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Learn how to cut an avocado to maximize this fruit in all your recipes. This guide will go over everything you need to know, from how to pick out an avocado to cutting it into slices, dices, wedges, and even an avocado rose. Learn all my tips and tricks on how to slice an avocado and store it properly to prevent browning and avoid food waste.
Table of Contents
Avocados are delicious and incredibly versatile. They can be added to smoothies, baked into fries, play a starring role in salads, or be the tastiest part of a sandwich. Avocados are a big part of our diet and I include it into our meals as often as I can. Thankfully, even if I don’t have fresh, I can rely on frozen avocados to step in and fill that void because they’re packed with nutrition. Indeed, avocados are a superfood and a pricey one at that. If you hate throwing out this precious fruit as much as I do, this simple guide is for you. Learn how to open an avocado to get perfectly cut halves to make all your avocado dreams come true.
How to Pick Avocado
The goal is to buy an avocado that is ripe but not too soft. If you want to slow down the ripening process, refrigerate your whole avocados. In fact, it’s a good idea to have a few at room temperature that are ready to be eaten, and store the rest in the fridge for longer storage.
To ripen an avocado, leave them out at room temperature. To speed ripening, place an uncut avocado in a paper bag with an apple or a kiwi. Both fruits emit ethylene, which will speed up ripening.
If you need an avocado that is perfectly ripe and ready to be used, here are some simple tips on how to pick out an avocado next time you’re at the market:
- Use your sense of touch. Look for an avocado that has a little give when pressed but doesn’t feel mushy. Avoid avocados with sunken spots or bruises.
- Check the color. The popular Hass avocado turns from bright green to almost black as it ripens, but other varieties may not show such dramatic color changes.
- Inspect the stem end. It should come off easily, and the area beneath it should be bright green. If it’s brown or black, it may indicate an overripe avocado.
- Consider the recipe. If you need an avocado for tonight’s guacamole, you’ll need very soft and ripe avocados (but avoid those that feel extremely soft). If you’re looking for an avocado for tomorrow’s salad, you may want one with less give and not fully ripened. Keep these things in mind when buying avocados.
Why Learn How to Cut an Avocado
- Nutrient-rich superfood. Avocados are full of essential vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. Knowing how to cut an avocado to incorporate it into your meals taps into their full nutritional potential and helps create a balanced meal.
- Versatile uses. Learning how to slice an avocado to suit your recipe opens up a world of delicious possibilities. Whether you need cut avocados for smoothies, salads, or as a creamy topping – it’s a versatile addition worth cutting properly.
- Beautiful visual appeal. A pop of bright green elevates the presentation of your dishes. Add an avocado rose to your egg toast, or fan out some sliced avocados on top of a green goddess salad to add a touch of elegance.
How to Cut an Avocado
This simple guide goes over everything from how to open an avocado to properly storing it to avoid browning. You want to start with a perfectly washed and dried avocado. Next, decide how you want to cut it and follow these simple instructions for cutting avocado slices, cubes, wedges, or an avocado rose.
How to cut and peel avocado for cutting
- Using a sharp chef’s knife, carefully cut the avocado in half lengthwise, starting at the stem and slicing around the pit.
- Gently twist the two halves to separate them and expose the pit.
- Place the avocado half with the pit on the cutting board.
- Carefully aim the knife at the pit and tap into it. Twist the knife to pull out the pit. Use a wooden spoon or the far edge of the cutting board to dislodge the pit from the knife.
- Peel the avocado halves and discard.
- You can use these avocado halves for stuffing or cut as desired.
How to cut an avocado into slices
- Place the peeled avocado half flat-side down on a cutting board.
- Slice lengthwise using the tip of your knife.
How to cut avocado into dices
- Place the peeled avocado halves flat-side down on a cutting board and slice them lengthwise.
- Rotate the avocado halves and slice again crosswise to create small avocado cubes.
How to cut avocado into wedges
- Place the peeled avocado halves flat-side on a cutting board.
- Cut crosswise to create 4-6 thick wedges per avocado half.
How to cut avocado into roses
- Place a peeled avocado half flat side down on a cutting board. Carefully, make very thin slices using the tip of your knife, making sure to keep the slices together.
- Gently fan out the avocado slices into a straight line.
- Starting from one end, carefully roll the thin slices inward, creating a circular pattern.
- Continue rolling until you reach the end of the slices, creating a rose-like shape.
Tips for How to Cut an Avocado
- Check the avocado ripeness before cutting into it. Do the ripeness test first. If it’s too hard, it’s not ready and should be left at room temperature to ripen first.
- Use a spoon for precision when removing the flesh. If the avocado skin is too stubborn to easily peel off, use a spoon with thin edges to get close to the skin to minimize waste.
- Try avocado cubes in the shell. Score the avocado into cubes while still in the skin, creating a checkerboard pattern. Then scoop it out with a spoon to have pre-diced avocado cubes ready to go. This is convenient when you’re transporting a dish and need to add avocado just before serving and don’t have a cutting board.
- Cut avocado into very thin slices for a visually stunning avocado rose. Focus on cutting uniformly thin slices of avocado and keeping them together until you’re ready to fan them out. The key is to keep the avocado slices as tight as possible.
Recipes to Make With Avocados
- 40+ Avocado Recipes
- Shrimp Avocado Salad
- Cottage Cheese Toast with Sliced Avocado
- Peach Avocado Salad
- Chopped Green Goddess Salad
- Avocado Fries
- Avocado Toast with Egg
- Avocado Chocolate Mousse
- Corn Tomato Avocado Salad
- Quinoa Avocado Salad
- Avocado Caprese Salad
How to Store Cut Avocado
If you have any leftover avocado, whether it’s still in the peel, cut, sliced, or mashed, you can store it in the refrigerator. Add lemon or lime juice on top and place the unused avocado in an airtight container or tightly covered plastic wrap. If an avocado half has the pit intact, store it with the pit in place to reduce the surface area exposed to air.
How long will cut avocado last in the fridge?
Cut avocado can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. If the avocado turns brown, just scoop off the brown layer to reveal the fresh green flesh. That’s a natural process due to oxidation, not spoilage.
Can I freeze cut avocados?
Yes, for recipes that call for blended or mashed avocado, such as guacamole or smoothies, avocados can be frozen for up to 3 months. You can learn more about how to freeze avocados for longer storage in my easy guide. Keep in mind that the freezing and thawing process alters the creamy texture of the avocados, so this is not ideal in fresh avocado recipes like salads.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A ripe avocado will yield slightly to your touch. You can hold in your palm and gently press to gauge its ripeness. Hass avocados, the variety most common in supermarkets, will turn from green to dark green to nearly black as they ripen. Avoid the darkest, mushiest avocados or those with sunken spots.
Like apples, the surface of the cut avocado oxidizes when exposed to air. To avoid browning, brush cut avocado pieces with lemon juice, lime juice, or some white vinegar. Oxidization can also be halted by wrapping half an avocado tightly in plastic wrap or submerging it in water. The avocado will not absorb the water! If all else fails, it is acceptable to scrape off the brown layer and eat what is underneath.
Unfortunately this is a myth, or at least only partially true. The flesh of the avocado that stays in contact with the pit won’t turn brown. However, the rest of the avocado that is in contact with oxygen will brown. You can try this method and then just shave off the brown layer on top though.
Learning how to cut an avocado is a simple and effective way to beef up your recipes with creaminess, flavor, and nutrition. Avocados are such a versatile fruit. And now that you’ve mastered the avocado game – from how to pick out an avocado to storing it properly, you’re ready to take your dishes to the next level.
More Cooking Tutorials:
- How to Cut Carrots
- How to Cut Beets
- How to Cut Mango
- How to Cut Mushrooms
- How to Cut Zucchini
- How to Cut Cabbage
- How to cut an onion
- How to Cut Potatoes
- How to Cut Eggplant
- How to Cut Butternut Squash
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This tutorial for how to cut an avocado was originally published February 6, 2020. It has been recently updated with new step by step instructions and photos, plus additional cutting methods.
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How to Cut an Avocado
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
Instructions
- Wash the outside of the avocado and dry with a paper towel.
- Using a sharp chef’s knife, carefully cut the avocado in half lengthwise, starting at the stem and slicing all the way around the pit. Gently twist the two halves to separate them and expose the pit.
- Place the avocado with the pit on the cutting board. Carefully aim the knife at the pit and tap into it. Twist the knife to pull out the pit. Use a wooden spoon or the far edge of the cutting board to dislodge the pit from the knife. Then peel the avocado skin and discard. You can use these avocado halves for stuffing if desired.
- To slice the avocado, place it flat-side down on a cutting board and slice using the tip of your knife.
- To dice the avocado, first slice the avocado halves lengthwise, then rotate the avocado halves and slice them again crosswise to create small avocado cubes.
- To cut the avocado into wedges, slice the avocado halves crosswise to create 4-6 wedges per half.
- To slice the avocado into roses, place it flat-side down on a cutting board and carefully make very thin slices using the tip of your knife, making sure to keep the slices together in a straight line. Gently fan out the avocado slices in a circular pattern to create a rose-like shape.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Thank you for the new recipe 😋
You’re so welcome!
I’m sure you’re very good at it and I won’t dissuade you, but…from PubMed:
“There were an estimated 50,413 (95% Confidence Interval: 46,333-54,492) avocado-related knife injuries from 1998 to 2017. The incidence of avocado-related knife injuries increased over this time period (1998-2002 = 3143; 2013-2017 = 27,059).” Most of the injuries come from holding the avocado in your palm while cutting or spearing or sinking the knife into the avocado.
I think for those who don’t already know how to cut one, best bet is to do exactly what you did, but as you first mentioned, on a cutting board. If you don’t need them to be halves, turn it 90 degrees and cut around the length again. The four pieces will fall or come off the pit easily. If you do, use a spoon to gently nudge the pit out.
Thank you for sharing this with me!
Thanks for the how to instructions on opening an avacados! Now to look around to see if I can do anything with the pit! Thanks again
You’re so welcome!
EXCELLENT
Thank you!!
Hello,
I saw the cauliflower potato curry recipe before but im having trouble finding it now. Is there a chance you can send via email?
Thank you for your time,
shannen
Yes, absolutely!
This was really helpful. Thank you for sharing