How to Ripen Avocados
It’s no secret how much we love avocados. Avocados are true nutrient all-stars. They’re packed with nearly 20 vitamins and minerals (that’s right 20!), including folate, fiber, potassium, heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, and antioxidants.
How to Ripen Avocados
Written by: Jessica Diamond, MPH, RDN
It’s no secret how much we love avocados. Avocados are true nutrient all-stars. They’re packed with nearly 20 vitamins and minerals (that’s right 20!), including folate, fiber, potassium, heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, and antioxidants. For a full breakdown of the benefits of avocados, check out this article.
But have you ever craved some avocado for guacamole, avocado toast, or your other favorite avocado filled meal only to realize your avocados aren’t ripe? Us too. The good news is there’s some things you can do to ripen your avocado so they’re ready for your favorite dish.
Avocados don’t ripen on the vine, they actually ripen after they’ve been picked so it’s not uncommon to get hard unripe avocados from the grocery store. And that’s actually what you want! You want to buy your avocados unripe meaning they are green and hard and then let them ripen on their own on your countertop. That way they are less likely to go bad, while also being at peak ripeness when you’re ready to cook with them.
Here’s some tips:
To ripen avocados: Leave them out on your countertop to ripen. If you need them to ripen faster, just stick them in a brown paper bag (brown paper sandwich bag or paper grocery bag work great!) with an apple and seal the bag. The apple releases ethylene gas which naturally speeds up the ripening process.
How to know when avocados are ripe: You want your avocados soft, but not too soft. You know they are ready when you can gently press your finger into the outside of it and it gives a bit, but it’s not too soft or squishy.
Once your avocados are ripe: When your avocados feel ripe, transfer them into the refrigerator where they will last a lot longer. If your avocados are ripe before you need them for a recipe, stick them in the refrigerator.
Here’s some of our favorite avocado filled recipes:
