The best guacamole is a matter of taste. There’s the old-school (like, pre-16th-century old-school), minimalist guac that’s just coarsely mashed avocados, lime, and salt, which wows with its simplicity and pure avocado flavor. Then there’s chunky guac studded with aromatics, chile, and tomato—although that version opens the door for people to get picky about what doesn’t go in it. Some people are offended by onions. Others think tomatoes are a crime. Are habaneros too spicy for a crowd? Can we dip an entire sandwich in there or will that upset everybody? And god forbid you use cilantro when hosting one of those poor souls who are doomed to taste soap.
Luckily, everyone on the team here at Sporked seemed to agree on what constitutes the best store bought guacamole. We want our guacamole to taste like fresh avocado. It should be earthy, buttery, and deliciously ripe. We also want a lot of flavor, whether it’s from onions, garlic, or lime juice—or even a little bit of heat from chili peppers (our number one guacamole also happens to be the best spicy guacamole we tasted). That flavor has to be balanced, too. It shouldn’t upstage the mighty avocado. The guacamole also has to be well salted. Blandness is a sin. Ideally, we want our guacamole to be chunky, especially if it calls itself chunky. And last but certainly not least, the best guacamole (store bought or not) should be creamy. It shouldn’t be runny (you’d be surprised what some companies try to pass off as guac). Pull up a chair, grab some tortilla chips, and read the Sporked scoop on the best store bought guacamole.
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- Park Street Deli Pineapple Poblano Restaurant-Style Guacamole
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Okay, I will admit that this pineapple-poblano guacamole from Aldi is a little bit weird, but it’s also tasty enough to earn a spot on this list. See, one of the worst things about store bought guacamole is that so many taste so similar, and not in a good way. If you eat a lot of grocery store bought guac (or you happen to be a professional food taste tester who is sampling a dozen very mediocre guacs in a row), this guac is a welcome departure from the norm. It has a very tart, pineapple-forward flavor that somehow still meshes well with the avocado base. It’s a little sweet but still very savory. You can taste the poblanos and they contribute a little heat. My colleague Jordan Myrick said this would be really good on fish tacos and I love that idea. I also love that this guacamole promises pineapple and poblano and really delivers—it gets high marks for that alone! It’s the best guacamole if you’re an adventurous guacamole consumer. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Homeboy Authentic Guacamole
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We love the unique flavor that tomatillos contribute to this guacamole; they add a tangy, sweet, citrusy flavor that is refreshing and bright. It’s the best guac if you’ve been craving something other than the bland, out-of-season red tomatoes you often find in store bought guacamole, which can often be tart and sour. Tomatillos are a little more consistent. While Homeboy doesn’t have a ton of acidity up front, it hits enough on the finish to get by. The flavors are subtle, but that means the avocado shines brighter. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Good & Gather Medium Heat Homestyle Guacamole
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I can’t say Target makes the absolute best store bought guacamole around, but with hunks of jalapeño, serrano peppers, tomatoes, and avocado, this Good & Gather spicy guacamole definitely hits the mark. Their mild version is nothing to write home about, but with this homestyle medium heat, you get an interesting blend of spicy aromatics and actual depth of flavor that masks that all–too-common citric acid aftertaste. The guac itself is creamy, but the ingredients are quite chunky; combined, it’s a nice texture balance. If you don’t feel like making homemade guacamole, this is perfectly suitable for a party! Trust me, I’m a stickler for store bought guac—and the first person to admit that most of it is, unfortunately, not that great. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Herdez Traditional Mild Guacamole
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We like a lot of Herdez products. (In fact, if you’re dubious of all store bought guacamole and want something avocado-y but different, try their avocado salsa.) And their line of guacs is good! The mild version was my favorite. It has a garlicky flavor with a subtle undercurrent of cilantro that’s super pleasant. When my husband makes guacamole, he always adds a lot of garlic, so this reminded me most of homemade (as in, made in my home, specifically). If you see this at the store, give it a shot! It’s the best guacamole we tried in terms of overall flavor. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Ralphs
- Kirkland Chunky Guacamole
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As someone with a natural and completely justified aversion to over-processed store bought guac, I was initially skeptical of these single-serve guacamole containers that come to you in typical Costco bulk (16 mini guacs per box). I expected to taste salty green mush masquerading as guacamole. But holy guacamole, was I wrong. Kirkland’s guacamole is bright and fresh, infused with punchy lime and cilantro that keeps every bite flavorful. It’s a far cry from “chunky,” as advertised, but I don’t even care. The best guacamole I’ve ever had came from a farmer’s market in my college town, and I have to say, this is the closest a store bought guac has ever come to that. Someone pass me a bag of Chicas lime tortilla chips, please. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Costco
- Trader Joe’s Chunky Homestyle Guacamole
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Trader Joe’s makes some of the best store bought guacamole, but this is the best of what they sell. It’s chunky (albeit, not as chunky as our #2). There’s a nice bit of heat and herbaceousness, too. It’s one of the few guacamoles we tasted that really leans into the flavor of cilantro. All in all, it’s creamy, consistent, and has a nice, sharp flavor. We also appreciate this guac for its rough chunks of avocado and appropriate amount of salt. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s
- We Love Guac Fresh Chunky Original
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A lot of the guacamole we tasted purported to be “chunky,” but this is the best chunky guacamole by far. It has a fresh flavor and it doesn’t have the odd citric acid tang that many other brands of guacamole have. And really, this is a chip breaker of a guac. As you dig in, you get big chunks of avocado. I broke several chips trying to consume this. If you want actual avocado in your guacamole and not just smooth avocado puree, this is the best guacamole you can buy. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Good Foods Spicy Chunky Guacamole
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Good Foods Spicy Chunky Guacamole would have made this list simply for being the best spicy guacamole we tried, but it has so much else going for it that it landed in the top spot. The little bit of heat is almost like an added bonus. One thing that makes this the best guacamole: It doesn’t contain tomatoes! Tomatoes can get really bland and mushy when they hang out in a tub of guacamole in a grocery store refrigerator. If you insist on tomatoes in your guacamole, quarter some fresh grape tomatoes and mix them into this flavorful, fresh-tasting guacamole. It’ll be so much better than guacamoles that come pre-tomatoed! —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Best Flavored
Best Secret Ingredient
Best Medium Heat
Best Overall Flavor
Best Value
Best Organic
Best Chunky
Best of the Best
Other guacamole brands we tried: Freshness Guaranteed Chunky Guacamole, Marketside Homestyle Guac, Yucatan Guac, Good Foods Chunky, We Love Guac Original, Signature Cafe Traditional Guacamole, Wholly Guacamole Classic Mild Guacamole, Cabo Fresh Fiesta Squeeze Medium Guacamole, Yucatan Gluten Free Mild Guacamole, Good Foods Chunky Traditional Guacamole, Sabra Singles Classic Guacamole Minicups, Park Street Deli Fresh Guacamole, Dean’s Guacamole Flavored Dip, Hope Foods Green Chile Guacamole, Whole Foods Guacamole, Trader Joe’s Avogadro’s Number Guacamole, Trader Joe’s Organic Chunky Homestyle Guacamole, Hope Foods Spicy Green Chile Guacamole, Trader Joe’s Avocado’s Number Guacamole, Casa Sanchez Real Guacamole, Park St. Deli Restaurant Style Southwest Guac, Park St. Dli Sweet & Spicy, Yo Quiero Guacamole, Yo Quiero Spicy
I haven’t tried these brands yet but if you haven’t tested you all need to try Kirklands Guacamole from Costco. Seriously one of the best guacamole and this is coming from someone who Dr’s every guacamole I get because it’s never right.
Quick question, it’s not a complaint because ultimately it doesn’t really matter, but why are some articles “countdown” style like 5th 4th 3rd etc. and some articles start off with the winner?