If you love avocados and/or you want to put together the most raved-about party dip table among your friends and family, you need to know how to make guacamole. It sounds simple: You just mash together avocado, lime juice, cilantro, tomatoes, and onions, and serve it alongside some salty, crispy tortilla chips. That may make a delicious guacamole, but for a truly noteworthy dip, there are a few other crucial elements to consider. It all starts with knowing how to choose a perfectly ripe avocado at the grocery store and ends with decisions having to do with texture and, just as important as the guacamole itself, the ingredients you’re going to serve with it for dipping–hint: there’s a whole world beyond tortilla chips! 

We spoke with an avocado expert and a restaurant chef to learn the tips and tricks of making guacamole. Their recommendations will ensure you make a truly tasty bowl each time.

Miguel Gonzalez, owner and founder of Davocadoguy, knows a thing or two about picking a perfectly ripe avocado. He notes that finding a gem can be surprisingly tricky, given external factors like handling, storage temperatures, and seasonality—they all affect ripeness before the fruit reaches your local store. But there are three major things to look at when buying Haas avocados, which he notes are the most common variety in the United States. 

Our experts shared these tips for making top-notch guac:

If there’s one word to describe good guacamole, it’s “fresh.” Matt Post, the owner of Tex-Mex restaurant Javelina, says the biggest non-negotiable is a ripe avocado. “It doesn’t matter what other ingredients you have; if it isn’t a great avocado, you aren’t going to make a great guacamole.” The same is true for the other standard guacamole ingredients: lime juice, chiles, and cilantro. Always use fresh (never bottled) lime juice and avoid dried herbs and chiles. There are so few ingredients in guacamole, so you should start with really good ones. 

There are basically three possible textures you can achieve when making guacamole–chunky, smooth, and somewhere in between.

A chunky texture is Post's preference. “That allows the avocado to really shine instead of getting mashed up into a paste.” To make chunky guacamole, either dice the avocado with a knife or pass it through the holes of a wire rack or spider strainer—these two tools are especially nice if you’re making a lot of dip.

For a smooth texture—like you’d see at a taco truck—give the avocado a quick pulse in the blender or food processor. 

For a guacamole slightly smoother than chunky but not as smooth as smooth, simply mash the fruit with a fork before stirring in the other ingredients.

When we say seasoning, the first thing you probably think of is salt and/or pepper, but did you know that you can season dishes with other ingredients, too? In this case, we season with both salt and acid (in the form of lime juice). The best way to make sure you're guacamole is a crowd pleaser is to season as you go, much like you would do when making something like soup. 

Avocados are so fatty, that they can handle quite a bit of heat. We mentioned this above but it's worth repeating, use fresh chiles. We like to use jalapeños, serranos, or Fresnos, but choose a chile based on your heat tolerance. And, if needed, remove the ribs and seeds before mincing—that's where most of the extreme heat is contained. 

While we admire guacamole purists, we also know it is fun to switch things up, even if it’s just adding another ingredient or two. Here are some of our favorite ways to change up classic guacamole.

Tortilla chips are not the only option; in fact, we say they're just the beginning. These are a few of our go-to alternatives: 

• These are a favorite dipper because they hold together so well. That means you can load each bite up with as much guacamole as is socially acceptable.

The last thing anyone wants is guacamole that doesn’t look fresh and vibrant. “To keep guacamole looking fresh and green, lime juice is your best friend,” says Gonzalez. The citric acid helps slow down oxidation, the process that turns avocado flesh brown. Refrigeration also plays a big role. He recommends pressing a layer of plastic directly onto the surface of the guacamole once it’s made, then sealing and refrigerating it. This helps keep air from reaching the surface of the dip.