How to Freeze Avocados: 4 Ways
This post may contain affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. Learn more in our disclosure.
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?
Tried this today with my food Saver.
Yay!!
Thanks for the info. Will try this for sure. I happen to love my food saver. I also love to buy on sale. I’ve never had freezer burn due to the food saver.
You are so welcome!
Hi Adrienne;
You asked for comments about Food Saver systems. My Food Saver is used weekly if not more. It does a fantastic job of getting that air out of the bag. Air is the #2 enemy of avocados. I am the #1 enemy of Avocados since I eat them so fast they do not have a chance to go bad.
I use my Food Saver, so that when we do NOT use a whole avocado, (rare but it happens) I save the half with the pit still in it, sprinkle some lime juice on it, and vacuum seal it in a bag. It will stay good for about 5 days that way. Even if I forget the lime juice or am out (another rare occasion) the avocado can still be used for 2-3 days after that.
Also about the Food Saver, since I buy my meats in bulk quantity when the stuff goes on sale, it not only helps save space in the freezer, but it also eliminates freezer burn. You can also use it to vacuum pack rice, beans, and other bulk items, when they go on sale (like you, I am a bulk buyer. My wife gets scared when I say things like “Bulk Sale at “)
Right now avocados are dirt cheap here in Houston, so I guess it is time to go stock up on them
Larry, you win the comment of the day. And I must say that I am seriously sitting here laughing out loud bc I think I found a kindred bulk buying spirit.
and
You may not want to stay tuned because I have some other ways to store foods up my sleeve that will empower you / possibly frighten your wife even more :). Thanks for reading and again for the best comment of the day!
Hi,
Just read your wonderful post on freezing avocados. I live in Spain and have a friend here who lives on a farm with loads of avocado trees. I love avocados, but like you say, also come across the peoblem of them being to hard at first and then ripe all together. So I will for sure look into freezing them.
I was wondering though, do you freeze them when they are still hard, or should they ripen first, or does it not matter?
Thank you, hope to hear from you soon, so I can start freezing! 🙂
Ann.
Hi there! You let them ripen first. I don’t think it would work well the other way. You are so fortunate!!
Such a timely post! I recently started using avocados in meal replacement shakes, and they’re in season, so they’ve been super cheap! I caught a 3/$1 sale at Sprouts this week and bought 12. I already had 2 bags (of 8 each) from Grocery Outlet ($3/bag) in my fridge. Another blogger mentioned that you could freeze them, but I didn’t know there were so many different considerations. Good to know that they can’t stay indefinitely in my fridge even though they’re not ripe. Thanks!
What a great price!! I haven’t had them here for less than $.50 for a long time. Were they large or really small? You are so welcome!
They are small — perfect for one person as a snack, but even half of one is enough for a single smoothie. The large ones are still quite expensive, even on sale. If I really need the large ones, I’d probably get them at Costco.
I understand. The .50 ones we had recently were amazingly full size!
I have a friend who was raised in southern California, with avocados growing in her back yard. After a visit to family down there, she brought home several five gallon buckets of avocados and shared them with her friends, including me. She said to just keep them in the frig until a day (or a few days) before you wanted to use them. They won’t continue to ripen as long as they are kept at frig temps. So, go ahead and freeze some, but if you have room in your frig, they will keep for a LONG time there, too!
They do stay well in the fridge but they will start to spoil in there after awhile. A few days or a day is fine but take care :).
I’ve actually kept them in the frig for a couple of weeks with no problems.
I have kept them in the fridge for awhile. Not sure the longest period of time. So it all depends on how long you want to keep them and how ripe they are when you get them in there. But most people who want to freeze foods want to do so to have them around for longer than a few weeks so that’s when this technique would of course be more beneficial.
I swear by my Food Saver (I call it a suc-u-vac). I use it when I get groceries, freeze avacados, or reseal bags. I use it almost every day.
Laughing about the name—you all are convincing me! I’m actually looking into another long term storage method so stay tuned!
I use my vacuum sealer all the time. It’s great for shopping in bulk at Costco. I’m wondering if using it with the avocado might negate the need for the lemon juice even since it’s all about exposure to the air/oxidation….hmmm
I have thought about that as well–not sure but likely if the seal is good enough.
Hi. Thanks for this!
Do you freeze them ripe? Also, how do you defrost them? In the fridge or at room temp?
P.S. I picked up a vacuum sealer on amazon and I absolutely love it! I’ve started to freeze everything and so much less waste!
Hi there. Yes, you do freeze them ripe–not sure it would work otherwise. I don’t think it matters how you defrost them. Trying out a new method this month so stay tuned :).
You had me at Organic Lemon Juice from Costco.
I’ve been buying it there the last few years. I use it so much, I buy 2 2-packs when I need it.
Love your site – I came for water filtration, learned how to freeze avo’s. Wondering what else is here…. what you have “up your sleeve”. ???
Thank you for all you do
Btw, I found a seal-a-meal at a garage or estate sale a few years ago. Love it. And my Blendtec ? I’ve found amazing things on Craigslist, too.
Thank you for the kind words. Thanks! We love that lemon juice too–what’s your favorite way to use it?
Your comment really means a lot. I’m actually working on a bunch of things right now–personally and professionally. I’m doing a detox which has me not feeling the greatest but some interesting posts coming up–would be interested to hear what you think. You can subscribe here if you’d like: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
I don’t mean to imply that they will be phenomenal but I’ve been learning a ton about air filtration, mold, and some other things and really look forward to sharing them!