Freezing Avocados: Here's What You Should Know

If you don't pop open an avocado within a few days of it ripening, then you could be in for an unhappy surprise when you finally do, because there is nothing sadder than a gross, squishy, browning, too-ripe avocado. Aside from pounding down as much guacamole and avocado toast as you can before they get to that point, how can you make your freshly-purchased avocados last longer? 

Thankfully, it's fairly easy to freeze avocados, and there is more than one way to do so. This is an excellent way to hold on to all those extra avocados you got during that last incredible sale, too. 

While you don't want to chuck whole, uncut avocados into your freezer and call it a day, you can freeze avocado halves. It requires a bit of prep work, though, and you'll need some lemon juice on hand. First, slice your avocado in half and remove the peel as well as the pit (via California Avocado). Brush each half with lemon juice, and then tightly wrap them in plastic wrap — the kind that clings. Don't leave any air, either, and this includes the spot where the pit originally was. The wrap must completely cover this hollowed-out area.

Once your halves are wrapped, you can place them into a large freezer-safe zippered bag. Remove all the extra air, zip it shut, and place your avocados into your freezer. When you're ready for an avocado somewhere down the road, remove it, let it thaw, and prepare it. 

If you'd rather mash your avocados now to save time later, you can totally freeze them mashed, too. Prepare your avocado as you normally would, removing the skin and pit, and place it in a bowl. You can then mash them with some lemon juice, scoop the mush into a freezer-safe bag, remove all of the extra air, and place it into your freezer. You can portion them out how you'll use them, so keep that in mind as you bag everything up.

Avocados can last up to six months in the freezer, but it should be noted that frozen avo works better for things like smoothies, as defrosted avocado tends to suffer a bit in the texture department.