How to Freeze Avocados

Have you ever wondered whether you can freeze avocados? If you’re a hardcore fan of these delicious fruits like me, then you’ve probably found yourself with too many ripe avocados at once when they’re in season or on sale.

If you’re wondering what you can do to avoid wasting them, then freezing them is a good option to keep them longer.

To freeze avocados you have to wash them, cut them in half, remove the pit, and peel them. Then you can either cut them into smaller pieces or purée them before storing them in your freezer.

Even though it sounds easy to do, freezing avocados has its own challenges. Namely, how to prevent browning and how to use them after thawing.

I’ve put together this piece to help you learn everything you need to know about how to freeze avocados, so let’s get started!

Can I Freeze Avocados?

You’re going to find many different opinions on whether avocados can be frozen or not. The truth is that you can freeze avocados, but there are certain dos and don’ts you need to be aware of if you want to achieve decent results.

However, since the water in the fruit expands when frozen, its texture and flavor will certainly change. This means that frozen and thawed avocados won’t be as buttery, fresh, or flavorful as fresh ones.

From personal experience, I recommend that you don’t listen to the horror stories out there and try freezing avocados at least once or twice to form your own opinion and discover whether you like the texture and flavor of frozen and thawed avocados.

Effects of Freezing Avocados

To help you decide whether freezing avocados is the right preservation method for you, I’ve compiled some information on the changes this fruit undergoes during this process.

Texture

As I’ve mentioned before, a frozen-thawed avocado won’t have the signature smooth, and creamy texture of a fresh one.

This is because the fruit’s water expands when frozen, and this disrupts its structure. This phenomenon can also be seen in other frozen fruits and vegetables with high water content, such as watermelon and celery, for example.

So, after being thawed, these foods often become slimy, mushy, and watery. While this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, you can easily fix the unpleasant texture by blending the avocados into a smoothie or puréeing them to make guacamole.

Color

It’s a well-known fact that avocados brown when exposed to oxygen in the air. This frequently happens when you store your avocados halved or puréed in the fridge and expose the flesh to air, and the same happens when freezing.

While browning is a natural process that doesn’t really affect the taste of the food, some people, especially the young ones at home, may find it unappealing.

Thawed avocados can brown faster than fresh ones, which is why it’s so important to prepare and store them correctly.

So, to prevent and reduce browning as much as possible, you can brush a bit of bottled lemon juice or vinegar onto the avocado’s flesh before freezing. You can use fresh lemon juice, but I prefer bottled because it’s usually more acidic.

As regards storage, it’s crucial that you properly seal the fruit. If you don’t protect it, it can experience freezer burn and discoloration.

Flavor

I’ve found that the freezing process itself doesn’t affect the flavor of the avocados significantly, especially if you’re using them to prepare guacamole later.

Do keep in mind that using lemon juice or vinegar to prevent browning, might slightly change the taste of your avocados, but it shouldn’t be noticeable enough to make it unpleasant.

Nutrient Content

Avocados are not only delicious but also quite rich in nutrients. From vitamins B6, C, E, and K, to potassium, folate, niacin and even healthy fats and fiber, these fruits are a great nutrient source that you’d do well to incorporate into your diet.

While there hasn’t been much research done on nutrient loss from freezing avocados, this preservation process tends to affect the levels of water-soluble vitamins such as B6 and folate. However, the calorie, fiber, or mineral content of these fruits shouldn’t be significantly altered.

Nutrients always decline over time, whether it’s in fresh or preserved produce. Thus, the consensus is that nutrient loss from freezing avocados shouldn’t be a significant concern.

Ingredients and Supplies You’re Going to Need

If you’ve decided to give freezing avocados a go, here’s a list of everything you’re going to need:

• 2 avocados
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
• Plastic wrap
• Ziploc freezer bag
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Cookie sheet and parchment paper (optional)
• Fork or food processor (to freeze as purée)

How to Select the Best Avocados for Freezing

It’s important that you choose your avocados carefully if you plan on freezing them. They won’t ripen anymore after being placed in the freezer, so you want to make sure the ones you pick are already ripe.

Grab an avocado and hold it in the palm of your hand. Give it a gentle and even squeeze with your whole hand, and not only with your fingertips. A ripe avocado should give slightly when you press on the outer shell.

Avoid any fruits that have blemishes or bruises, or that are hard as a baseball. The former will be overly ripe, whereas the latter will be unripe.

If you want to help your avocados ripen faster so you can freeze them, place them in a paper bag for a few days. Make sure to check them often to prevent them from going bad.

How to Freeze Ripe Avocados

Once you have your perfectly ripe avocados, it’s time to learn how to freeze them. This is what you should do:

1. Place the avocados on a cutting board, and use a sharp knife to cut them in half lengthwise.
2. Remove the pit, and peel the skin away from the halves. You can freeze the avocados in halves, or cut into quarters or chunks.
3. Brush some lemon juice over the pieces to prevent browning.
4. Lay out the avocado pieces on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.Make sure that none of the pieces are overlapping to prevent them from freezing together into a clump.
5. Freeze for an hour or until hardened.
6. Transfer the frozen avocado pieces to a Ziploc freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag by either squeezing it out, or sucking it out with a straw stuck in one corner. Quickly seal the rest of the bag.

Don’t forget to label and date the bag before storing it in your freezer! You should use them within 4 months.

How to Freeze Avocados for Smoothies

For me, the best way to freeze avocados for smoothies is by puréeing them first. First, you need to wash, peel and pit your fruits. Then, you can mash or purée them by hand or using a food processor, whoever you prefer.

Place the purée in a Ziploc bag and press out as much air as possible. Label, date, and store flat in your freezer for up to a month.

How to Freeze Avocados Whole

While freezing avocados whole is not the most convenient way to preserve them, it can certainly be done. It’s easy and quick, as you need only to follow three simple steps:

1. Wash the fruits under cool water and dry thoroughly. You can use paper or kitchen towels for this, or simply let them air-dry.
2. Wrap each piece separately with plastic wrap, making sure to leave no gaps where air could come in contact with the avocados.
3. Place the wrapped fruits into a Ziploc freezer bag, squeeze the air out of it, and seal tight. While this might sound like overdoing it, it’s a crucial step to prevent browning.

You can keep your avocados in the freezer for 3 to 6 months, but I recommend using them within the first 3 months for optimal freshness and flavor.

How to Freeze Avocados without Turning Brown

We’ve mentioned before that browning is a common issue when freezing avocados, so here are some things you can do to prevent it:

• Make sure your avocados are ripe. Overripe ones are more likely to turn brown while thawing.
• Don’t forget to brush your avocado pieces with lemon juice. If you want, you can get a cheap spray bottle from the dollar store and fill it with lemon juice to easily spray your avocado pieces evenly.
• Make sure to always use Ziploc bags that are properly sealed when storing avocado in the freezer.
• Use your thawed avocado right away, don’t let it exposed to the air for long.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I that frozen avocados?

To that your frozen avocados, simply remove them from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature from about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the pieces.

You should use them immediately after thawing them to prevent browning as much as possible. Keep in mind that thawed avocados can’t be refrozen.

How can I use frozen avocados?

Frozen avocado is best suited for salad dressings, smoothies, and other multi-ingredient dishes like guacamole, dips, and spreads. The seasoning and extra ingredients often help mask the changes the fruit undergoes while freezing.

While you might find it unappealing to eat plain or in salads because of their different texture, it’s perfectly safe to do it.

Conclusion

Freezing avocados is actually very easy, but there are certain things you need to keep in mind to achieve optimal results and prevent browning.

Luckily, I’ve given you all the tips I’ve discovered in my own journey of food preservation so that you can confidently try freezing avocados yourself! All that’s left is for you to try the different techniques and decide whether you like them or not.