Natural form

Whole avocados in two ripeness stages: firm bright green and ripe near-black skin.

Shows the color change from unripe to ripe, the defining cue a buyer needs at the market.

Produce

Avocado

Buttery, rich fruit for guacamole, toast, and salads

Lusciously creamy, avocado mashes into guacamole, crowns toast, and adds richness to salads and bowls. Ripen on the counter, then chill to hold it. A gentle press should yield.

The avocado is a buttery, rich fruit that behaves like a vegetable — luscious, mild, and creamy, with a high content of monounsaturated fat that gives it that silky, satisfying texture. Mashed into guacamole, smashed on toast, sliced into salads and bowls, or blended into dressings and smoothies, it adds richness without dairy. The whole challenge is ripeness timing and beating the browning — get those right and it's pure luxury.

Measured in: piece
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 7 days

Find it in

Produce

Types & varieties

Hass

Pebbly skin that darkens when ripe; rich and creamy — the standard

Fuerte / Bacon

Smooth green skin, slightly less oily; stays green when ripe

Reed

Large, round, summer variety; very creamy

How to choose for when you'll eat it

Avocados ripen off the tree, so buy for your timeline. Firm, bright-green ones are days from ripe — good if you're not eating them today. For tonight, you want one that yields to gentle, even pressure in your palm (don't poke with a fingertip — it bruises). On Hass, the skin darkens to near-black as it ripens. Avoid any with big dents, sunken soft spots, or that slosh when shaken.

Firm and green = buy for later
Gentle, even give = ripe today
Skip mushy, dented, or hollow-feeling ones

How to ripen and store

Speed ripening by leaving avocados at room temperature, faster still in a paper bag with an apple or banana (the ethylene they give off does the work). Once perfectly ripe, move them to the fridge to hold for a few days. Cut avocado browns quickly — keep it cut-side down or pressed against plastic wrap, with a squeeze of lemon or lime, and refrigerate.

How to cut (and a safety note)

Halve lengthwise around the pit, twist apart, then scoop the flesh with a spoon or score and peel. To remove the pit, a careful tap-and-twist with a knife works — but 'avocado hand' (knife slips and cuts the palm) is a real ER regular, so consider scooping the pit out with a spoon instead. Rub cut surfaces with citrus to slow browning.

Common uses

GuacamoleAvocado toastIn salads and grain bowlsSushi and California rollsAvocado crema/dressingSmoothiesSliced on tacos and burgersHalved and baked with egg

Tips & pitfalls

Buy firm and ripen on the counter; a paper bag with a banana speeds it up
Once ripe, refrigerate to buy a few more days
Lemon or lime juice (acid) slows the browning of cut flesh
Press, don't poke — fingertip dents bruise the fruit
Mind your hand removing the pit; a spoon is safer than a knife

Nutrition

167kcal

Energy

699 kJ · per 100 g

Where the calories come from

Protein 4%Carbs 19%Fat 77%

Protein

4% DV

Carbs

8.6g

3% DV

Fat

15.4g

20% DV

Fiber

6.8g

24% DV

Sugars

0.3g

of which

Sodium

8mg

0% DV

Notable micronutrients

Folate22% DV

Vitamin K18% DV

Vitamin B617% DV

Vitamin E13% DV

Niacin (B3)12% DV

Riboflavin (B2)11% DV

Source · USDA FoodData Central · Avocados, raw, California

View on FDC →

In the shops

Matched grocery products

Avocado
Bonpreu
€1.45
Avocado
270 g · Mercadona
€1.51
Avocados
650 g · Mercadona
€3.45
Diced Avocado
CN · kg · Bonpreu
€2.39
Avocado 1 unit
ud · Bonpreu
€1.35
Hass Avocado Tray 450g
LA COLLITA · kg · Bonpreu
€2.99

Good to know

Peak season: Hass available year-round; peaks spring through summer
Flavor: Rich, buttery, mild, nutty; creamy texture
Origin: South-central Mexico; cultivated for thousands of years
Nutrition: ~160 kcal/100g; healthy monounsaturated fat, fiber, potassium, folate
How to buy: Heavy, unblemished; for now: firm; for today: yields gently to a press

Substitutes