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?
Grandma cut them in half and dropped them in a container with vegetable oil, then she froze them. Came out fine.
So she froze them in a container that was full of vegetable oil?
I make handmade soaps and one of my best sellers is the avocado soap. Problem is I could only buy what I needed per batch or risk the, going bad…THIS IS GOLD RIGHT HERE ! Thank you
What a great idea! Glad to have helped!!
I have a food saver and Love it. But if you do not have one. You can force air out of a bag by putting in bowl/sink of water.
THIS is the person you direct your vicious anger towards when flyer/sale items are sold out at the grocery store.
NOT the over-worked clerks in the produce department, innocent cashiers at the checkout or the customer service staff at the courteousy desk trying to help the best they can with their hands tied!
Thank you for your future consideration,
A Grocery Store Colleague
Hi there. I assure you that we have never bought all of the avocados in any store where we have bought them on sale. There are always plenty. If anything we have prevented waste. Thank you for your concern :).
It’s so cute you think that way!
I really do love your website and share it with many friends, however you’re off the mark in your rationale response to my comment. 18 years in the business tells me so.
Your over-the-top description of your enthusiasm and enjoyment of this practice came through as overwhelmingly in your face.
I appreciate you connecting.
– Christina
Hi again. Sorry for the delay. I am confused here though–you are saying that I am overwhelmingly in your face b/c I think it’s great to get a great deal on food? I am not sure what to say about that. I do appreciate the kind words, though–thank you so much.
U could always limit the quantities, right?
I just discovered that Aldis has avocados for 39 cents. However, avocados are $1.50 at my grocery store just around the corner. There are a few other products with drastically lower prices also (such as whole milk).
It sure is beneficial to own a seal a meal machine! The bags are a little pricey but worth the additional cost to buy in bulk! I love using mine for roasted green chili’s , steak and chicken ! Will try freezing the avocado! Thank you for the tips!
You are so welcome!!
The easiest way to freeze avacados are to let them ripen to barely soft to the touch, almost black, still green colored. Then just freeze them whole! Do not cut them. Just freeze whole! No plastic bags or freezer containers. When thawed, they are perfect for cooking, guacamole, truffles or anything except sliced. I have frozen them like this for years! Btw, place them in a place where they cannot fall out of the freezer & whack your toes. Frozen, they are like rocks!
Does this really work? I have a reader or two who said that it doesn’t.
I have used frozen avacados this way for years in guacamole, puddings, frostings & anything mashed. It does not work for slicing or eating like fresh. It only works well for anything mashed.
Wow, that’s cool to know Lynn. I’m going to try this. So nice to avoid all the plastic bags! And one avocado is a good size for many things 🙂
I love my food saver. It comes in handy especially when you buy in bulk. The product lasts a lot longer than squeezing air out of a ziplock for chunky items or meat. Rule of thumb though, freeze meats or anything that retains water first then vacuum seal it.
Oh interesting – thanks!
I was given a Food Saver System and totally thought it would be a useless annoyance. I.WAS.WRONG. When Zaycon was still a thing, we bought meat in bulk and stored in food savers. Really, it has saved us so much money bc its kept our food much better for us. Granted, maybe if we were more organized with using up what we buy quickly it wouldn’t be necessary, but . . . for us its been a big deal. I’ve stored meats, fruits, veggies, broth, soups, etc.
Great to hear!!
We buy the food COOP baskets every two weeks when they come available and avocados were an add on choice. I bought the box and got around 90 avocados for $25 so less than .30 cents apiece.We live in middle america so avocados are rarely below 80 cents apiece. I did split it up with some friends because i just couldn’t do 90 avocados lol. but yes here i am on your blog to find out how to freeze some! thank you!
YAY!