Should You Freeze Avocado?

Green and fleshy-the Avocado is an interesting and much valuable fruit. Technically, it is a berry with a single large seed in the middle.

In the food world, the Avocado holds significant importance due to its culinary uses. People use the berry in almost every dish, whether it be a salad or a dip.

At times, food fanatics try to fill their every meal with sliced, puréed, or mashed Avocado. Perhaps, it is a large number of benefits or the undeniably scrumptious taste that makes Avocado a favorite ingredient.

Well, Avocado can get a bit tricky as an ingredient, and many get confused cooking with it. Hence, today, I have addressed a common issue of Avocado lovers that is freezing it. Let’s dive in!

How does freezing effects Avocado?

Similar to any other fruit, the Avocados does experience changes in nutritional content, taste, color, and texture upon freezing. Let’s evaluate the changes in detail!

Taste

Freezing Avocados doesn’t change the taste. However, adding vinegar, lime, lemon juice, or other additives might change the taste slightly.

Appearance

Avocados have a smooth and creamy texture. But, after freezing, the water content of the fruit shifts and disrupts its texture.

Once thawed, the fruit will become watery and mushy. Hence, it will look and taste better in smoothies and purees.

Moreover, the Avocados tend to turn brown upon exposure to oxygen. It is a natural and inevitable process.

But when you freeze it, you cut it as well as scoop it. Hence, exposing it more to the oxygen and speeding the process.

Although this browning doesn’t affect the taste, it makes the fruit look unappealing. Thus, while freezing it, people add a bit of lime or lemon juice to preserve its green color. Make sure that you have covered the berry thoroughly before freezing. 

Nutritional Content

Avocados are super nutrient fruits, comprising of a moderate amount of calories, healthy fats, fiber, minerals, and vitamins.

Although the freezing Avocado doesn’t change the nutritional content much, the water-soluble nutrients might get disturbed.

The water-soluble nutrients, such as Vitamin B6 and folate, may reduce their levels.

How to Freeze Avocado?

There are two ways to freeze Avocado, the easy one, and the difficult one. Choose each method depending on your use of Avocado, available time, and resources.

Method # 1 The Easy One

This particular method preserves the Avocado in its whole and raw form. People use this freezing method when they want to add Avocado to cake mixtures or different dishes. However, do know that the berry may not be as fresh as the one frozen through the difficult method. 

• Step 1: Cut the Avocado in half.
• Step 2: Wrap each half in a plastic sheet or foil.
• Step 3: Put each half in the freezer.
• Step 4: Once frozen, put the wrapped halves in a resealable plastic bag. Don’t forget to mention the date.

Method # 2 The Difficult One

It is an optional method that you may want to try if you want to use Avocados for dips, sauces, and other similar purposes. Also, it keeps the Avocado fresher.

• Step 1: Choose a ripen Avocado. Unripe berries will ruin the taste.
• Step 2: Wash the Avocado thoroughly with a bowl of water. Ensure that the exterior becomes free of any dirt or debris.
• Step 3: Split the washed Avocado into a half and scoop out the seed using a spoon.
• Step 4: Puree the scooped Avocados. You can do so using a food processor. For every two Avocados, add some lime or lemon juice. As an alternative, you can mash them.
• Step 5: Transfer the mashed or pureed Avocados in an airtight container and label it.

How to use frozen Avocado?

Frozen Avocado may have varying properties, such as mushy texture and taste. So stay prepared to handle the unknown. Hey, I was kidding! 😂

Well, let’s not the Frozen 2 vibes slide into the topic and discuss the way to handle the frozen Avocado.

Firstly, as a general rule, you must let the frozen Avocados stay out for at least an hour so that it settles at room temperature.

However, if there is an urgency, then you can microwave it for a few minutes.

Usually, the thawed or defrosted Avocado gets used in dips, salads, spreads, and smoothies. As it is mushy, you will not be able to use it as the main ingredient for dishes. But, it will taste wonderful in dips and other liquidy mediums.