How to Freeze Avocados: 4 Ways
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Yes, you can freeze avocados—and it’s a great way to save money when they’re on sale or prevent them from going bad too quickly. While the texture changes after thawing, frozen avocados work really well in smoothies, dips, and dressings.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably had a few avocados sit on the counter just a little too long…and suddenly they’re overripe. I’ve definitely been there—especially when I stock up during a good sale.
So I started figuring out how to freeze avocados properly, and it turns out there are a few different ways to do it depending on how you want to use them later.
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.
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 stock up.
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, and that includes avocados.
Why I Had to Freeze Avocados
Recently there was a 3/$1 sale on avocadoes, and I started wondering how I could store avocados without them spoiling.
I mean, if you buy a lot of avocados, you can eat them plain, with salt, dip carrots into them (with a little salt on top), make this Zingy Avocado Dressing, these Chocolate Avocado Truffles (serious yum), these Chocolate Mint Grasshopper Bars, and this AIP Guacamole.
But there's a limit to how many avos you can eat before they turn to mush.
Problem is, that some of the information out there about freezing avocados is wrong.
I am instead going to share some great methods for freezing avocados.
And to make things even better, I've rounded up 4 different ways to freeze avocados, depending on the time you have and how you're going 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 delicious Strawberry Avocado Smoothie.
Ways to Store
- Zipper Freezer Bags
Some frugal folk have recommended 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 your thoughts on this as well! - Store in Jars
If you'd prefer to not freeze in bags due to concerns about plastic, storing in these jars is a good alternative. - Water instead of Lemon Juice
You can try water instead of lemon or lime juice, but the antioxidants in the citrus juice works better.
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 depend 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 diced 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
How to Freeze Avocados–4 Ways
Ingredients
- avocados
- lemon juice/lime juice pptional but recommended for best color
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. 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. Silicone ice cube trays work best.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
- Either freeze the guacamole in a plastic freezer bag or in ice cube trays. Silicone ice cube trays work the best for easy removal. Guacamole without tomatoes works best.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!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 an estimate only. It may vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and preparation methods. Optional ingredients are not included. Net carbs are typically calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) from total carbohydrates. This information should not be relied upon for medical or nutritional purposes.
If avocados were on sale 3/$1 where you live, how many would YOU buy?
I apologize for the typo…should have been “as well as accessories”. They have from the most basic Food Savers to ones that will seal jars, plastic containers (bowls), and zip lock type packaging for lunch meat and cheese. That is the one I have and I use it regularly. I shop at Costco and separate and freeze meat/ poultry etc. for use at a later date. The bags also come in a variety of lengths and widths and you cut to what you need with a built in zip cutter on the machine. I recommend taking a look at their website.
The Food Savers are AMAZING!! DEFINITELY a must have in my kitchen. Tons a varieties available add week as accessories.
Thank you!!!
Thanks, Tracy! What did you mean by “tons a varieties available add week”….you mean each week–they really get new things each week?
Hi, this may be a silly question but does the lemon juice affect the flavor of the avocado?
Not a silly question–you are just using a little so it really shouldn’t. You could try just water if you like. Some said in the comments that it works but I haven’t tried it.
Thank you! I’ve just really gotten into avacodos and you know what… I like them lol. I’m thinking water should be okay too because I’ve stored potatoes in water and viola they don’t turn brown at all!! Thanks again for the tips and recipes ?
I think someone commented about that very thing…how great! Join the avo-lovers club–welcome!
You commented about the food saver system and whether it was worth it. I think so. Mine stays on the counter and is used almost daily. Left over wine- pop in the saver “cork” seal, left overs can be kept longer or frozen for later. I have an assortment of their containers plus bags and love it.
I have a vaccum sealer and this is the best investment ever. I can keep cheese it what seems like forever in the frigde. All my meats goes throught this process. you can also freeze all fruits on a pan and then vaccum seal them . I buy nuts in bulk and vaccum seal all of them as well. I have to do some spaghetti sauce and I will try to just seal them and once frozen I will process to vaccum and seal them again. I have left raw meat vaccumed sealed in the frigde for about a week and it’s like I just bought it.
This baby sits on my counter and I use it on a daily basis.
Food Savers are the way to go. I never put the store packaging meats in the freezer as is, I use the food saver, eliminates freezer burn, thus, lowers my grocery bill. Avocados do not last very long around here, so, I will try the freezer method. I have found that if you leave the seed in 1/2 of the avocado you can use the food saver to eliminate the air and doesn’t smash the avocado…well very little anyway.
Thanks so much!!
Yes! You should definitely get a Food Saver! They will keep your food fresh for 2-3 times longer!
So tell me what you use yours for, please! I’m still on the fence :).
Our Food Saver sits on our counter because it gets used so much!
No kidding – mostly for freezing, I assume?
I live by myself and I too love Avocados. I buy them by the case (48) store them in the refrigerator while still green. I take out 5 – 7 and place them in a paper bag with an apple or banana and leave them in the bag but not the refrigerator for a few days and check on them. As soon as they are rip enough to eat, I take them out of the bag and place them in the refrigerator again, but a different area and place more rip avocados in the bag with the apple. I eat and enjoy an avocado 2 – 3 times a day and when they are finished, I place the new batch of rip avocados in the refrigerator and continue my pattern. I have not had any problems yet. Zero waste but I don’t buy them as frequent as I’d like to. I only buy organic avocados and I’ve seen the price all over the place. Cheapest price being $40 a case and most expensive being $70. I hope this serves someone well.
Nice tips!