Can You Freeze Avocados?
Updated on March 2, 2023
Avocados are a fruit that requires a lot of guesswork to enjoy in their best condition. This delicious and nutritious treat sometimes has to walk a thin line between being ripe enough to enjoy but not so mature that it loses its ideal texture. Especially if you’ve just acquired a bunch of avocados. Using them all before they go off can be quite a challenge. Thankfully, you can freeze this little green fruit in various forms to enjoy that fresh flavor several months down the road.
You can freeze avocados in a variety of forms. Wait until your avocados are ripe before freezing them. If you freeze them in sliced, halved, or mashed forms, ensure that you spritz your fruit with lemon or lime juice to maintain the green color. Use thawed avocados immediately to prevent browning from occurring.
As with preparing recipes with this delicious fruit, freezing avocados involves many nuanced choices. Read on to learn all the details involving freezing, storing, and thawing your avocados to ensure that you get the most out of every single one.
Do Avocados Freeze Well?
Compared to other fruits, avocados freeze reasonably well as long as the proper precautions are taken. Since avocados have a lot of water inside them, this water will expand during the freezing process, which will disrupt the smooth and creamy texture for which avocados are renowned.
When thawed, your avocados will become more mushy and watery, making them less ideal for fresh applications such as in salads. However, this textural change does not affect their use in guacamole and other pureed applications, which is one of the best ways to use your thawed avocados.
In terms of nutritional content, avocados are rich in healthy fats and fiber. They provide significant copper, potassium, niacin, folate, and vitamins B6, C, E, and K. The freezing process itself will not affect the calorie, fiber, or mineral content of your fruits. Still, it may reduce the levels of vitamin B6 and folate as these are water-soluble vitamins, especially in situations where they have been frozen and stored for long periods.
How Should You Store Avocados In The Freezer?
One of the best aspects of freezing avocados is the multitude of options available to do so. There are four main ways to freeze this little green fruit. Each method is ideal for different applications and lifestyles. Take a look at the options below to see the best way for you.
Freezing Mashed Avocado
Of all the ways to freeze avocados, this is one of the simplest and most beneficial, allowing you to take advantage of the textural change. In most cases, you can store your mashed avocados in the freezer for approximately six months, and this method works great for guacamole, baby foods, or as a spreadable topping. Check out the simple steps below for freezing mashed avocado.
Step 1
Peel the avocado and remove the pit.
Step 2
Use either a fork or a food processor to mash the avocado until it achieves a creamy texture. Ensure that you include a little bit of lemon or lime juice as the acidic nature of these juices will help preserve the green color of the fruit.
Step 3
Separate as much as you need into individual serving sizes, and scoop the mashed fruit in either Ziploc freezer bags with all of the air squeezed out or properly sized freezer-safe containers to fill them to the brim.
Freezing Sliced Avocado Pieces
Frozen avocado slices make for perfect smoothie additions. Grab a handful and toss them in with other fruits or vegetables for a ready-to-go nutritious snack. Take a look at these steps for freezing sliced avocados.
Step 1
Peel the avocado, then slice it in half and remove the pit.
Step 2
Then carefully cut your fruit into either wedges or smaller diced cubes, depending on your preference.
Step 3
Sprinkle some lemon or lime juice onto each piece of the fruit, then lay all of your slices onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place it into the freezer for approximately one hour.
Step 4
Once your frozen pieces of avocado have firmed up, you can transfer the fruit into Ziploc bags, vacuumed sealed bags, or airtight containers; then remove all of the air and seal them tightly.
Freezing Halved Avocados
Avocado halves freeze reasonably well and are convenient for when you know you plan to use the fruit. If you’re not sure what preparation method you will use, you can keep your options open by freezing the avocados in halves. Check out these steps for freezing halved avocados.
Step 1
Cut the avocado in half and peel it. You can leave the pit in or take it out if you prefer.
Step 2
Sprinkle a bit of lemon or lime juice onto each half, and then wrap each half tightly in plastic wrap.
Step 3
Place your halved avocado into a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out all the air, seal tightly, and then place it into the freezer.
Freezing Whole Avocados
Though it may come as a surprise to some, you can also freeze your avocados in their whole form. This method is excellent for those who don’t have a lot of prep time but want to get their fruit into the freezer while it is still ripe. Read on to see the best way to freeze your whole avocados.
Step 1
Wash and dry the entire fruit, then wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap.
Step 2
Place each fruit into a Ziploc bag, remove the air, and seal tightly.
Step 3
Keep your frozen avocados in the freezer for between three and six months to maintain their best level of freshness.
Can You Vacuum Seal And Freeze Avocados?
As you can see above, there are many different ways to freeze and store your avocados. Most of the methods above utilize Ziploc bags to keep the fruit safe in the freezer, but vacuum sealing is an often underutilized option worth discussing.
The trickiest part about freezing avocados is the challenge of maintaining their fresh green color after weeks or months in the freezer. This challenge is why we remove the air from the bags before they go into the freezer. If you happen to own a vacuum sealer, this can be a perfect way of sealing your frozen fruit. Just be aware that vacuum-sealed avocados will only last about the same length of time as they would in Ziploc bags.
How Do You Thaw Frozen Avocados?
So once you’ve successfully frozen your supply of avocados, the question becomes how to use all this frozen fruit before it eventually expires. Fortunately, thawing frozen avocado is a straightforward process, and there is both a quick thaw and a more extended thawing method depending on how quickly you need your fruit.
If you’re not in a rush, you can simply place your bag or container of frozen avocado in the fridge overnight and use it the following day. However, if you find yourself pressed for time, you can put your frozen avocado in a bowl of cold water and let it sit for about thirty minutes to thaw accordingly.
In some cases where you will be using some kind of additional food processing, like smoothies, you can even toss your pieces of frozen avocado directly into the blender or food processor to make this quick snack even faster.
Does Guacamole Freeze Well?
One of the most popular uses for avocados is in the form of guacamole. Like the avocados that are the main ingredient in this delicious snack, guacamole can be frozen, but it will lose its creamy texture upon thawing. Unfortunately, the other common ingredients in guacamole, like onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos, also thaw poorly and will not maintain their consistency either.
Thankfully, the acidic ingredients that go into guacamole mean that it can keep well in the fridge for one or two days as long as you seal it in an air-tight container. While freezing this delicious dippable snack is certainly possible, it is better to keep it fresh or eat it within a day or two to ensure maximum enjoyment.
Generally speaking, you should use your frozen avocado in conjunction with fresh ingredients to offset the loss in texture that the frozen avocado will provide while maintaining the other ingredients’ consistency.
Conclusion
Avocados are renowned for being trendy, tasty, nutritious, and versatile. It is important to remember that avocados are not seasonal fruit and can be purchased fresh year-round. However, if you find yourself in front of a fantastic sale on avocados, it is worth picking up as many as you can since they do freeze reasonably well.
As with most frozen fruits and vegetables, you will achieve the most success with your recipes as long as you keep the textural changes in mind and make recipes accordingly. Don’t be afraid of freezing your fresh fruit; keep the steps we have listed above in mind, and you will have nutritious and delicious snacks ready to go at a moment’s notice.