Avocado Guide: How to Use to Avocado

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Avocados are creamy and delicious and so versatile in the vegan kitchen. So it was about time I brought you a guide to avocado to answer all those big questions we have about the fascinating fruit. Enjoy this guide on how to use avocado!

How to Cut an Avocado
Our Favorite Avocado Recipes!

What Are Avocados?

They are the fruit grown by the avocado tree. Technically a berry, this fruit has a single large seed and a creamy buttery texture. They grow in tropical and Mediterranean climates and are partly self-pollinated. Originally from Central America, the different varieties have evolved over time and grow all over the world. Did you know that Mexico is the biggest consumer (and producer) of avocados in the world? They’re called aguacate in Mexico and paltas in Chile.

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What Types of Avocado Are There?

There are many different varieties of avocados with different textures, flavors, and looks. Want to expand your avocado knowledge? Let’s take a look at some of those varieties:

Hass: This is the most common and creamiest of them all. It’s oval-shaped and when ripe, the skis is rather thick and has a dark black purple color.
Fuerte: Or ‘strong’ in Spanish, has a longer and more pear-like shape and dark green thinner skin. It has the potential to have a great texture if eaten when perfectly ripe.
Bacon: With an oval shape and speckled skin, these avocados are less oily than their counterparts but still incredibly delicious.
Pinkerton: This oily and creamy variety is easy to grow and very easy to peel.
Gwen: With a more nutty flavor and golden flesh, this avocado has earned its place in the avo hall of fame.
Zutano: Its thin and yellow skin might be deceiving but this tasty avocado is definitely worth a try.
Little Cado: Want to grow one on your patio? This is the variety that will allow you to grow it in a large container on your porch. So cool!

Is Avocado Healthy?

Also referred to as “nature’s butter,” these gorgeous fruits are really that healthy. It’s not often that amazing flavor, creamy texture, and incredible nutritional benefits align in one food, so we are pretty determined to make the best of this gift of nature. They contain an array of vitamins like K, C, B5, B6, E and are also very high in Potassium (even more than bananas!). They also contain the very coveted, monounsaturated fatty acids.

Unlike other sources of fat like oils, this amazing fruit also contains fiber and antioxidants, so eating them regularly is like a triple or quadruple win.

Where to Buy Avocados?

You can find them in most local grocery stores, in the produce section. But if you’d like to find them a bit fresher, look at your local farmers’ market or farmstand. Try to experiment with the different varieties and see which ones you like the most. Some might work better for some preparations than others. Also, try to remember, since Hass is the most sought-after type of avocado, the other varieties tend to be cheaper.

How to Choose The Best Avocado?

This is the million-dollar question. Here are some factors to consider when picking out avocados at the store:

For some varieties like Hass, the color of the skin matters. The lighter green it is, the less ready to eat it will be.
The way it feels to the touch is also very important. You want it to be slightly soft, not too hard or mushy.
Take a look at where the stem used to be, or remove the lump at the top and look at the color of the flesh inside. If the color is too light, then it is probably not ready.

What you choose, depends on what you’re after. We advise buying a few that are ready or very close to being ready to eat and a few more which still need some time to ripen, that way you’ll always have perfect avocados at home.

How to Ripen an Avocado?

Avocados don’t ripen on the tree, but after being harvested. Therefore, there are several things you can do to help them ripen quickly:

Place them in a paper bag for a few days
Place them in your fruit bowl over the counter next to some apples or bananas. These fruits produce ethylene gas which can help ripen the avocado faster

If you want to KEEP your avocados from ripening too fast, simply store them in the fridge where the ripening process will slow down considerably and often buy you several days.

How to Cut an Avocado

Start by slicing the avocado in half lengthwise on one side, then working the knife in a circle around the whole avocado/pit (like a peach), until both sides are cut through. Once the flesh is cut all the way through, twist the two halves of the avocado around the pit, and pull apart (if it doesn’t fall into two pieces on its own).

To remove the pit: With the avocado secured on the counter, carefully press a sharp knife into the pit (1/4 inch or so) until it’s stuck in the pit. Then turn the knife, so it turns the pit and loosens it. Then the knife should pull the pit out easily. Carefully remove the pit from the knife, if needed. (Knocking it gently against a cutting board should to the trick).

Halves: Use a spoon to scoop the entire half of flesh out of the skin, by sliding the spoon gently in between the flesh and the skin, all around that half. Note: a larger soup spoon may work better for a larger avocado.

Slices: While the avocado half is still in the skin, use a knife to slice the desired width lengthwise through the flesh, but not through the skin. Then use a spoon, as you would for an entire half, to gently scoop out all the slices.

Diced: Follow the above method, but after slicing the flesh lengthwise, then slice crosswise through the flesh but not through the skin. Then scoop out diced pieces with a spoon. You can always dice smaller, after that, if you prefer.

Mashed: Scoop out an entire half OR sliced half (to make it easier) into a bowl. Use a fork to mash until it’s your desired consistency: entirely smooth or with some chunks remaining for texture. Adding a splash of lemon or lime juice can help the mashing process get smoother results, as well as prevent browning (see below). It can also contribute flavor for many uses, like guacamole!

Food Processor: If you need lots of mashed avocado, such as for a large batch of avocado dip, you can always put the halves straight into the food processor (with skin removed) and pulse until smooth. Adding small amounts of other liquid ingredients, like lime juice or oil can help the process!

How to Prevent Your Avocado from Turning Brown or Oxidizing

If an avocado is not used promptly, the flesh tends to turn brown quickly. There are few things that we can do to delay that process, so that we can extend the life of an avocado if we don’t use it all right away.

Rub the rest of the exposed avocado flesh with lemon juice
Leave the pit inside the bowl or in the half you’d like to store
Store it in an airtight container
Store it with an onion
Brush it with oil

All of these tips seem to slow down the oxidation process, to delay it a bit, even if we can’t prevent it entirely. If you know you won’t be eating the leftover avocado the next day, then it’s a good idea to freeze the avocado chunks for some creamy future smoothies.

process shot of adding maple syrup to blender

Best Ways to Store Avocados

If you haven’t sliced it open yet and it is looking ripe, we advise storing it inside your refrigerator until ready to use.
Once open, we recommend placing it in an airtight container.

completed Amazing Avocado Pesto Pasta plated against a light surface

We hope these tips help you find, select, save, and store avocados with great success! Avocados are a valuable contribution to a healthy plant-based diet, so we encourage you to give different varieties a try, ensure you pick the best avocados at the store, and store your avocados well to maintain their ripeness.

Now, let’s get to the fun part: ways you can use avocado! There are so many fantastic uses of avocado, from smoothies, to sauces, to salads and sandwiches, and more! I’ve listed some of our favorite below to get you started! Let me know which recipes you try and enjoy!