Ina Garten Shares Her 'Secret' to Perfect Guacamole (That Won't Turn Brown)

Leave it to Ina Garten and her expertise to save you from a kitchen disaster — this time offering up a simple, crowd-pleasing guacamole recipe that you can whip up for those last-minute summer guests.

The Barefoot Contessa host shared her personal guac tips with her 1.2 million Instagram followers Thursday, suggesting plenty of citrus as her key ingredient. But while most recipes have a zip of lime juice, Garten opts for something a little different.

“Can you ever make too much guacamole??” she captioned the video. “My secret is lots of freshly squeezed lemon juice to keep the guacamole bright green. And I always buy the avocados a few days in advance so they’re perfectly ripe when I’m ready to use them.”

Her full beginner recipe adds red onion, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, tomato and Tabasco sauce to round out her personal twist on the dip.

Garten, 69, launched her new Food Network series Cook Like a Pro in May, seeking a more user-friendly approach to food television tutorials.

FROM PEN: Feed Your Friends Butterburgers and Grilled Guacamole on Game Day

“I really wanted to do all those little things I’ve learned professionally over the years that will make people feel like they can cook with confidence,” she previously told PEOPLE. “It’s recipe-based but it’s really much more about the tips, which are woven throughout the episode.”

Want the ultimate dish on the latest celebrity food news, plus exclusive recipes, videos and more? Click here to subscribe to the People Food newsletter. 

Garten’s recipe is pretty classic, but if you’re feeling crazy, try one of our quirky guac concoctions (which we’re still not sorry for).