How To Keep Your Avocados Fresh For 6 Months (Yes, Really) (2024)

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How To Keep Your Avocados Fresh For 6 Months (Yes, Really) (1)

Author:

June 21, 2016

How To Keep Your Avocados Fresh For 6 Months (Yes, Really) (2)

By Emi Boscamp

mbg Contributor

Emi Boscamp is the former News Editor at mindbodygreen. She received a BA in English and minors in Spanish and Art History from Cornell University.

How To Keep Your Avocados Fresh For 6 Months (Yes, Really) (3)

Illustration by Chloe Bulpin / mbg creative

June 21, 2016

Avocados never get old. Most of us can eat them in some form—whether in a smoothie, on toast, or atop a taco—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and not get sick of it. But they do, literally, get old. As in, they don't last forever. As many of us search for the best ways to preserve these precious goods, we may have the answer for you.

You can try to fend off the dreaded brown and preserve the green of a cut avocado by storing it in a shallow pool of water, but if you want to extend its life any longer than just a few days, your best bet for a ripe avocado is the freezer. (For an unripe one, try pickling it!)

Yes, you can freeze an avocado. Did you just become suddenly aware of all the squishy avocados you've unnecessarily thrown out? Yeah, us too. Those things are expensive. But, no longer!

Illustration: Chloe Bulpin / mbg creative

There are two ways you can do it: either halved or puréed. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Wash the avocado, skin still on.
  2. Cut the fruit in half, and peel.
  3. If you decide to halve it, wrap the halves separately (sans pit) in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then put them in a resealable bag and freeze. (Don't forget to label and date the bag!)
  4. If you decide to purée it, either mash the avocado with a fork or in a food processor with a little bit of lime or lemon juice or white vinegar. Then store in a resealable bag or an airtight container and freeze.
  5. Avocado can be kept frozen for up to five or six months. To thaw, leave in the refrigerator 12 to 24 hours before use, or place at room temperature for about an hour, or place into a bowl and run cold water over the bag or container. And you're good to go!

But, as always, there's a little bit of a catch.

Once thawed, the avocado isn't quite as firm as the fresh avocado. It's been through a lot being cooped up in that freezer next to those peas. It's just not the same. So while you're not going to want to snack on slices of it, the once-frozen fruit works perfectly well for making guacamole, dressings, spreads, and ice pops (perhaps with a little lime and tequila?).

And now that you're an expert avocado freezer, you can stock up on avos when they're in season and a little bit cheaper than when they're out of season and being sold for $3 a pop. If you're thinking, How was I not doing this all along? we're right there with you.

How To Keep Your Avocados Fresh For 6 Months (Yes, Really) (2024)

FAQs

How To Keep Your Avocados Fresh For 6 Months (Yes, Really)? ›

It's best to refrigerate an avocado that is ripe or close to it. If you refrigerate an unripe avocado, it will ripen eventually, but the texture and taste may be compromised. If your avocado is ripe, place the whole, uncut avocado in an airtight container or in the produce drawer in the refrigerator.

What's the best way to make avocados last longer? ›

It's best to refrigerate an avocado that is ripe or close to it. If you refrigerate an unripe avocado, it will ripen eventually, but the texture and taste may be compromised. If your avocado is ripe, place the whole, uncut avocado in an airtight container or in the produce drawer in the refrigerator.

How to preserve fresh avocado for months? ›

To freeze an avocado half, remove the pit and skin. Then, sprinkle some lemon or lime juice on the flesh and cover the whole thing tightly in plastic wrap. To minimize the avocado's contact with oxygen even further, place it in a vacuum-sealed bag or an airtight plastic bag.

Can you freeze avocados to make them last longer? ›

If you've ever wondered if it's possible to toss your avocados in the freezer to use later, the answer is yes!

Can you stop avocados from ripening more? ›

Countertop, Fridge or Freezer? Until they're fully ripe, avocados should be stored at room temperature. Placing an unripe avocado in the refrigerator will slow the ripening process, but the same concept applies to ripe avocados: put them in the refrigerator to keep them at their prime ripeness for longer.

How do restaurants keep avocados from turning brown? ›

The main goal is to prevent oxygen from touching the avocado's flesh. Plastic wrap is a practical, albeit not foolproof way to slow down the natural course of fruit aging. The trick is to make sure the plastic wrap is sealed flush with the flesh.

How do you extend the life of a ripe avocado? ›

How do you keep an avocado from going bad? If your avocado is uncut, check it often to see how it's progressing. If it's cut, protect the fruit's surface by adding lemon/lime juice or water on top of it and then cover it in plastic wrap or place it in an air-tight container in the fridge.

How do you keep avocados from expiring? ›

Ripe whole avocados can be refrigerated to extend shelf life. The oxidation process or “browning” that occurs in cut avocados and guacamole can be prevented by lightly coating the exposed flesh with lime or lemon juice and limiting its exposure by covering tightly with clear plastic wrap.

What can I do with excess avocados? ›

Waste Saving Ideas
  1. Guac Avo-Obvi. Served up with salty chips and a refreshing beverage, cool, spicy guacamole is a summertime staple.
  2. Smoothies and Shakes. ...
  3. Hummus. ...
  4. Chocolate Mousse. ...
  5. Baked Goods. ...
  6. Paletas. ...
  7. Salad Dressing. ...
  8. Mayo Replacer.
Jul 31, 2018

Do avocados taste good after being frozen? ›

Because water expands when the avocado freezes, its texture will change. This means frozen and thawed avocados will not be as fresh, flavorful, or buttery as a fresh avocado. That's why we do not recommend freezing avocados — good thing fresh, ripe Avocados From Mexico are always in season!

Is it better to freeze ripe or unripe avocados? ›

Yes, you can freeze avocados! But it's important to make sure they're at peak ripeness before you do. Unripe avocados will probably never ripen if they're frozen. You don't need to jump through any hoops if you're freezing a whole avocado—just put the fruit in the freezer and call it a day.

Why not freeze avocado? ›

Weintraub explains that freezing avocado fundamentally changes its texture, causing it to become softer and somewhat mushy.

How to preserve avocado for months? ›

The cold temperature slows down the ripening process, preventing avocados from going brown. You can even mash or purée your ripe avocado, or prepare it in halves or chunks, and keep it in the freezer for 4-6 months. Add a spot of lemon juice and seal it in an air-tight bag with a vacuum sealer to prevent browning.

Why should you not refrigerate avocados? ›

Avocados. The refrigerator will slow avocados in the ripening process, so unless you're stacked with too many avocados for your weekly use, keep them out at room temperature. The cold temperature also hardens the texture of a ripe avocado, which might not be ideal for some when it comes to mealtime.

How to store uncut avocados? ›

The method seemed simple enough: You're supposed to submerge whole avocados in cool water in an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. Leave the container there until you're ready to use.

Does putting avocados in water in the fridge keep them fresh longer? ›

A recent TikTok trend had us all believing this problem was solved. All you do is submerge the cut avocado in a sealed container full of water in the fridge for a perfectly green avocado days later. But, after further investigation, we can't recommend it.

Does lemon juice make avocado last longer? ›

Acidulants, such as citric and ascorbic acid found in lemon juice, help lower the pH of avocados and decrease the enzymatic activity, keeping them from turning brown ( 1 , 3 ). Therefore, squeezing a little lemon juice on top of your cut avocado before storing it could help delay browning.

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