Guacamole is hands-down the best culinary invention coming out of Mexico.
This original plant-based dip is traditionally made by mashing ripe avocados and sea salt with a molcajete and tejolote; two traditional Mexican tools used for grinding various foods.
Most guacamole recipes are vegan, including store-bought guacamole. However, certain recipes and brands of guacamole may contain milk or egg products.
If you’re planning to do a homemade guacamole recipe, you will be glad to know that guacamole is an original vegan recipe, but always do your due diligence, particularly if you go for store-bought guacamole.
Traditional Guacamole is Vegan
Fortunately, traditional guacamole recipes make use of plant-based ingredients, and that should be the same for traditional store-bought guacamoles.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, the ingredients used for guacamole are:
- Avocados
- Lime juice
- Onion and garlic
- Salt
- Tomatoes
- Cilantro
- Oils
- Distilled vinegar
- Jalapenos
Recipe websites that claim to have authentic Mexican guacamole recipes seem to also rely on ingredients such as the ones above.
Potential Non-Vegan Ingredients in Guacamole
As mentioned, not all guacamole recipes are traditional.
In fact, culinary is an art, so you’re bound to see some innovation, even if that means using non-vegan ingredients to add more flavor.
Some non-traditional recipes often make us of a non-vegan ingredient called sour cream.
Sour Cream
Sour cream is a dairy product obtained by fermenting cream with lactic acid bacteria. This fermenting process, or bacterial culture, sours and thickens the cream.
Based on the several recipes I found, the sour cream is used to keep the guacamole from turning brown over time. In addition, It also adds some consistency to the guacamole.
As far as commercially sold guacamoles go, I have not found one that uses sour cream, but various online recipes use it.
Whey Protein Concentrate
Another ingredient I have found in commercially-sold guacamole was whey protein concentrate.
This is the cheapest and most common form of whey protein and is a byproduct of cheese production. According to Science Direct, including whey protein concentrate in foods (like guacamole) contributes to important functional properties such as solubility, foaming, gelation, emulsification, elasticity, viscosity, and more.
In fact, most of the guacamoles I found to contain less than 2% of whey protein concentrate, which explains why it may be for functional purposes.
Questionable Ingredients in Guacamole
Some of the commercially sold guacamoles also contain ingredients that stricter vegans may not be willing to consume, despite being plant-based.
For example, a questionable ingredient present in store-bought guacamoles is refined sugar.
Why is refined sugar a questionable ingredient?
Typically, sugar can be obtained from two sources: sugarcanes and beets.
They both taste the same, have a similar texture, and are used in similar amounts in the United States. Yet, their refining processes are very different.
While beet sugar is extracted with a diffuser and mixed with additives to crystallize, cane sugar is often processed, filtered, or bleached using bone char.
What is bone char?
Bone char, also known as natural carbon, is used by the sugar industry as a decolorizing filter, proving cane sugar with its white, immaculate color.
However, bone char is obtained by heating the bones of cattle at high temperatures. When fully carbonized, the bones resemble regular charcoal, which is then converted into powder.
Keep in mind that not all companies use bone char
Indeed, not all companies rely on bone char to filter sugar.
In fact, some companies use what’s called granular carbon or sometimes an ion-exchange system. These filters also achieve the same result as bone char.
But while that is true, no distinction is made on product labels, so the only way of knowing which type of sugar is actually being used on a product is by contacting the company.
Though, to be honest, if most companies are like Oreos or Ghirardelli, then what you will find is that the sugar is sourced from different suppliers. This means that you have suppliers that use bone char, and others that do not.
Therefore, if you’re not making your guacamole at home, and you absolutely despise sugar refined with bone char, make sure you contact the company before purchasing.
Commercially Available Vegan Guacamole
Knowing that most traditional guacamole is vegan, allow us to share with you a few commercially available guacamole products that are vegan-friendly.
Yucatan Mild Guacamole
The Yucatan Guacamole contains the following ingredients:
- Hass Avocado
- Salt
- Sugar
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ascorbic Acid (added to maintain freshness)
- Xanthan Gum
- Citric Acid (added to maintain freshness)
While it contains sugar (a questionable ingredient), the ingredients are all vegan-friendly, so Yucatan is a variety of guacamole you can eat.
You should be able to find this product in a Walmart near you.
Sabra Guacamole with Lime
The Sabra Guacamole with Lime contains the following ingredients:
- Hass Avocado
- Onion
- Tomato
- Jalapeno Pepper
- Salt
- Garlic
- Lime Juice
- Concentrate
- Dehydrated Onion
- Cilantro
- Ascorbic Acid (to maintain freshness)
- Citric Acid
- And Lime Oil.
Unlike the Yukatan Guacamole, this one does not contain sugar, so the likelihood of having anything refined with bone char is non-existent.
Also, you should be able to find this product in a Walmart near you.
Freshness Guaranteed Guacamole
The Freshness Guaranteed Guacamole contains the following ingredients:
- Hass Avocado
- Tomatillo
- Dehydrated Onion
- Sea Salt
- Jalapeno Pepper
- Dehydrated Garlic
- Garlic
- Dehydrated Cilantro
- Dehydrated Jalapeno Pepper
- And Cilantro Essential Oil.
Again, this is a product that does not contain animal ingredients, nor any questionable ingredients, so it should be fine for you to purchase.
Like the previous products, this one can also be found in Walmart.
Sabra Classic Guacamole
The Sabra Classic Guacamole contains the following ingredients:
- Hass Avocado
- Onion
- Tomato
- Jalapeno Pepper
- Salt
- Garlic
- Lime Juice Concentrate
- Dehydrated Onion
- Cilantro
- And Ascorbic Acid (to maintain freshness).
Good Foods Tableside Chunky Guacamole
The Good Foods Tableside Guacamole contains the following ingredients:
- Hass Avocado
- Tomatoes (tomatoes, tomato juice, salt)
- Red Onions
- Onions