How to Pick, Cut and Store Avocados

Learn how to pick, cut, and store avocados so they are ready for your favorite avocado recipes.

I love avocados and have been known to eat them with a spoon. Below, you will find my best tips for picking the perfect avocado, preparing and cutting them, and storing them for later.

Then, you’ll be ready to make all my favorite avocado recipes! Some of my favorites are this avocado salad, homemade guacamole, avocado egg salad, and this avocado pasta (yep, we use avocado to make the sauce!).

How to Pick Avocados

Are you tired of cutting into underripe avocados? I was, too. That’s why I made it my mission to determine the best ways to choose them. Unless you are lucky, the avocados you find at the store will probably need a few days to ripen. So, when shopping for avocados, planning ahead is a good idea.Here’s an easy guide for determining when avocados are ready to eat:

1. Gently squeeze the avocado with the palm of your hand, avoiding using fingertips as they can bruise it. If it yields a little when pressed, it’s ready to eat. It needs a day or two to ripen if it feels firm and doesn’t give. If it gives too easily, it’s likely overripe and may have brown spots inside.
2. Check under the stem. Use your fingers to pull the stem at the top of the avocado. If it easily comes off, and the area underneath is green, you’ve found an avocado ready to eat. If the stem is hard to remove, it needs a couple of days to ripen fully. The avocado is likely overripe if the area under the stem is brown.

How to Cut Avocados

When you think your avocado is ready, cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the seed. Make sure you have control over the avocado and know where those fingers are!

Once cut, twist and separate the two halves.

I have two ways for you to remove the seed. Option one uses a knife. Fold a kitchen towel, place it in your hand, and then hold the avocado half with the seed firmly. Then, tap a chef’s knife into the seed. You will need some force here, but don’t whack it. Twist a little and remove the seed. Go for the wider section of the knife (don’t use the tip).

If you feel nervous about using a knife to remove the seed, try using a spoon instead. It works really well. You might lose a little avocado as you scoop it out, but not too much, and no sharp objects are involved.

At this point, you can use a spoon to scoop out all of the flesh, or if you want slices, use a knife to slice through the avocado flesh without cutting through the outer skin. We use slices of avocado for topping tacos, like these shredded beef tacos.

Or, make cubes by slicing in the opposite direction (crosswise). Then, use a spoon to scoop out the cut pieces. I do this when making our avocado salad.

How to Store Avocados

Store whole avocados at room temperature if they are unripe. Keep ripe avocados in the fridge.

When it comes to storing a cut avocado, there are a few additional steps to keep in mind. The main goal is to minimize the avocado’s exposure to oxygen, which causes avocados to turn brown.

My first tip is to use a little acid (like a spritz of lime or lemon juice). Then, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. The avocado should stay green for a day or two.

Another option is to leave the seed in. We don’t know all the specifics, but we have tried, and it worked! So, leave the seed in and wrap it with plastic wrap. Again, the avocado should stay green for a day or two.

That’s it. Do you have any tricks for cutting or storing avocados?