Some days choosing the perfect avocado can sometimes lead to disappointment and frustration. Especially when you cut into what you think is a perfectly ripe avocado and discover that the inside has started to brown. Here are some tips that can help you answer the question if your avocado is ripe vs unripe and if it’s bad inside.
From visual cues such as skin color and texture to tactile sensations and even a gentle shake test, we uncover the secrets to confidently selecting avocados at their peak of ripeness. Including one test that never fails!
Whether you’re preparing your favorite guacamole, looking to add some avocado to your salad, or simply enjoying avocado toast, this tips will help to solve the mystery of avocado ripeness and ensure that each bite is creamy and flavorful.
Say goodbye to avocado-related disappointments and hello to enjoying delicious, ripe avocados!
How to tell if an avocado is bad
My luck with having a perfectly ripe avocado seems to be hit or miss. Sometimes they feel soft enough to be ripe but, once cut open, are a brown disgusting mess inside.
The only method I was relying on to test for ripeness was the texture when the avocado was gently squeezed. Not hard but not soft enough to be squishy. Squishy was the only sign that I knew meant the avocado would be bad.
Over the years I’ve picked up a few other methods to use to determine if I have a perfectly ripe avocado. Here are my best tips to help you avoid cutting into bad avocados. These are the best way to avoid overripe fruit and will work with all the varieties of avocados.
Visual changes show an avocado’s ripeness:
Check the color of your avocado: As the avocado ripens the color of the skin will go from a bright green color to a dark green to an almost black skin depending on the variety.
Check the texture: Underripe avocados have skin that is smooth. As they begin to age the skin becomes a bit wrinkled and bumpy. Overripe avocados have skin that easily indents when squeezed.
Check the firmness:
As an avocado begins to ripen the firmness goes from hard to soft to mushy. Give the avocado a gentle squeeze. Don’t squeeze or press hard into the skin. Just a little gentle pressure is all that is needed.
Firm avocados mean they are unripe. If you cut into them now the flesh will be hard and it will be difficult to mash it.
If the avocado is a bit soft (but not mushy) when squeezed then it is most likely ripe.
If you squeeze the avocado and it feels mushy or you easily make indentations on it then it is most likely overripe and possibly starting to go bad.
Check the scent of the avocado:
Unripe avocados don’t seem to have much of a smell. As they ripen they begin to have a light, nutty smell.
As the avocados begin to go bad they will have a sour or strong smell.
Check the stem end:
I was taught another method for testing avocados to see if they are ripe. When I think the avocado is just about ripe (after checking color, texture and scent) I remove the stem cap on top of the avocado and look underneath.
If the little piece of stem is removed and the skin under is brown then the inside will also be brown. See the picture below? Brown under the stem means brown spots on the inside too! Yuck!
–If the stem end is removed and the skin underneath is still a yellow green color then the avocado will be fine. It still may require sitting on the counter for a day or two in order to soften a bit but at least it isn’t already rotten.
–See the picture above? This means a perfectly delicious, not brown and gross, avocado is on the inside. Yay!
Best tips for avocados:
Freezing: Once you’ve got yourself ripe avocados they can be sliced and used right away. If you find yourself with more avocados than you can use while they are fresh then the extra avocado can be frozen in an airtight container. For tips on freezing avocado chunks, mashed, whole avocado and avocado halves check out this page.
Speeding up the ripening process: Have an avocado that’s not ready to eat yet? But you want to eat it NOW? Then try one of these hacks to ripen it quicker.
- Paper bag trick: Place it in a brown paper bag at room temperature for a couple of days. Not the fastest method but it does speed things up. As the avocados ripen they give off ethylene gas which causes the other fruits to ripen. Placing them in the paper bag keeps the gas in and quickens the ripening process.
- Add a banana: Need it to ripen quicker? Then place a ripe banana, pear or apple in the bag with your avocados. These fruits give off a gas as they ripen which in turn ripens the avocado.
- Oven method: Still not fast enough for you? Want to eat your avocado NOW and can’t wait a few days? Then slice your less than ripe avocado in half, rub some lemon juice on the open portion and bake it in the oven at 300 (F) for 10 minutes. This will soften it up to perfection.
How To Keep Them From Turning Brown:
Use lemon juice or lime juice to keep an avocado from going brown.
Exposure to air causes an oxidation process that turns cut avocados brown. Rub a bit of lemon or lime juice on the unused portion and wrap it in plastic wrap to seal the air out. This will keep it from becoming a unappetizing brown mess.
You can also use citric acid powders that are sold in the local grocery store to help prevent browning. You will find Fruit Fresh powder in the section with canning items or often in the section with the baking items.
Related Recipes:
Avocados creamy texture and mild flavor means it can easily be incorporated into other foods to provide nutrients but won’t over power other flavors. With all of these benefits why not add some avocado to your meals today? Try some of these recipes:
Guacamole Deviled Eggs – why not created these tasty deviled eggs with your avocado.
Add some avocado to these Chicken Enchiladas.
Try sliced avocado on these pork carnitas rice bowls or these carne asada street tacos.
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