ᐅ How to Store Avocados (Green, Ripe, Peeled) •【 2024 】

The avocado is a tropical fruit whose green skin darkens as it matures. Its pulp becomes soft and creamy when it is ripe, and today, in this article, I will teach how to store avocados step by step.

If the avocado is green, it is ideal to store it at room temperature until it matures, lasting between 4 and 5 days. You can keep the ripe avocado in the fridge for 3 and 4 days or freeze it for 3 and 4 months.

If you want to know how to preserve avocados, you have to continue reading.

How to keep avocado at room temperature

When it is not ripe, the avocado has a smooth shell with an intense and bright green tone, and the fruit is extremely firm, indicating that it is not yet ready to eat.

Therefore, storing it at room temperature is best until it matures. Then, place it inside a non-airtight bag (preferably a paper bag) or in a basket and cover it with a clean towel.

Do not stack or pile the avocados, as the ones below could be crushed by the weight of the others when they ripen. In addition, you should leave them in a place that is preferably dark, dry, and cool.

The green avocado can be at room temperature until it matures, which can take between 4 and 5 days. [1]

You will know it is ripe when the peel acquires a darker tone and is a little softer (when pressed, the fruit should yield a little).

When the avocado ripens, I advise you to pass it to the fridge; otherwise, it will rot in 1 or 2 days.

How to store avocados in the fridge

Once the avocado matures, you can put it in the fridge. However you could also refrigerate it if it is still green, but it will take a long time to mature and, as a result, in this way, acquire a slightly bland flavor.

Step 1: Clean the avocado.

I do not recommend washing the avocado before storing it in the fridge. Still, you can clean it with a dry cloth or absorbent paper. On the contrary, you have to wash the avocado with water before chopping it.

Step 2: Put the avocado inside an airtight container.

Place the avocado in an airtight bag or container.

Step 3: Enter the storage date.

This step only applies if you have decided to store the green avocado in the fridge. So place the date on the bag, stick a label on the container, or write the date on a piece of tape that you have attached to the container.

Step 4: Store the avocado in the refrigerator.

Do not put the ripe avocado near other fruits that emit ethylene gas, such as apples or bananas. This way, the ripe avocado will last refrigerated between 3 and 4 days. [2]

However, suppose the avocado is still green, and you keep it in the refrigerator. In that case, it may be convenient to store it next to a fruit that emits ethylene gas so that it ripens faster.

The green avocado can be in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 weeks approximately.

How to freeze avocado

Can you freeze avocados? Of course, it does, and although you can freeze it whole, I do not recommend it since the bone or seed could alter the taste of the pulp while thawing. However, you can do it in the following way.

Step 1: Wash the avocado.

Whether you freeze the whole or peeled avocado, wash it with water first. Rub its peel well to remove any trace of dirt.

At this point, you can also peel it. Just chop it in half with a sharp knife and remove the bone. If the avocado is ripe, you can easily remove the peel.

If you want to freeze the green avocado (something I do not advise doing) and would like to peel it, using a peeler would be more helpful.

Step 2: Drizzle the avocado with lemon.

The lemon could make the pulp of the avocado not darken as much, so sprinkle the lemon juice on the exposed part of the avocado. If you are freezing the whole avocado, skip this step.

Step 3: Wrap the avocado.

Now cover the avocado with plastic wrapping. Whether it is whole or chopped in half.

Step 4: Put the avocado inside a sturdy bag or container.

Transfer the wrapped avocado to an airtight bag or container which can withstand the freezer. In this way, you protect the avocado from frost burns.

Step 5: Note the storage date.

Write the date on the container or bag, label it with that information, or write it on a piece of tape you put on the container.

Step 6: Store the avocado in the freezer.

The ripe avocado will resist between 3 and 4 months frozen. Still, if the avocado is green, it will remain in the freezer for 4 or 6 months.

To thaw it, leave the avocado at room temperature for 45 to 60 minutes or do it slowly, letting it overnight in the fridge.

Once thawed, you should eat the avocado the same day unless it has been thawed in the fridge, where it will last another day. Avocado cannot be re-frozen.

How to preserve chopped avocado

Store some chopped avocado in the fridge or freezer if you have left some. However, as I already mentioned, when the pulp of the avocado is exposed to the air, it will begin to oxidize.

Although if the avocado pulp oxidizes, it does not necessarily imply that it has spoiled.

However, in these cases, it is best to isolate the pulp of the avocado from oxygen completely, so if you have vacuum sealing equipment, it is best to use it.

Otherwise, you could spray the pulp with lemon so it does not rust, then cover it well with plastic film and put it in an airtight container or bag. If you’re using a bag, remove all the air before sealing.

But if you prepared an avocado puree, you can follow the same guidelines to preserve guacamole: crush the puree well in an airtight container, then cover it with water, creating a layer that will isolate the puree and will not oxidize as quickly.

But if you are going to freeze it, divide the avocado puree into several airtight bowls, freeze them for 4 or 6 hours, and then put them in another larger bag, to avoid burns caused by frostbite.

If you keep the avocado puree or chopped avocado in the fridge, place it in the coldest part, which will keep for 3 or 4 days. And if you keep the chopped avocado or puree in the freezer, it can last 3 or 4 months.

How long does avocado last?

Product	Duration
Green avocado at room temperature	4 – 5 days
Ripe avocado at room temperature	1 – 2 days
Green avocado in the fridge	2 – 3 weeks
Ripe avocado in the fridge	3 – 4 days
Green avocado in the freezer	4 – 6 months
Ripe avocado in the freezer	3 – 4 months
Chilled avocado pulp	3 – 4 days
Frozen avocado pulp	3 – 4 months

How to know if the avocado spoiled?

Suppose you notice that the avocado got some white or black spots or lint. In that case, it is spoiled since it developed mold.

Another sign that tells you that the avocado got terrible is its smell; when it smells bad or rotten, get rid of it. It is also not advisable to eat avocado if it tastes strange.

If the avocado is exceptionally soft and very moist, with the peel too brown, and the pulp is very dark, discard it because it has already rotted.

What is the best way to preserve avocado?

Green avocado is better to keep at room temperature because it can ripen correctly. Although you can freeze and refrigerate it, its flavor will be somewhat tasteless.

An unpeeled ripe avocado is best kept refrigerated, so it will be ready to eat anytime. However, you will only preserve it for a short time.

As for the pulp of the avocado, it is best to freeze it so that oxidation does not affect it much. And if you store it in pureed form, you can prepare delicious guacamole afterward.

If you want to learn how to save some other fruit, remember that here you have hundreds of topics that solve that problem. In addition, I regularly add new information and update previous publications.