How to store avocados
Best place: the counter until ripe, then the fridge. Let avocados ripen at room temperature. Once ripe, the fridge gives 3 to 4 days.
Until ripe
Ripe is when this item is tender, fully developed and ready to eat.
3 to 4 days
from purchase
Timeline for refrigerator applies to ripe fruit.
Not recommended
USDA notes for avocados
- Ripe is when this item is tender, fully developed and ready to eat.
- Timeline for refrigerator applies to ripe fruit.
How to tell avocados have gone bad
General signs for produce: fresh fruits, the group USDA lists avocados under.
- Soft, mushy spots that were firm a day or two before
- Visible mould, often fuzzy white, green or grey
- Leaking juice or a fermented, alcohol-like smell
- Wrinkled, shriveled skin on fruit that used to be firm
- Sour smell replacing a fruit's normal sweet scent
More on produce: fresh fruits. The times above are quality guidelines, not safety limits; food that shows these signs goes out regardless of the date.
Storage habits that make the difference
Keep most fruit in the fridge's crisper drawer, but leave bananas, avocados and stone fruit on the counter until ripe. Store ethylene-sensitive fruit, like berries, away from apples and bananas to slow ripening. Wash fruit just before eating, not before storing, since early washing speeds up spoilage.
How to store other produce: fresh fruits
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.