a lime per avocado used. He didn't specify lime or avocado size, though. I used medium-sized limes that were fairly juicy, so I think I ended up using too much. While I loved the flavor it added, my aromatics were swimming in the acidic liquid.

The pro called this process "macerating," which is the marinading of fruits or vegetables. When I visited the restaurant in 2019, staff members told me they use this acidic liquid as a second way to clean off any bacteria on the herbs since it's difficult to wash cilantro.

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Brauze said it's important to fold the aromatics into the avocado rather than mash or mix them.

I salted my avocados and dumped my aromatics in. Then, I used a spatula to carefully scoop bits of guac on top of one another without destroying the integrity of the teeny tiny onion pieces I concentrated so hard on cutting.

Brauze warns that going back in with the whisk will break apart the fresh veggies and herbs, making them less vibrant and tasty. That's definitely not what I wanted to do.

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The final step here was to taste it, and I was impressed with my new guac-making skills.

One thing I learned at Chipotle, which Brauze also emphasized in his video, is that the final tasting step is paramount. Now that's a company policy I can get behind.

Though I believe my limes were probably bigger than Brauze's — because of the extra juice I got a slightly less viscous guac than I'd expect from Chipotle — they provided a really robust flavor.

It was salty and tangy in all the right proportions. The simplicity of this guac makes it humble yet attention-claiming in the same way as that person who's not trying at all but still turns heads at the party.

Brauze's tutorial was also very easy to follow. He walks through his knife technique and, thanks to him, I can now confidently get a small dice on an onion every time.

• Read more:
• Chipotle shared the recipe for its white rice on TikTok so you can re-create its burrito bowl at home
• I tried 6 ways of storing cut avocados and ranked them from worst to best
• I went behind the scenes at Chipotle to find out how all of your favorite menu items are made
• I made KFC fried chicken at home using a copycat recipe, and found it tasted just like the real thing
• This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author(s).