Should Avocado Be Refrigerated?

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So, you miscalculated at the store and bought more avocados than you should. Now, you are wondering how you can preserve them and use them at a later time. While wondering, your mind goes to refrigeration.

Should avocado be refrigerated?

It turns out that it is pretty easy to preserve avocados, and they can even be refrigerated. However, the suitability of refrigeration for avocados depends on how ripe the avocados are. When unripe, refrigerating an avocado is not advised. But when ripe, one can refrigerate avocados.

Should Avocado Be Refrigerated?

Avocados should only be refrigerated when they are fully ripe. In cold conditions, the ripening process of avocado is slow. So, if you try to refrigerate an unripe avocado, it may not ripen as it should.

Does Avocado Oil Need to Be Refrigerated?

Unlike the fruit, avocado oil does not need to be refrigerated. As long as it is stored under the right conditions, avocado oil should remain stable.

Proper conditions for storing avocado oil include keeping it out of direct sunlight and storing it in a cool place.

Avocado oil will not go rancid readily. It typically stays fresh for an average of 4-6 months after opening. But it can even stay fresh for up to 8 months. It is usually advised that you use avocado oil within this period to get the best freshness.

avocado oil in a cute little bottle with some fresh avocados

Can Cut Avocado Be Refrigerated?

Cut avocados can and should be refrigerated. When avocados are cut, they oxidize quickly. This makes them turn brown, just like cut apples.

Of course, this does not mean they become inedible. But avocados will not be as pleasing to the eyes when they turn brown.

To store cut avocados, sprinkle some lime or lemon juice on the cut surface. Then seal them in plastic wrap before storing them in the refrigerator.

Adding lime or lemon juice is a way to prevent oxidation. Aside from using juice, you could get an avocado keeper. When cut avocados are stored this way, they can last around 3-4 days.

To avoid cutting your avocado when it is unripe, assess its skin and squeeze it gently. When ripe, avocado will yield when slight pressure is applied.

Ripe avocados usually have dark-green or black skin with some bumpiness.

If your cut avocado is not ripe, you can also refrigerate it. Spray lemon or lime juice on the cut surface, then stick the two halves back together. Seal the halves together in plastic wrap, then place in the refrigerator. Monitor the avocado often to see how the ripening process is going.

Can Mashed Avocado Be Refrigerated?

Mashed avocado can be refrigerated, and refrigerating it is pretty easy, too.

Mix the mashed avocado with some lemon or lime juice. This will slow down the browning process. After this, transfer the mashed potato into a plastic wrap or a plastic Ziploc-type bag.

Lay down the plastic wrap, then press on the mashed avocado until it lays evenly. While evening out the avocado, ensure you get as much air as possible out of the bag. When this is done, seal the bag, then place it in the refrigerator.

When refrigerated as described above, mashed avocado can last for around 2-3 days.

If you want your mashed avocado to last longer, you can opt to freeze it instead. When stored in a freezer, mashed avocado can last for 3-6 months.

Can Ripe Avocado Be Refrigerated?

Ripe avocado can be refrigerated. As long as the avocado remains uncut, all you have to do is place it in the refrigerator.

How Long Will a Ripe Avocado Last in the Fridge?

Since cold temperatures delay ripening, ripe avocados stored in refrigerators can remain good for about 1-2 weeks.

Cut avocados stored in the fridge should last around 3-4 days or longer. Mashed avocados stored in the refrigerator can last for up to 2-3 days.

Can Unripe Avocado Be Refrigerated?

Unripe avocados can be refrigerated. But this may not be the best thing to do.

Cooling will slow down ripening. So, unripe avocado may not get ripe quickly or at all in the fridge. In the end, the avocado may even turn bad before it ever ripens at all.

How to Ripen an Avocado

Avocados usually do not become ripe until picked. In fact, most times, what you’ll get in a store is unripe avocado.

The good news is you can speed up the ripening process if you want.

One way to do this is to expose the avocado to sunlight. The energy from the sun can speed up ripening by 1-2 days.

Alternatively, you can place the unripe avocado in a brown paper bag with a fruit that produces ethylene. One such ethylene producing fruit is banana.

Ethylene is a gas responsible for ripening fruits. As the banana produces and releases this gas, the gas gets trapped in the paper bag and speeds up ripening in the avocado.

Final Thoughts

Whether cut or uncut, you should refrigerate ripe avocado if you will not be consuming it immediately. Refrigeration slows the ripening process and prolongs avocado a little longer.

On average, refrigeration can add about 3-5 days to the lifespan of ripe avocados. But if you intend to keep avocados longer, you can freeze them instead.