Freezing Avocados…Whole!

Didja know you can freeze avocados?

I garnered that tidbit many moons ago from Martha Stewart. Avocados have such a high fat content so, like butter, they freeze superbly. Now, she and everyone else on the internet suggest freezing them in bags without the skin or pit – either halved or pureed/smushed like for guacamole. Avocados are a big time grocery store flyer sale item here – when they were on sale last week I did an experiment…could I freeze one whole?

I’ve seen a lot of posts about folks freezing the scooped out halves in ziptop bags, or freezing pureed or smashed avocado in bags which I’ve done in the past myself. But I’ve been trying to cut down on plastic bag use around here and I thought how simple would it be to just plop them whole into the freezer!

The good news is that it worked! After about a week in the freezer, I pulled the avocado out and let it sit on the counter for perhaps an hour – then I lost my patience, couldn’t wait any longer! The outside felt super soft and squishy, I was worried it was a bust. But in fact the avocado was still frozen in the center (making it hard to halve, as evidenced by the avo-massacre photo to the right). My daughter ate half on the spot, scooped out with a baby spoon, with gusto. I had the other half shortly after in a burrito bowl type lunch concoction. It was great!

Now, it would never be mistaken for a fresh avocado. It would make a sub-par guac. But it was simple, convenient, and a great way to stock up on a sale item. So for the purposes of chopped salad, burritos, tacos, and the like I say go for it! Next time avocados are on sale in your neck of the woods give this a try! No baggie needed – just toss the whole ripe glorious fruit in the freezer.

PS: you do know that you can put them in the fridge too, right? If you have an avocado that ripened faster than you anticipated you can refrigerate it until you are ready to consume. Refrigerated avocados come out just as scrumptious as the fresh ones in your fruit bowl.

You know that saying that beer is proof that God loves us? I’m pretty sure avocados fall into that category as well.