I love avocados, and use them in half the dishes I make. They're in season all year round (thanks to growing seasons in the US, Mexico, and Peru). But, I'll find them on sale at specific points of the year. If I find avocados close to $1.50 per pound, I usually buy them in bulk to freeze! So if you're wondering how to preserve or freeze avocados, or what to do with frozen avocado, jump right in.
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🥑 Can you freeze avocados?
Yes, you can freeze avocados! It allows you to store them for long periods of time, while still retaining the majority of their nutrition and flavor.
There are three different ways to freeze avocados: freeze the whole avocado or avocado halves, freeze avocado chunks or slices or freeze mashed avocado. Each has its own set of benefits and considerations.
- Freezing whole avocados or halves are great when you need a quick solution. They're great to use in smoothies and sauces later on.
- Freezing avocado slices or chunks can make it a bit easier to add them to salads, tacos, sandwiches, and other dishes where you want them as slices. It also makes it easier to measure out the exact amount of avocado needed for your recipe. Additionally, it allows you to enjoy little avocado bits in smoothies and other cold drinks.
- Mashed avocado can last longer in the freezer than whole avocados. It also offers more flexibility for later use because it can be easily incorporated into many different dishes, such as guacamole, sandwiches and smoothies. Additionally, freezing mashed avocado means that you won't have to spend time reducing it to a puree when you are ready to cook with it.
📋 Ingredients and notes
You'll need avocados, fresh lemon juice, some plastic wrap (or beeswax paper) and some airtight containers or bags (and maybe a baking sheet!) You can use lemon or lime juice. I personally like the flavor of fresh lemon juice the best, but lime juice totally works too!
🥑 Freezing whole avocado or avocado halves
Whole avocados can be frozen for up to three months (occasionally, they've lasted me as long as six months). Freezing avocados with the skin on makes it a lot easier to freeze them and I'm all about convenience!
When to freeze whole avocados: I freeze whole avocados or halves when I am crunched for time or can't decide what I'll use the them for later.
- Start by rinsing the avocados (this helps get rid of any dirt on the skin that might transfer inside as you slice them open). Dry them thoroughly.
- If you're storing the whole avocado, wrap each one tightly with a plastic wrap or beeswax paper. Beeswax wrap is a great, reusable alternative and it's really cost-effective too. I personally love using it for freezing or storing produce, or even cheese.
- If you're storing avocado halves, then slice them into halves. No need to remove the seed. Sprinkle a little lemon juice on each half. Then, wrap each piece tightly with plastic wrap or beeswax paper.
- Place each avocado (or half) in a freezer bag (or these stasher bags!) and seal tight by pressing around the avocado to remove air pockets.
🥑 Freezing avocado slices or cubes
Sliced or cubed avocados will stay fresh for up to three months in the freezer.
When to freeze avocados as slices or cubes: I freeze sliced avocados when I want to use them later in sandwiches or tacos. I freeze chunks of avocados primarily for using them in smoothies or making avocado ice cream or mousse.
- Rinse and dry the avocados thoroughly to get rid of any dirt
- Slice the avocado into two halves and remove the pit
- Use a spoon to scoop the avocado flesh out, and then cut them into thin slices or cubes (remove any brown parts!) Alternatively, you can use this 3-in-1 avocado slicer (which is honestly heaven sent and so inexpensive too!)
- You can spritz the avocado slices or chunks with some fresh lemon juice before you flash freeze them, if you wish.
- Next, line a baking sheet with some parchment paper or a silicon mat. Place your avocado slices or cubes on the baking sheet.
- Throw these in the freezer for at least an hour - this is called flash freezing, and will help keep your avocado pieces separate (otherwise, if you throw them all straight into a bag, you just get a glob!)
Once they're individually frozen, you can transfer them to an airtight container or a freezer bag, and store them in the freezer.
🥑 Freezing mashed avocado
Mashed avocados freeze quite well for up to 3 months, but you'll want to make sure you skim the top layer off (since it can sometimes oxidize when frozen).
When to freeze mashed avocados: Mashed up avocados are great to prepare ahead of time, if you know you'll want to make guacamole with it. You can also serve them up on avocado toast.
- Rinse and dry the avocados thoroughly to get rid of any dirt
- Slice the avocado into two halves and remove the pit.
- Use a spoon to scoop the avocado flesh out, and place them in a bowl or a food processor after removing brown parts. You can use a fork for chunky texture or a food processor if you want it smooth.
- Make sure to drizzle a bit of lemon juice as you're mashing. You can totally just add some onions, jalapeños, cilantro and freeze as guacamole.
- Portion into individual sizes in airtight containers. I typically do one avocado per container, so you can also use these Souper cubes (which makes it super easy to portion them!) and then freeze. You'll want to remove as much air as possible before you close up.
- Alternatively, you can also make little avocado balls (e.g., by using a cookie scoop). In this case, first flash freeze the avocado balls by placing them neatly spaced apart on a baking sheet, and then once frozen, you can move them into a freezer-safe bag.
Pro tip to avoid browning: Mashed up avocados tend to brown the most out of the other ways to freeze avocados. If you're storing the avocados in a freezer-safe bag, place a straw in the bag, seal it almost shut, and then suck the air out through the straw before sealing the bag. Alternatively, you can just skim the top layer off before using the frozen mashed avocados.
👩🏽🍳 Top tips and FAQs
Frozen avocados are a great way to stock up on the fruit when they're less expensive. While they lose some of the creamy texture you get from fresh avocados, they're a great way to prevent food waste! You'll be able to further preserve the flavor and texture with these tips.
- Pick the right avocados. You'll want ripe avocados before you freeze them. Otherwise they don't ripen even after thawing.
- Use a brush for the lemon juice or spray it. I like to use a brush (or a spray bottle) to make sure that I coat the slices evenly. This is done to prevent them from browning before you freeze them.
- Using after freezing. I typically move the avocados I want to use from the freezer into the fridge the night before I want to use it. Alternatively, you can place them in a bowl of room temperature water for up to an hour before using.
- Using plastic wrap versus beeswax paper. I typically use beeswax paper for 99% of the things that need plastic wrap and I've found it works quite well in this case too. The key is to make sure you squeeze all the air out before storing!
- Avocados will still brown after thawing! So, once you thaw avocados may become brown as they're exposed to oxygen and air, so use them right away or toss with lemon or lime juice before freezing.
FAQs
You'll be able to tell an avocado is ripe when it's soft and pliable (but not mushy). If it's rock hard, then it needs some more time to ripen.
You can just leave them on the counter or you can place them in a paper bag to make them ripen faster
I store ripe (but uncut) avocados in the crisper drawer in the fridge for a week or two! You can also store cut avocados under water for a few days.
Avocados will smell bad and go super mushy when they go bad. A few brown spots are okay, but rule of thumb - if more than a third is covered with brown spots, toss it. Otherwise, you can cut out the brown spots and freeze the rest!
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
Frozen avocados are typically good for 3 to 6 months. The best way to thaw the avocados is to move them from the freezer into the fridge the night before you intend to use them. Then you're all good to go.
The final texture is not as creamy as the fresh fruit, so I don't like using them in salads or slicing them for avocado toast when it's frozen. However, it's great in smoothies, smashed avocado toast, and makes killer guacamole.
Check out these avocado recipes to use up avocados:
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📖 Recipe
Frozen Avocados
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- First, wash the avocado thoroughly and dry them.
Freezing Whole Avocados or Halves
- If freezing whole avocados, simply wrap the avocado tightly with plastic wrap or beeswax paper and then place in the freezer.
- If freezing avocado halves, slice the avocado into two halves. Brush each cut side with some lemon juice. Then wrap with plastic wrap or beeswax paper and store in the freezer.
Freezing Avocado Slices or Cubes
- If freezing avocado slices or cubes, after you slice them into halves, remove the pits. Then, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of the avocado. Remove any parts that are brown. Then, use a knife to cut them into thin slices or cubes.
- Line a baking sheet with some parchment paper or a silicon mat. Place the avocado slices or cubes, neatly spaced apart from each other, on the baking sheet. Then "flash freeze" the avocado slices for at least an hour. This freezes them as individual pieces (versus placing in a bag straight away which would freeze them into a one massive chunk!)
- After an hour or so, place the frozen chunks into a freezer bag or airtight container, remove all air, then place in freezer.
Freezing Mashed Avocado
- If freezing mashed avocado, after removing the pit and scooping out the flesh, place it into a bowl or the food processor (after removing brown parts). Then use a fork to mash for chunkier texture or a food processor for smoother texture. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice per avocado before the final pulse or mash. Then portion into individual airtight, freezer proof containers, and then store them in the freezer!
Notes
- Use ripe avocados for freezing - otherwise, they won't ripen once thawed.
- Use freezer proof containers or bags.
- To thaw and use, I suggest moving them from the freezer into the fridge the night before you're ready to use them. You could also just place them in a bowl of room temperature water on the counter for an hour before using.
- Avocados do brown even after they've been frozen, so work quick once you want to use them up!
- They're great in guacamole, smoothies, ice cream, mousse, and smashed avocado toast! I don't like using them in salads since the texture is not as firm and creamy!
Nutrition
Note: This post was originally published on May 30, 2021 and updated on March 18, 2023 with better photos, tips and FAQs. Original photos below.
Avocados can be frozen whole, in chunks or slices, as halves, or as mashed avocados.
Does the lemon juice give the avocados an off flavor? I used frozen avocados once in a chocolate pudding, and it tasted awful, I assume because of the lemon juice. A friend gave us a ton of avocados, and I need to figure out how to preserve them.
Hi! Not an off flavor per se, but they do give it a citrusy tang, if that makes sense - I wouldn't recommend using avocados preserved with lemon juice in a dessert for sure! If you're planning to use them in smoothies or in a "mashed" consistency, you can store them whole or as slices and then just blend 🙂