How to Store Avocados: 3 Methods for Preserving Avocados

Fresh avocados have a shorter shelf life than many other fruits and veggies, so you should store them in a manner that maximizes their lifespan. Keeping avocados fresh can mean refrigerating or freezing them before usage to slow down the ripening process, not cutting them open until you’re ready to serve them, or only buying ripe avocados from the grocery store when you’re ready to eat them quickly. Proper avocado storage not only helps prevent these fruits from going bad, but it also gives you more control over their ripeness in general and allows you to serve them at your own pace.

An avocado’s ripeness will inform how you should store it and when you consume it. Here are three ways to detect whether your avocado is ripe or unripe:

1. 1. Squeeze them. Ripe avocados will feel a tad softer to the touch when you use your hand to squeeze them. If they feel mushy—like you’re squeezing a bag of guacamole or ice cream—they’re overripe.
2. 2. Check the texture. The outsides of whole avocados are a key indicator of the fruit’s ripeness. Unripe avocados are smoother, whereas ripe avocados are generally rougher.
3. 3. Look at the color. With avocados, a darker exterior indicates a riper interior. Dark green avocados, verging on black, will be the ripest.

Once you cut open an avocado, the exposed flesh of the avocado will immediately begin the oxidation process (turning brown due to oxygen exposure—sometimes within as little as two days). These brown spots on avocado flesh don’t mean they’re going bad immediately, but you’ll still need to store sliced avocados even faster than usual.

Place sliced avocados in the refrigerator or freezer immediately. Opt for a plastic bag or wrap for storage, since paper bags release ethylene gas that will accelerate oxidation and ripening. A little lemon or lime juice placed on the avocado flesh can also arrest the oxidation process a bit. Here are three ways you can preserve avocados, ordered from short-term storage to long-term storage.

• On the countertop: If you’re planning on serving ripe avocados within the next day or so, storing them on your countertop at room temperature is fine. If they’re unripe, you can do the same. Just wait a few days so they ripen before you serve them.
• In the refrigerator: Refrigerate your avocados if you don’t plan to use them for the next few days. Avoid cutting them if you haven’t yet, as you can just store them as is in your refrigerator if their interior isn’t exposed. If you have cut them, store them in an airtight container or inside plastic wrap. Leave the avocado pit in to slow down the oxidation—or browning—process in at least one half of an avocado. Treat with a tablespoon of lemon juice or lime juice for additional protection.
• In the freezer: Freeze your avocados immediately if you don’t plan to use them for quite some time. You can store frozen avocados for up to half a year. Defrost by placing them in the refrigerator overnight when you’re ready to serve them.

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