How to Freeze Avocados: 4 Ways
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Today I’m answering the question, “Can you freeze avocados?” Yes, that’s right, believe it or not, you can freeze avocados.
But first, let me tell you. My family has a problem.
An avocado problem.
And it’s real.
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.
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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 Keto 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’dd 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 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
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, cauliflower rice, and more. It’s a fantastic way to take advantage of sales and have food that you love available year-round!
How to Freeze Avocados–4 Ways
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.
If avocados were on sale 3/$1 where you live, how many would YOU buy?
The ice cube idea is so dope! thanks.. currently out of season here in SA and I want to make sure I’m stocked up next time this year..
You are so welcome! Yes I sadly just missed a sale this week :(.
I done this plenty of times. You put food in plastic storage bag, then close it up leaving about 1 inch “air hole” then immerse the bag in water to the zip loc area to let water push air out of air hole (water is more dense then air, maybe a little science project with kids). Close that air hole, vola! Yeah. Straw might work but you don’t want to do that with meats.
Thank you!!!
How long can they stay in the freezer?
Looks like with a Food Saver you can keep them in there for 2-3 years. Deep freeze is better than an upright.
They are on sale right now here for 10/$1
No way – where do you live??? We’re all headed your way (or at least I am!!)
They are at the Dutchman store in Cantril, Iowa. I get an email of their ad every week.
Nice! Wish we lived close enough to take advantage of that!
Right!! 10/$1 do they ship lol!!
How come you don’t mention freezing them in freezer safe canning jars? I am using my canning jars to freeze so many things and it works great! I am going to use some 1/2 pint jars and puree it with lemon and see how it goes. No plastic for me 🙂
Thanks for all your info!
Hi there – great tip! Thanks! Just added it to the post :).
I cut avocado in half and freeze them in vacuum seal bags. the important part is when you take them out of the freezer thaw them in hot water fast in the sealed bag. them go to them every 10 minutes and work them until the bag is thawed. mix in your guacamole and set in air tight container and enjoy.. been doing this for about 2 years. you can’t just thaw them out slowly because they will turn black.
You wanted to know about food savers. I am one of those people that just love kitchen appliances and have just about every kind out there. In my opinion, there isn’t a better appliance you can purchase. I’m on my 3rd one already. I have used them for many years. I cannot imagine life without one. Mine sits on my kitchen counter and is never put away. I use some cheese ? and immediately foodsave the pkg again. I have never had mouldy cheese. My deep freeze is full of foodsaved items. No freezer burn ever. I can’t say enough good things about this appliance. You can probably tell, I highly recommend this appliance.
That is great! I do like to avoid plastic so that is one of my concerns, but sounds like it’s a good option for sure!
I absolutely love my food saver! I buy whole tenerloins of beef or pork; slice them up into single serving portions, then seal and freeze. You can save a couple of dollars per pound that way. In the summertime, I prep produce from my garden or local farms, seal, then freeze. I also use the vaccuum seal cannisters for my bulk flours and sugars. The bags may seem a bit pricey, but when you have eaten “fresh” corn on the cob in the dead of winter, you will be happy for the privelege! The bags are available at COSTCO at a lower cost, too!
I was raised in a family of 4. So when I got married cooking for 2 was out of the question. Enter my first Seal A Meal. Had kids bought a freezer. Seal A Meal has been my best buddy for 40 years. Love this thing and if you buy meat in bulk it is a must in your kitchen. Don’t stop at meats it’s great for veggies.
On sale? I have a tree in my backyard! Thanks for the tips.
Jealous!!! Coming over asap to pick some :).
I have a Foodsaver Gamesaver. We don’t use it for wild animals and we don’t butcher. But it’s large and comes in handy for sauces, soups, casseroles etc., anything that may need a larger bag. That is going to come handy when I use it for the avocados. It also enables you to stop the vacuum whenever you want to so it doesn’t smash it too much.
Thank you for your directions. I had no idea it was possible.
Sounds great!!!
I’ve used strws , for ears, to take any air out of my plastic bags, used for freezing. I truly works. thanks for all your tips. !!
Don’t they go brown when you thaw them out or should you only use them in smoothies?
They will if you don’t use them quickly if you don’t use lemon juice on top.
Thanks. It’s exactly my problem. So cheap cos they’re in. season now.
Glad this helped!
I started using a vaccum sealer for peaches to make baby food for my little. He wasnt old enough for food during peach season, but didnt want to have to buy them during the off season. I love it! I will be using it for carrots, cauliflower, squash, potatoes, and green beans from my garden! Plus anything else I can freeze for baby food. I reccomend it!!! I got a nutrichef one. It is very budget friendly and works great! I do buy the food saver brand of rolls because they seem to keep seal the best! I hope this helps!
Helpful – thanks!! I just don’t like more plastic and wonder how much I will really like it but thank you!
Foodsaver bags are washable and reusable. So you’re recycling!
Good point!!
So I am assuming the avocados need to ripe? I have 3 large that are hard at the moment.
Yes.
Thank you for responding. I seldom get a response to my questions. I will be following you! ??
That was supposed to be two smiley faces not two question marks.
So sweet- thank you again! I have a new community on FB — we’d love to have you! https://www.facebook.com/groups/171490083677560/
Awww – thanks! Sorry it was so short. I’m under a huge pile here. 🙂
Just decided to google whether you can freeze avocados after reading a recipe for banana milkshakes made with a whole frozen banana, a cup of almond milk, half of an avocado and a tsp of vanilla and discovered your wonderful article. Thanks for sharing your research. I stuck around and read all the posts about food savers and learned even more – bonus! Thanks to all who contributed. 🙂
🙂 – so great!!
there’s environmental and health problems from the overconsumption of avocados you and your readers should be aware of: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/why-you-should-stop-eating-avocados-immediately-mexico-environmental-damage-chemicals-a7397001.html
Ugh – how terrible. I found a more recent article in Vogue that was not pleasant to read at all. Do you just not eat them? I wish this kind of thing would just stop but I guess as long as there is evil in the world…and that’s not going away anytime soon….
Get the FoodSaver (or another vacuum sealer – Sorbent Systems has some that are less expensive and some that don’t require the channel lock bags). I have had my original FoodSaver for nearly 20 years and still use it all the time. I buy all my meat in quantity on sale and then portion it appropriately for my family and vacuum seal it before freezing. Same with anything that recommends storing in the freezer. Definitely worth the investment over the long run.
I use the straw method and it always works like a charm.
oxygen is what makes avocados go bad
cut fresh chunks of avocados drop them into liquid nitrogen
or freeze them with bought carbon dioxide slab
make sure freezer is set coldest minus 40 deg
unfreeze in temped lemonade juice at what ever time date in the future