• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Dehydrating
    • Dehydrating FAQ
    • Best Dehydrators
  • Canning
  • Shop

The Purposeful Pantry

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Dehydrating
  • Canning
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Dehydrating
    • Canning
    • Subscribe
    • Shop
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    The Purposeful Pantry » Food Storage

    Author: Darcy Baldwin • Published: Mar 12, 2019 · Modified: Jun 27, 2022

    How to Preserve Avocado

    Preserving avocados is so easy - that you'll never waste another avocado again!

    Halved avocado with seed on a yellow plate

    You've won the culinary lottery! You've found perfectly ripened avocados, ON SALE!, but you know your luck is short-lived when they all become ripened at once, and you just can't eat them all in time. And, because of their fat content (much like nuts), you can't just throw them in a jar and stick them on a shelf!

    So what are you going to do with those avocados?

    First, let's talk a little bit about avocados.

    How to Tell if an Avocado is Ripe

    A side by side image of removing the stem end of an avocado to help determine ripeness
    • Look at the stem - pull off the stem bud if it's not already gone. If the flesh underneath is still green or a very light brown, you're good! If it's a darker brown, put it back - it's too ripe.
    • Give it a little pressure - there should be some give in the avocado, but not mush. If you want to purchase and allow them to ripen, get ones that are hard and set them out to ripen naturally.
    • Weight is heavy for size - Avocados that are light for their size are too far gone to purchase.

    How to Store Avocados

    • On your counter - avocados are best stored on the countertop, especially when trying to ripen.
    • In a paper bag - if you'd like to hurry the ripening process a little, store your avocados in a brown paper bag
    • In the fridge - once your avocados have hit the ripened stage, it's fine to store them in the fridge to slow down any ripening process. It won't stop, but it will slow it down and give you an extra day or two.
    • Cut, in the fridge - If you've already cut your avocados, you can use plastic wrap to cover or one of the new silicone gadgets to hug avocados.

    How to Preserve Avocados

    The basis of all preservation of avocados is to stop the oxygenation of the surface layer of the fruit. Thus, an acid is needed, usually in the form of lemon or lime (my preferred way), a citrus enhancer (Fruit Fresh), or even white vinegar.

    Texture issue? Your mileage may vary for texture. I do not like eating frozen avocado that has been thawed on its own. It is smashed to add to something else. Whether on avocado toast, as guacamole, in a smoothie, etc.

    One of the easiest, and most common, methods is to freeze avocados. I grew up believing you couldn't freeze avocados, but you can! Let's walk through the steps...

    Freezing Avocados

    In all instances, cut your avocado open, discard the pit, and sprinkle your citrus juice liberally.

    A halved avocado with spoon to remove the flesh over a bowl of avocados

    Preserve Avocado Smashed

    You can choose to do this as just smashed avocado or full-blown guacamole.

    Squeezing lime juice into a stainless steel bowl of mashed avocado to help preserve it
    fresh avocado halved, with lime, and a bag of smashed avocado for the freezer

    This is my favorite way - it just makes everything easier every step of the way.

    1. Cut the avocado in half.
    2. Discard the pit
    3. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon
    4. Smash avocados with a fork, potato masher, or even use your mixer on low
    5. Fill freezer bags with approximately 2 cups worth (4 avocados)
    6. Lay flat in the freezer to freeze
    7. I store multiple quart bags into gallon-sized bag

    Preserve Avocado Whole

    There are those who just toss an avocado into the freezer. Then, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Give it a try!

    a fresh avoado with a freezer bag of avocado halves and a stainless steel straw to show how to remove air manually

    Avocado Halves

    1. Cut the avocado in half
    2. Discard the pit
    3. Sprinkle with juice
    4. Place in a quart-sized freezer bag
    5. Remove as much air as possible with a straw (I happen to use stainless steel straws as part of our reduced waste kitchen)
    6. Double bag for up to a month.

    Alternatively, you can cut it in half, sprinkle it with juice, and wrap it in plastic wrap to freeze. 

    A freezer bag of oxidized and dark avocado halves demonstrating how NOT to freeze avocados

    As a caveat -- using freezer storage bags like this are meant for short-term only. I sacrificed an avocado to the freezer gods (and it hurt so much to do because I love me some avocado!) to show you what happens -- even with lime or lemon juice.

    Zip-top freezer bags are air permeable. They are not airtight. So using them with avocados should be for a month or less. Anything more and you need to use a vacuum sealer.

    Vacuum Sealed Avocado Halves

    1. Cut the avocado in half.
    2. Discard the pit.
    3. Sprinkle with juice.
    4. Place in a vacuum seal bag.
    5. Vacuum seal and label.

    You'll see this vacuum sealing process was with avocados not in their skin. They did get squished in the process, but that's okay!

    A bag of havlved avocados being vacuum sealed with a Foodsaver Vacuum Sealer

    Diced

    I prefer to do this with avocados that are not quite soft. Diced cubes hold up better for me. But it also depends on the kind of avocado you are using, too. You can see in the photo that these were just a wee bit soft, and left smaller schmutz behind (is that a word?) But they froze just fine, didn't they? I use a spatula to pry them up since I didn't use a silicone sheet first. You could use parchment if you wanted, but it really isn't necessary.

    chunks of avocado on a stainless steel cookie sheet being prepared to be flash frozen
    1. Cut the avocado in half.
    2. Discard the pit
    3. Slice the avocado pieces in thirds in both directions
    4. Use a spoon to scoop onto a tray
    5. Sprinkle liberally with juice
    6. Flash freeze in your freezer
    7. Bag and remove as much air as possible

    Preserve Avocado by Pickling

    Pickled avocados may be an acquired taste for some, but it is a great process for preserving your fruit!

    Preserve Avocado by Freeze Drying

    If you've got a freezer dryer, put that puppy to work and freeze-dry those avocados.

    Avocado Fries

    You can create this dish and flash freeze before baking.

    Can you dehydrate Avocados?

    Generally, avocados are on the do not dehydrate list because of their fat content and because they are not shelf-stable once dehydrated.

    However, many a person has tried - and results vary for the results as far as snacks are concerned.

    Ways to use smashed avocado

    • Guacamole
    • Baby Food
    • Frosting
    • Pancakes
    • Pudding
    • Ice Cream

    End Results!

    So, do you think you'll try this now that you CAN freeze avocados to preserve them? And with the extra methods I gave you, there's no reason why you should let your avocados just ripen to the point of being unusable if you can't eat them quickly enough! Preserve them!!!!!!!!!!

    Which is your favorite method to use - or which will you be excited to try?

    avocados in plastic storage bags - halved, chunked and creamed.

    Check out more in the Preserving Series:

    • Green zucchini whole and sliced as a means of preserving zucchini
      25 Ways to Preserve Zucchini
    • Cherries in a basket with a jar of cherry preserves with a red polka dot fabric cover
      Ways to Preserve Cherries
    • Top view of a jar of deep amber vegetable broth on a bed of fresh vegetables
      How to Make Vegetable Stock and Preserve It
    • radish bunch on a wooden background
      4 Ways to Preserve Radishes

    More Food Storage Tips & Ideas

    • Meals in a jar of instant beef and vegetable soup; one with rice, one with pasta, one with couscous.
      Instant Beef & Vegetable Soup in a Jar
    • A serving dish of peanut butter powder with a spoon and
      30 Uses of Peanut Butter Powder
    • 3 meal in a jar mixes
      Best Meals in a Jar Recipes
    • Watermelon sliced, halfed, and served on blue dinnerware
      25+ Uses for Watermelon

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. grace says

      February 05, 2022 at 9:35 am

      well done Darcy! i love (aargh hate) that the ziplocks are not air tight... (great visual by the way!) we freeze chopped avocados with a bit of lemon, laid flat. when it's time to make guacamole, 1/2 the work is done! ps we just add some salsa to the defrosted chunks, and we're good to go.

      Reply
      • Darcy Baldwin says

        February 16, 2022 at 2:11 pm

        sounds great!

        Reply
    2. Darci says

      June 07, 2019 at 1:31 am

      Hello, how do you defrost them?

      Reply
      • Darcy says

        June 07, 2019 at 7:31 am

        I just throw them into the fridge in their packaging until they've thawed, then use as normal. It won't be great as sliced, but making a mash or guacamole, etc. works great!

        Reply
        • Darci says

          June 07, 2019 at 5:50 pm

          Awesome, looking forward to using them in cooking and mash! Thanks, fellow Darcy/i! 😀

          Reply
    3. Tessa Zundel says

      May 21, 2019 at 11:11 pm

      I had no idea you could freeze avocados!! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Darcy says

        May 22, 2019 at 6:26 am

        Just be sure to make them air tight!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Darcy Baldwin of The Purposeful Pantry.

    Howdy! I'm Darcy! I've spent twenty years learning how to stretch our budget and stock our family's pantry by dehydrating food. You can do it, too!

    Learn how I can help you →

    You can get my new book, Dehydrating Basics & Journal to help you get started on your dehydrating journey!

    Dehydrating Basics & Journal for Beginners and Beyond front cover
    • YouTube
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram

    Most Popular

    • 3 meal in a jar mixes
      Best Meals in a Jar Recipes
    • Fruits and vegetables in a suitcase for a post on how to dehydrate produce
      200 Best Dehydrating Recipes for Fruits and Vegetables
    • Zucchini on grass
      8 Ways to Dehydrate Zucchini
    • White eggs in a paper carton on a blue wooden surface
      9 Ways to Preserve Eggs (Safely)

    Summer Preserving

    • Plate of seasoned dehydrated zucchini chips
      DIY Zucchini Chips
    • Seasoned dried tomato chips spilling from a mason jar, fresh vine ripe tomatoes on red striped towel in background.
      How to Make Dehydrated Tomato Chips
    • Bell peppers with pepper powder and dried pepper bits
      How to Dehydrate Bell Peppers & DIY 'Paprika'
    • English cucumber sliced, a jar of cucumber powder, and dehydrated cucumbers on a wooden serving tray
      Dehydrate English Cucumbers + Cucumber Powder

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright
    • Accessibility Policy
    • How We Give Back

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for a free 5-Day Beginnering Dehydrator Course!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Youtube
    • Facebook

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 The Purposeful Pantry by Purposeful Media, LLC. |