How to Freeze Avocados--4 Ways

Posted onMay 11, 2017November 20, 2021 Updated onNovember 20, 2021

Today we're answering the question, "Can you freeze avocados?" Yes, that's right--we're talking about freezing avocados.

But first, let me tell you. My family has a problem.

An avocado problem.

And it's real.

avocado halves with lemon halves for post on freezing avocados

If there was an Avocados Anonymous we'd all be full-fledged members. And we might even be the heads of our local chapter. In fact, I'm sure that we would be.

WE. Love. Avocados.

But I have yet another problem.

My name is Adrienne and I'm a Frugalaholic.

When something is on sale, I feel the need to get as much of it as I can.

I've done this for a long time. My husband and I were the types who loaded all of the loss leaders into our cart and got funny stares from people in the checkout line.

Well, when you buy in bulk and make a lot of homemade healthy food, you need to figure out how to store bulk purchases so that they don't spoil (or invade your living space).

And that includes avocados.

Yes--freezing avocados is a thing.

How and Why I Figured This Out

Whenever there is a serious sale on avocados, I just can't help myself. I mean, WE just can't help ourselves. We have to buy A LOT.

And I don't mean 10 or 15 avocados. I mean a LOT of avocados.

'Cause there have been some serious sales around here, like 3 for $1. I haven't seen it in awhile, but hoping it comes back real soon.

During the most recent 3/$1 sale, I went to work wondering how I could store avocados to keep them long term, so we could feed our avocado habit on the cheap without them all going mush in a quick moment on us.

I wondered, "Can you freeze avocados?" and then went to work searching the internet.

What I found is that yes, freezing avocados is something that seriously works.

So I went to the store.

And bought A LOT of avocados.

And we ate a lot of them.

I mean, we ate them plain, with salt, we dipped carrots into them (with a little salt on top), we made this Zingy Avocado Dressing, these Chocolate Avocado Truffles (serious yum), these Chocolate Mint Grasshopper Bars, and this AIP Guacamole.

But there's a limit of how many avos you can eat quickly.

So we followed the tips about how to freeze avocados and froze the rest.

Problem is, some of the information out there is wrong.

One blogger said that you could freeze them plain, and well, you can, but you won't like the Brown Guacamole Ick results.

I am instead going to share some great methods for freezing avocados so you won't have your family grimacing at you about the weird color of your guacamole :).

And to make things even more handy dandy for you, I've rounded up not only information about freezing avocados, but 4 different ways to freeze avocados, depending on the time you have and how you are going to use them. So now you can have them at the ready for however you'd like to use them.

Please note, that frozen avocados will not lend themselves well to eating thawed on their own or sliced on a sandwich. The texture will be more suitable to things like dressings, dips, etc. (or Chocolate Truffles!).

However, diced or cubed frozen avocados work great in smoothies like this Keto Strawberry Avocado Smoothie.

Avocados sliced in cubes, in a bag, and sliced in half

Ways to Store

Zipper Freezer Bags
Some frugal folk have recommend this alternative to the Food Saver System....putting a straw into a Ziploc bag, then sucking the last bit of air out of the bag before sealing.....I haven't tried it yet so I'd love to hear thoughts on this as well!
Store in Jars
If you would prefer to not freeze in bags due to concerns about plastic, storing in these jars is a good alternative.
Water instead of Lemon Juice
A fan on my Facebook page shared that she heard that water works just as well for keeping avocados from browning. I haven't tried this when freezing avocados yet, and am skeptical, but it might work.

Shelf Life in Freezer

Avocados should keep for 3-6 months in the freezer. They will still be safe to eat after that time, but their flavor might be diminished.

Of course their shelf life in the freezer will be dependent on the method used to freeze, as well as the quality and temperature of your freezer.

How to Defrost

To thaw frozen avocado, place either the halves or bags of dices or avocados in a bowl of cold water or in the fridge. Halves could be thawed on a plate for about 30 minutes and some say that they taste better when eaten a bit on the frozen side.

Other Ways to Preserve Foods

If this post has been a help for you, you might find these to be of help as well:

How to Freeze Bananas
How to Freeze Cucumbers
How to Store Nuts and Seeds
How to Freeze and Store Berries
The Easiest Way to Store Tomatoes
How to Store Prepared Beans
The Best Way to Preserve Herbs
How to Store Leafy Greens

Freeze Drying is great too! We have a freeze dryer from this company and we love it. We've preserved LOTS of guacamole (plain avocados don't freeze dry that well, but some like them that way), bananas, pears, and cauliflower rice and more. It's a fantastic way to take advantage of sales and have food that you love available year round!

collage of avocado halves and different ways to freeze avocados

halved, mashed, and diced avocados for a post about freezing avocados

Ingredients

avocados
lemon juice/lime juice (optional)

Instructions

In Halves

This is the easiest way to go about freezing avocados. Simply cut your avocados in half lengthwise, peel them (either before or after cutting), put them on a plate or tray, spritz each half with some lemon (or lime) juice. You don’t need to douse the avocados, but you do want to make sure that you are pretty much coating them.
A good rule of thumb would be about 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice per each large avocado, or 1 teaspoon for each small one. You can of course use fresh squeezed lemon juice, but I LOVE this Organic Lemon Juice. I get mine in a HUGE double pack at Costco (see, I told you that I'm all about bulk everything!)
Place the avocado halves in a plastic storage bag and press as much of the air as possible. If you really want to get all of the air out, you can use a food saver system. I've had my eye on these and would love to know if you all find them to be a great addition to a frugal kitchen, or just one more gadget that doesn't get used much.

Diced

If you'd rather go an extra step to protect your avocados from browning due to air exposure, you can dice your avocados and toss them with lemon juice. Then place the dices in a Ziploc Bag or use a food saver system to get as much of the air out as possible.
You can then use the dices in any recipes calling for avocados.
I recommend bagging up 2-4 diced avocados at a time and noting how many avocados are in each bag by writing something on a label on the bag, so that you can easily grab some from the freezer and use them in recipes.

Puree

Since you're likely going to be mashing up your frozen avocados, this is another great way to freeze them. If you freeze halves or dices, your final recipe will be chunkier than if you puree them, but pureeing works great for making dressings, sauces, guacamole, truffles :), or putting avocado into smoothies.
Simply toss your avocado into a food processor or blender, squeeze in some lemon juice, and process to desired texture. Then scoop the puree into a plastic storage bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze.
Alternatively, you can store the pureed avocados in ice cube trays. Fill each cavity with some of your lovely and smooth avocado puree, and freeze. I would recommend buying separate ice cube trays for this as they might get a bit discolored.
Place the trays in the freezer until the puree is frozen. Then simply pop the cubes out and place in a plastic storage bag.

Guacamole

If you would like to have guac on the fly (and on the cheap), this is a great way to go.
You can of course use your favorite guacamole recipe, but we LOVE this AIP (autoimmune paleo) Guacamole. It has no nightshades so those who either are on the Autoimmune Paleo Diet (this is a great book about the AIP diet, by the way) or those who are avoiding nightshades can enjoy guacamole without side effects.
Any guacamole recipe will work. I will say, however, that the texture of your guacamole will be better after freezing if you avoid the tomatoes. Even though my Easiest Way to Store Tomatoes is a great option, the results aren't optimal and I think you might not be happy with less than optimal results guac.
You can either freeze the guacamole in a plastic storage bag, or try the ice cube tray method again. This would be particularly handy if you are making Taco Salads (or any kind of salad or meal) in a Jar ahead of time. These jars would be perfect for this!
Oh, and if you're going to make a Taco Salad in a Jar, you will for sure want to use this Easy Delish Homemade Taco Seasoning for it!
Simply toss a cube or two of your frozen guacamole onto the salad the night before. It will be thawed and ready to eat by lunch the next day.

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.

So--if avocados were on sale 3/$1 where you live, how many would YOU buy?