Avocados are not only delicious when eating it raw, but it can also be used to make guacamole, make salads tastier, and made into ice cream. Therefore, a lot of people will usually buy more than they need. Avocados are one type of fruit that spoils quickly if not properly stored.
So, how long do avocados last? Avocados left at room temperature will last for about 3 to 4 days. In the fridge, they can last up to 10 days. In the freezer, avocados will need to be turned into a puree first, which then they can last up to 6 months.
Avocado Shelf Life
| Room Temperature | Refrigerator | Freezer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole | 4 Days or Until Ripe | 7-10 Days Once Ripe | N/A |
| Cut | 1 Hour | 3-4 Days Once Ripe | N/A |
| Puree | N/A | N/A | 6 Months |
When Does Avocados Ripen?
Before you can eat avocados or use it to prepare a meal, it will need to be ripe first. If not, it will be difficult and even frustrating when trying to peel or spoon the flesh of the unripe avocado.
Most of the time when you’re buying avocados, it will not be ripe yet. Stores stock unripe avocados so they will have a longer shelf life.
Since avocados vary in colors from green and black Hass avocados, the most popular way to tell if the fruit is ripe is to squeeze them. Gently squeeze the avocado in the palm of your hand and it should be soft. If it doesn’t yield to the pressure from your palm, it isn’t ripe yet.
An unripe avocado will take between 3 days to a week to ripen. However, the time it ripens could be shorter or longer depending on how long it’s been sitting on the shelves of the store.
Most people after buying them will leave the avocado in a bowl and set it on top of the countertop and wait for it to ripen.
On the other hand, if you’re like me who can’t wait for it to ripen, you can try another method. To speed up the ripening process, place the avocado in a paper bag and add a couple of apples or bananas. The ethylene from the apple or banana will help the avocados ripen faster.
How Long Do Avocados Last?
Since avocados don’t come with an expiration date on them, some people find it difficult to determine the shelf life. Manufacturers don’t put an expiration date on them due to many factors such as the temperature where it’s stored when it was harvested, and each avocado is different from one another.
To be on the safe side, start counting the date from the day you purchase them. Also, make sure to inspect them first and always buy avocados that are firm. If they feel soft when gently squeezing them, it already ripens and won’t last once you get it home.
If you’re storing them on the countertop, whole unopened avocados should last about 4 days. If it’s during the summer when it’s usually warm, it will be shorter.
To extend their shelf life, put them in the fridge or in the freezer. This will extend their shelf life by another 10 days or so.
Below are more in-depth on how long a whole uncut avocado and fresh-cut avocados last.
How Long Do Uncut Avocados Last?
If you bought avocados that are unripe, you can leave them on the kitchen counter for about 3 to 4 days. After that time, they will start to ripen.
Once they start ripening, you will either have to consume them right away or store them in the fridge or the freezer. Otherwise, they will continue to ripen until they become overripe. When it does, the avocados will turn mushy and become spoiled.
To help extend their life after it ripens, you can refrigerate the whole avocados. It’s recommended to put them in the crisper drawer or the drawer that’s designated for fresh produce. In the fridge, avocados can last up to 5 days.
As for the freezer, you should never freeze whole avocados. They will freeze perfectly fine until you start to thaw them. When it’s thawed, the avocados will be mushy and watery, which will not be consumable.
How Long Do Fresh Cut Avocados Last?
The problem with fresh-cut avocados is the browning of the flesh. Avocados discolor quickly when it’s cut. To help keep the sliced avocado from turning brown, sprinkle some lemon or lime juice on it and wrap each slice tightly in a plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Alternatively, you can place them in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container.
To maximize the shelf life of the avocados, the cut avocados should always be stored in a cool place like the fridge.
However, there are other places which you can store them so they will last longer.
At room temperature, cut avocados will last about a day before it starts browning. To help keep it from browning quickly, you can sprinkle some lemon or lime on it and wrap them tightly in a plastic wrap or put them in an airtight container. This is usually not a good place to store avocados unless you’ll be using it within a couple of hours.
In the fridge, cut avocados will last 3 to 4 days. Make sure after cutting them, place the avocado in a resealable bag or an airtight container. If not, the flesh will start turning brown right away.
Tips: By keeping the pit intact, the avocado will stay fresh longer.
As for the freezer, cut avocados aren’t recommended to be stored there. If you try to store them in the freezer, they will freeze well, but the problem starts when you start to thaw them. When it thaws, you will have a mushy and watery avocado. Instead, they should be turned into a puree and then put them in the freezer.
Best Way To Store Avocados?
There are a couple of places where you can store avocados. However, the location to store them will depend on when and what you’ll be using them.
Freshly bought avocados can be stored on the kitchen countertop. They can last up to 4 days before it starts to ripen. Once they start ripening, you’ll either have to put them in the fridge or make a puree and put them in the freezer. If not, they will continue to ripen until they spoil.
Depending on if it’s cut avocados or whole avocados, the location to store them will affect their shelf life. Below are more in-depth on each of them and the best place to store them.
Storing Fresh Cut Avocados
With avocados that you cut in half or in slices, they only suitable location to store them in the fridge. The flesh of the avocados can spoil quickly if it’s exposed to air. When it’s exposed to air, the flesh starts to turn brown, which is due to oxidation.
If you cut them in half and left them on the countertop at room temperature, they will start turning brown within an hour. If you’re not planning to eat it or use within an hour or so, put them in the fridge.
Before putting them in the fridge, wrap the cut or sliced avocados tightly in a plastic wrapper. Then place them in a resealable bag or an airtight container. This will keep the avocados fresh for about 7 to 10 days.
Storing Whole Avocados
The whole avocados can be left on the countertop for a couple of days before it starts to ripen. After it starts to ripen, you’ll need to put them in the fridge if you want to extend their shelf life by another 7 days or so. Simply place the avocados in a resealable bag or in an airtight container.
As for the freezer, that’s the worse place to store whole avocados. It will freeze well, but when it begins to thaw, you will get a mushy and watery avocado.
If you want to store avocados in the freezer, you’ll need to turn it into puree first and then you can freeze them.
Can You Freeze Avocado?
Avocados can be frozen, but not as a whole fruit. If you try to freeze the whole avocado, they will become mushy and watery when it is thawed. The same goes for chunks and slices of avocados.
This happens when the sharp ice crystals that form during freezing start to slash the fruit’s cells. The flesh of the avocados will burst, leaking water and creating mushiness when it’s defrosted.
If you want to freeze avocados for later uses, they will need to be mashed or pureed. This option will help keep the avocados fresh and lasting 5 to 6 months in the freezer before it starts losing its creamy texture and taste quality.
How To Freeze Avocados?
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the seed.
- Peel the skin off the avocado halves or use a spoon to scoop out the flesh.
- Place the flesh of the avocado in a blender or food processor.
- Add one tablespoon of lemon or lime juice for every two avocados. Alternatively, you can use white vinegar. The juice or vinegar helps prevent the avocados from browning.
- Blend the avocado until it’s uniformly mixed.
- Pour the puree into a freezer-safe container. Make sure to pour enough puree in the container that you need for a single dish.
- Seal the container and label it with the date.
- Place the container of pureed avocados into the freezer.
To that frozen avocado, place the entire container in a bowl of cold water and let it sit at room temperature for a couple of hours. Another option is to let it thaw overnight in the fridge.
For best quality, use the frozen avocado puree within 4 to 5 months.
How To Tell If Avocado Is Spoiled?
When a whole avocado is spoiled, it will be mushy and super soft to the touch. Also, the stem will be dried out or moldy and it will have a rancid smell to it. If you see this, it’s best to throw the avocado away.
However, if it looks good from the outside, you will need to open up the avocado and check the quality of it. Spoiled avocado will have brown flesh and the inside will be watery. If you notice any of this, discard the whole fruit right away.
For cut avocados, you will just need to examine the flesh. If it’s spoiled, the flesh will be brown. If just a section of the flesh is brown, you can cut that part out and use the rest.
For cut avocados that are stored in the fridge, most of the time, only the surface of the flesh will brown. This is due to oxidation in the fridge. If you look at the avocado and the top layer is brown, but the bottom is green flesh, you can discard the top layer that’s brown and eat the rest.
Related Questions
How long does it take for an avocado to ripen?
It can take anywhere from 2 days to a week for avocados to ripen. However, the time for it to ripen can be shorter than 2 days or longer than a week, depending on when it was harvested and stored on the grocery store shelves.
How long does avocado last in a sandwich?
In a sandwich, they will last for about a day. To ensure it can last that long, use onions or brush olive oils on the avocado flesh. Then put the sandwich in a resealable bag or an airtight container. If not, the sandwich will go bad in a couple of hours due to the flesh of the avocados turning brown.
Conclusion
With avocados, you shouldn’t worry about over buying them at the supermarket, farmer’s market, or anywhere that sells them. Remember to always buy unripe avocados at the store so they can last longer. Once you get them home, you can leave them on the countertop or the pantry for up to 4 days. After that, they start to ripen and you can store them in the fridge or the freezer to increase their shelf life.