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Avocados are one of those fruits that people either love or hate. While their glorious green flesh is an excellent source of healthy fats, they don’t keep very well. They oxidize (turn brown) and go bad very quickly unless you take specific measures to preserve them.
Luckily, there are a few different ways to store avocados so that you can enjoy them for longer than a day or two. Whether you have a single avocado left over from making guacamole or need to stock up on a few for your weekly snack, consider these tricks for preserving avocados so that you can have them whenever the craving strikes.
How to preserve avocados: What You’ll Need
- Ripe Avocados – The key to preserving any type of fruit is to use the ripest fruit possible.
- Cutting board – You’ll want to slice the fruit open easily and efficiently, but make sure your cutting board is clean.
- Knife – When cutting open the avocados and slicing them, you’ll also need a knife.
- Bowl – You’ll want to store each avocado in a different bowl.
- Bowl lids – The bowl lids are a great way to keep your avocados fresh and covered.
- Bags – We’ll talk about storing avocados in bags below.
- Freezer paper – Freezer paper is a great way to store avocados in the freezer.
- Vacuum sealer – You’ll want to use a vacuum sealer to seal frozen avocado slices.
Canning avocados
If you have a glut of avocados and want to eat them throughout the year, canning avocados is the best preservation method. To can avocados, slice them open and remove the pit.
Place them in a jar and add enough lemon or lime juice to cover them.
You can also add sugar or honey to the jar to help preserve them.
Seal the jar and process in a hot water bath canner for 30 minutes. Once they’re canned, they’ll keep for up to a year.
These canned avocados make an excellent addition to salads and sandwiches, or you can use them as a garnish for soups and other main dishes.
They’re also a good way to add healthy fats to baked goods such as quick breads and muffins. Simply mash or slice the avocados and add them to your recipe.
You can also puree the avocados and use them as a salad dressing.
Vacuum Sealing Method
If you’re planning on eating your avocados within a month or so, vacuum sealing them is a quick and easy preservation method.
Once you’ve sliced the avocados, place them in a bag and add as much air as possible before sealing.
Make sure the avocados are not touching one another. Once the bag is sealed, put it in the fridge. These avocados will keep for about a month.
For longer term storage, you can vacuum seal the avocados and then freeze them. Vacuum seal them first, making sure there is as little air in the bag as possible.
Once the avocados are frozen, remove them from the bag and store them in freezer-safe containers or bags. Frozen avocados will keep for up to a year.
Wrapping the Avocados in Lime Juice
If you don’t have time to can your avocados or vacuum seal them, you can still preserve them by wrapping them in lime juice.
This method is great for preserving a single avocado that you don’t plan on eating right away.
To do this, cut open the avocado and remove the pit. Place the avocado flesh in a bowl, and squeeze the juice from one lime over it.
Make sure the lime juice covers the avocado. Put the avocado in a bag and store it in the fridge. It will keep for about 5 days.
When you’re ready to eat the avocado, simply remove it from the bag and scrape the lime juice off the avocado. You can use the avocado as you would any other avocado.
Freeze Alone to preserve avocados
Avocados don’t freeze very well when cooked or added to other foods. If you’re looking to freeze them in an uncooked form, freeze them alone. Simply slice the avocados open and remove the pit. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Make sure the avocado slices do not touch each other. Freeze the avocado slices for about 4 hours, or until completely frozen. Once frozen, remove the avocado slices from the baking sheet and store them in a freezer-safe bag or container.
These avocados will keep for several months, but they should be used within about 6 months for the best flavor and texture. To defrost the avocados, place them in the fridge overnight or for a few hours. You can then mash them and use them in recipes as you would fresh avocados.
Freeze Together
If you have a bunch of ripe avocados and want to stock up on them, you can freeze large quantities of avocados together. First, you’ll want to select the ripest avocados you can find.
Select avocados that are dark in color and have soft spots on the skin. You can freeze avocados whole or sliced. If you’re freezing whole avocados, make sure they’re not too ripe. You don’t want them to be overripe and mushy when you thaw them out.
Place the avocados in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure the avocados do not touch each other.
Place them in the freezer for about 6 hours, or until frozen solid. Once frozen, place the avocados in freezer-safe bags or containers. They’ll keep for up to a year this way.
Conclusion
If you’re a fan of avocados, you know how quickly they go from perfect to spoiled. Luckily, there are a few different ways you can preserve them so that you can enjoy them year-round. Whether you can, vacuum seal, or freeze them, you’ll be able to enjoy avocados all year long.
