How to Freeze Avocados

Have you ever wondered if you can freeze avocados? Or seen frozen avocado chunks at Costco and wondered how to use them? Keep reading to find out how to freeze and use avocados. 

It’s Haas avocado season here in California, which means I’ve been picking avocados from our three backyard avocado trees daily. While avocados mature on the tree, they ripen after they are picked. I try to pick about 2 avocados a day to ensure a steady supply for guacamole or avocado toast. 

There are times though, that we end up with too many ripe avocados at once. And as many a meme will tell you, avocados can go from rock hard to overripe seemingly overnight. One very cool solution to this is Apeel technology, which keeps avocados ripe longer (this post isn’t sponsored, though we’ve worked together in the past featuring their caviar limes). 

When you find yourself with more avocados than you can use, whether you picked too many like I did, or stocked up when they were on sale, you may wonder… 

Can you Freeze Avocados? 

The answer to this is yes, avocados absolutely can be frozen. But there are some do’s and don’t to be aware of. 

Step 1: Choosing Avocados 

Start with avocados that have just ripened and are still slightly firm. 

Step 2: Cut and Peel 

 Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, and remove the seed. Then peel the skin away from the halves. You can then freeze in halves, or cut into quarters or chunks. Brushing or squeezing a little lemon juice can help prevent browning. 

Step 3: Freeze #1 

Arrange the avocado pieces on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze just until hardened, about an hour or two. This step will keep the avocado pieces from sticking together in one big clump. 

Step 4: Freeze #2

Transfer the frozen avocado pieces to a gallon-sized freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag. One way to do this is the zip the bag closed, then stick a straw in one corner and suck the air out before quickly sealing the rest of the bag. 

How to Thaw & Use Frozen Avocado

To thaw your frozen avocado, let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. 

The texture of the fruit definitely changes once thawed. It becomes quite a bit softer. Some store-bought frozen avocado chunks are coated in ascorbic acid, which give it a slightly sour taste. Judging by the reviews from places like the Kitchn, Taste of Home, and my own experience, frozen avocado is not worth using when you really want to enjoy avocado on its own. However, there are some good uses for it. 

The best use, in my opinion is a frozen avocado smoothie such as this Chocolate Avocado Smoothie or this Weight Loss Green Smoothie. Adding anywhere from a quarter to a whole frozen avocado to your smoothie will make it rich and creamy. Thawed frozen avocado is also great for baby food and creamy dips like Green Goddess Dressing. It doesn’t work well for things like Avocado Salad or my favorite Avocado Toast, where fresh avocado texture is important. 

If you find yourself with an abundance of tomatoes, be sure to read all about How to Freeze Tomatoes!