Taste test of store-bought brands of guacamole

To find out which store-bought brands of guacamole you should serve at your New Year's party—or any gathering, for that matter, including when you're watching NFL or college bowl games—our experts tried eight.

What we found. Sabra costs a bit more than others but tastes fresher and has balanced flavors, with a distinct avocado taste. The rest have one or more slight flaws, including bitterness and a slick texture. Check our guacamole Ratings to get all the details.

All of the tested products received a score of good for nutrition based on calories, fat, sodium, and other nutrients. Two tablespoons have 40 to 60 calories, 4 to 5 grams of fat (mostly the heart-healthy monounsaturated kind), 90 to 150 milligrams of sodium, and 2 grams of fiber. By comparison, salsa has about 8 calories per serving and no fat but more sodium.

Bottom line. Sabra scores a win. We also like the recipe below. Dipping chips? Try Tostitos multigrain, best in our past tests of multigrain chips. They're crispy and tender, with lots of sweet corn flavor.

How to create a homemade dip

Choose ripe avocados or buy them ahead of time and let them ripen. (To speed ripening, put them in a paper bag with an apple.) To keep mashed avocado from turning gray-brown, try adding lime juice, keeping the pits in the dip until serving time, or gently adding a half-inch of cold water to the dip as an oxygen barrier. (Pour it off before serving.)

• 2 ripe avocados, mashed
• juice of ½ lime
• salt to taste
• Add one or more:
• ¼ to ½ tsp: ground cumin, ground coriander, minced garlic, hot sauce, or mashed roasted garlic
• 1 to 2 tbsp: chopped cilantro, chopped parsley, diced jalapeños, diced chipotles in adobo
• ¼ to ⅓ cup: diced tomato, diced onion, salsa, cucumber (peeled, seeded, and chopped), diced red and green peppers, mild chilies

For more food Ratings and reviews, check our Food & Drink Guide.