How to cut an avocado

This is a complete and easy guide for how to cut an avocado, as well as tips for how to select a ripe avocado, prevent browning and store leftover avocados!

This is a guide for how to cut an avocado. Below you’ll find tips on how to choose a ripe avocado, and then successfully cut slices or dice cubes for sandwiches, in salads and yes, even, on toast. I’ll share with you my tips for how to safely cut an avocado and minimize waste; because no one wants to waste one precious piece of this pricey fruit – yup, the avocado is actually a berry.

Avocados are delicious and contain an entire vitamin pill’s worth of nutrients. Sliced avocado can be added to smoothies, baked into fries, play a starring role in salads, or be the nicest part of a sandwich. One-third of an average avocado has about 80 calories, 11 percent of a day’s fiber, and helps your body absorb other nutrients.

HOW TO PICK AVOCADO

The goal is to buy an avocado that is ripe but not too soft. To pick a ripe avocado, use your sense of touch. Look for an avocado that is has a little give when pressed but doesn’t feel mushy. The popular Hass avocado turns from bright green to almost black as it ripens but other varieties may not show such dramatic color changes.

• Very ripe avocados are best for guacamole but avoid those that feel extremely soft.
• Hard avocados, aka dinosaur eggs, are not ready for eating.

When you’re ready to use the avocado, remove the small stem. It should come off easily, and the area beneath should be green. That is a great indicator that you’re ready to cut the avocado

STEP-BY-STEP TUTORIAL

CHOSE AND WASH YOUR AVOCADO

Rinse off your perfectly ripe avocado under running water and dry with a paper towel.

SLICE AND OPEN THE AVOCADO

Place on a cutting board, or hold in your palm and carefully insert the chef’s knife in until you hit the pit. The knife should slip easily into the ripe avocado. Run the knife around the circumference of the fruit, turning the avocado as you go. Cut all the way around. If the avocado does not fall into two halves, it is still anchored together by its pit.

To open the cut avocado, hold one half of the avocado in each hand and gently twist. It should come apart.

REMOVE THE AVOCADO PIT

To remove the pit, spear it with the length of your knife blade. Try not to go too deep. That will make the pit hard to get off the knife. Use a wooden spoon or the edge of a cutting board to knock the pit off the knife. Don’t use your hands to remove the pit from the knife – that may not end safely!

SCORE AVOCADO INTO SLICES OR CUBES

The last step in slicing your avocado is to score the flesh with your knife. For slender, sandwich ready avocado slices, cut from top to bottom. For square chunks, slice the avocado from top to bottom and then crosswise.

SCOOP IT OUT

Take a large-ish spoon, like a soup spoon, and scoop out your scored slices or dice. Make sure to press again the skin of the avocado to grab all the flesh and minimize wasting any.

HOW TO STORE AVOCADO

If you have any leftover avocado, whether it’s still in the skin, cut, sliced or mashed, you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make sure to add lemon or lime juice on top and place the unused avocado in an airtight container or tightly cover plastic wrap.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I know if my avocado ripe?

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.

Why does my cut avocado turn brown?

Like apples, the surface of the cut avocado oxidizes when exposed to air. To avoid browning, sprinkle 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.

Will keeping the seed in half of the avocado prevent browning?

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, true. 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.

Now you’re ready to transfer the sliced or scored avocado to enjoy in salads, on toast or in sandwiches.