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As discussed in Can You Eat An Avocado Turned Brown, it doesn’t take long for a cut avocado to change colour… and quality. The riper the fruit is, the quicker the colour will change – but there are ways to stop leftover avocado going brown.
Before we dive into the different methods you can try, we first feel like it is our duty to tell you that you can still eat browning avocado. The change in colour doesn’t necessarily mean that the fruit itself has turned bad.
But if you want to stop an avocado from turning brown after you’ve cut it, you should try these quick methods:
1 – Store Cut Avocado in an Airtight Container
This could be anything from a Ziplock-style freezer bag, to a Tupperware container. Providing it is airtight, preventing air from reaching the fruit of the avocado, it will prevent the discolouration process by a few hours.
2 – Wrap Cut Avocado in Cling Film
Cling film works in the same way as an airtight container, such as a Ziplock-style freezer bag or a Tupperware container, by cutting off the oxygen to the fleshy, freshly-cut part of the fruit. When you stop the oxygen from being able to reach the avocado, you stop the chemical process that causes the green fruit to turn brown.
3 – Cover Cut Avocado in Water
You can use the same Tupperware container suggested in our first trick to stop leftover avocado going brown; but this time, you need to fill it with water.
Photo by Daria Shevtsova
You should place your cut avocado so that the skin is facing the top and the fleshy, green part is facing the bottom of the tub. Ideally, you will want to ensure that the actual fleshy, freshly-cut part of the avocado is touching the bottom of the container directly. Once inside, fill with enough water to fully submerge the fruit, and then cover with a lid so that it is airtight.
4 – Store Cut Avocado in the Fridge
All of our previous suggestions work best when you store leftover avocado in the fridge — using cling film, airtight containers, or submerging in water. The oxidation process that turns the green fruit to a brown shade is slowed down in cooler temperatures. The warmer the temperature, the quicker avocado will turn brown.
5 – Sprinkle Cut Avocado with Lime or Lemon Juice
Once again, you will want an airtight bag or container for this avocado trick. when the fruit has been cut and you’re ready to store the leftovers, simply add a little lime or lemon juice to the green flesh. Seal the container or bag, pop the avocado in the fridge, and it should stay fresh for up to 48 hours.
Photo by RODNAE Productions
6 – Smother Cut Avocado with Oil
If you have olive oil, great. If you have vegetable oil, that’s fine. You just need to sprinkle and then rub some of the oil so that it covers the fleshy, green, freshly-cut avocado. The oil helps to create a barrier between the fruit and oxygen, slowing down the oxidation process and keeping the avocado greener for longer.
7 – Store Cut Avocado with Red Onion
Onion releases moisture, which can help to keep the oxidation process at bay when you keep your avocado in the fridge.
In an airtight container or bag, place your cut avocado, and then add a handful of chopped red onion. Seal it up, place it int he fridge, and make sure you eat it within a couple of days.
You might notice that your avocado absorbs some of the onion smell and taste with this method of stopping leftover avocado going brown. We recommend using this method with avocado that you are going to use in a recipe that contains onion.
8 – Freeze Cut Avocado
You can freeze leftover avocado, but freezing the fruit will have an impact on things like taste and texture.
Ice causes the fruit to expand, and when the fruit then thaws out, it can sometimes turn mushier than avocado that hasn’t been frozen. Mushier avocado is more difficult to work with, and it can look and feel a little unpleasant. For that reason, you may wish to consider using frozen-and-thawed avocado in recipes that call for the avocado to be smashed or pureed, or in recipes that require cooking/blending.
As a final note, avocado that has been frozen and then thawed out is known to change colour and turn brown much quicker than avocado that has not been frozen. You will need to bear this in mind when considering presentation and cooking time.