Can guacamole be frozen? - How to preserve guacamole
Taco Tuesday is one of our favorite days of the week. There is nothing better than a good night of Mexican food.
In fact, you can’t beat a good Mexican dinner any day of the week. It doesn’t even have to be Tuesday to justify enjoying your tacos and other types of Mexican cuisine. And the best? The guacamole.
But the challenge with guacamole is keeping it fresh and tasty when you put away leftovers. So what can you do to keep it longer and prevent it from splitting or discoloring until you’re ready to use it?
Can guacamole be frozen? Yes, you can freeze guacamole for up to 3 months without losing its texture or flavor. Frozen guacamole will not turn brown, while it will only last a few days in the fridge.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to freeze guacamole from start to finish.
We will cover many aspects and talk about several tips to store your guacamole and prevent it from turning brown. Read on to learn everything you need to know about freezing guacamole and much more.
Your guide to freezing guacamole
Guacamole is one of those foods that you never know how to preserve. Guacamole always seems to separate or turn brown within a few hours of putting it in the fridge.
It’s a shame because all you want is to be able to enjoy the rest of the delicious guacamole.
Don’t worry, we’ve given you an idea and some great tips to help you store your guacamole so you don’t have to worry about it turning brown. Unfortunately, you can’t always control it, but there are things you can do to try to prevent it.
guacamole
One of the best things you can have are dips: if you like salsa, cheese or guacamole, you can’t go wrong! You can make your guacamole in many different ways.
But some people don’t like guacamole, even though they like avocados. There are also people who don’t like avocados, but love their guacamole.
Of course, there are also people who love everything. The guacamole is great. It can be used as a sauce or even for cooking.
Guacamole is a Spanish term. It is made mainly of avocado and is a regular food in Mexican cuisine. Guacamole can be used as a dip, salad, condiment, spread, or many other things.
You can find guacamole in many different varieties. It can be made with various additives and ingredients and can also come in various flavors. You can find mild or spicy guacamole and you can find it with or without tomato and onion.
Here are some options for using guacamole.
- spread it on toast
- Add it to a sandwich of any kind
- cover your soup
- Use as a substitute for salad dressing
- loaded potatoes
- 7 layer dip
- dive into
- Cover your hamburgers or empanadas
- Add to burritos or tacos
- Use it to replace tartar sauce with fried fish
- Use it to stuff mushrooms or peppers
- Cover the hot dogs
- Add to chicken dishes
As you can see, there are many ways to enjoy guacamole. It has always been primarily considered a sauce or dressing for Mexican food, but there are many other things you can do with guacamole.
If you like guacamole, you can use it as a topping or additive to almost any type of dish you want. The key here is that you simply find unique and creative ways to enjoy your guacamole. Let your imagination run wild to get the most out of your guacamole.
how to make guacamole
There are many different ways to make guacamole. If you do an internet search you will find hundreds of recipes and they all vary in some way. You can find many varieties and most of them suit individual tastes.
You just have to know that you can search for a recipe that is to your liking. And apart from that, you can modify any recipe you use to suit your preferred flavors or ingredients . If a recipe calls for onion and you don’t like onion, you can leave it out and your recipe will still be successful.
We are going to share with you a traditional guacamole recipe, but we want you to keep in mind that there are many other variations and options that you can use. You should also know that you can make your guacamole as smooth or with as many chunks as you like.
It’s great! How you make the guacamole is entirely up to you, as long as you have the avocado.
Here’s how to make homemade guacamole:
- For this recipe, you will need avocado (ripe), red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, sea salt, garlic, ground cumin, and tomatoes if desired.
- Start by mashing the avocados and dicing the onion, tomatoes, jalapeños and cilantro into desired size pieces. Mash the avocado in a bowl using a spoon, fork, or mashing utensil.
- When you have mashed the avocado to the desired consistency, add the other chopped ingredients. Mix well.
- Add the cilantro, salt, garlic, cumin and lime juice. Stir well until everything is combined.
- Taste the mixture and adjust to taste if necessary. You can easily adjust the flavors by adding more salt, jalapenos, lime juice, or cilantro to the mix.
- Serve and enjoy!
As you can see, making guacamole is incredibly easy. You use all fresh ingredients for the mix with a few added seasonings. The best guacamole is made using very fresh avocados.
From this point of preparation of your guacamole, you can proceed to use it or store it as you see fit.
Guacamole Storage
Storing your guacamole can be challenging. Liquids sometimes separate from the mixture. This is easily fixed with a little shaking when you’re ready to use it. Also, another challenge is to store the guacamole without turning brown. This is the hardest thing to deal with.
However, there are simple solutions that are designed to help with these issues and they work relatively well if you follow all the steps carefully.
1. Freeze the guacamole
Now we go to the important part. Guacamole keeps perfectly in the freezer and does not lose its flavor or texture if it is thawed correctly. If you want to use this method to preserve your guacamole for later, we have the following steps.
Steps to keep guacamole in the freezer:
- As a reminder, you will need an airtight storage method. You don’t have to worry as much about the guacamole turning brown in the freezer, but you can be foresighted and add a little lemon or lime juice to be on the safe side. You can use an airtight container, but for the freezer, we recommend a heavy-duty freezer bag.
- Place the guacamole in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Flatten it down and spread it evenly throughout the freezer bag, releasing as much air as possible. Add a small amount of lemon or lime juice on top. Lemon juice will keep it fresh.
- Release as much air as possible from the bag again. Seal it well.
- Label the bag and date it.
- Store it in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Freezing guacamole is the perfect way to make sure you always have something on hand when you need it.
We also recommend freezing the guacamole in portions so you don’t end up defrosting too much at once and not being able to refreeze it.
We do not recommend refreezing guacamole, or any other food, as this can not only cause unpleasant changes in texture and flavor, but also increase the risk of bacterial growth.
2. Refrigerate the guacamole
First of all, let’s talk about keeping guacamole in the fridge. If you plan to use it within 2-3 days, just put it in the fridge.
As you prepare your guacamole for the fridge, don’t forget the extra step to try and prevent the guacamole from browning. If all else fails and your guacamole turns brown on top, just scrape off that layer and enjoy it anyway.
Here are some steps and tips for keeping guacamole in the fridge:
- You have to remember two things when preparing your guacamole for refrigeration. First of all, you need your guacamole to be protected from the air. Whether this means double layering it for storage or sealing it in a bag. Next, do not forget your methods of fighting brown.
- For refrigerator storage, we recommend leaving the guacamole in an airtight storage container. Stir the guacamole and flatten it into a single layer.
- Place about ½ inch of water over the guacamole. Don’t remove it.
- Seal it with plastic wrap.
- Reseal the container with an airtight lid.
- Put it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- When you are ready to serve, remove the lid and plastic wrap and pour or drain the water from the top.
- Stir and serve.
You can also keep the regular avocado in the fridge if you make it into a sandwich. Learn how to do it by reading this article.
Guacamole doesn’t keep as well as avocado in the fridge, but this is an acceptable method if you’ll be using the dip in a day or two.
How to use guacamole after freezing it
When you’re ready to use your guacamole, you’ll probably need to let it thaw. We definitely don’t recommend microwaving it, unless you’re desperate to use it up quickly.
If you need quick defrosting, you can microwave it slightly , but you don’t want the guacamole to get hot, as it won’t go well. Microwave just slightly to defrost, but allow the guacamole to be slightly chilled.
The best thing you can do to prepare your guacamole is to let it thaw overnight in the fridge. This way it will stay cold and preserve its properties. Then, when you’re ready to serve the guacamole, you can pour it into a serving bowl, drain off any excess moisture, stir, and enjoy!
The most important thing to remember is that once thawed, it will be susceptible to turning brown. Do not try to refreeze the guacamole. See the anti-browning techniques shared above to try to protect and preserve the guacamole until you use it from then on.
If you follow the tips and techniques provided, your guacamole will be just fine. We are sure that your taste buds will thank you later when you enjoy that guacamole.
What makes guacamole turn brown?
If you’ve worked with avocados a lot, you know that the struggle is real when it comes to keeping them green. Once exposed to the open air, it’s like an open invitation for the avocado flesh to discolor.
The same goes for the guacamole. Even with the lime juice and the other ingredients in the mix, your guacamole can turn brown.
There are multiple fruits and vegetables to which this happens. Some examples of where you might recognize the trait are potatoes and apples.
The good news is that you don’t have to throw out the whole bowl just because part of the top layer has turned brown. You can remove the top layer and the rest is still edible. After removing the brown layer, give the mixture a good stir.
What is the cause of the darkening? Technically, it is oxygen that causes browning. There is a specific enzyme within the composition of the avocado that, when it comes into contact with air (oxygen), causes it to discolor . The top layer may turn brown, but what’s underneath is still perfectly delicious.
Here’s how to keep guacamole from turning brown:
- Spread the top layer of your guacamole with lemon or lime juice. Don’t remove it, just cover the top with it. Then, when you’re ready to serve the guacamole, you can pour in the juice so it doesn’t drastically affect the flavor.
- Try to protect your guacamole from free air or oxygen by placing a layer of plastic wrap directly over your guacamole before sealing it in a container and placing it in the fridge or freezer. This will protect it from the air that turns it brown. This can be difficult to cash out.
- Put water on the top surface of the guacamole, then cover and store. Again, don’t stir the water, just put it on top. When you are ready to use the guacamole, remove the water and proceed to use it.
Studies and trials have shown that lemon/lime juice and pouring water are often the most effective methods. However, you can try any of these tricks to try to prevent your guacamole from turning brown.
Related questions
We hope you find this guide to freezing guacamole useful and informative. Guacamole is a difficult food to preserve properly, and if you miss one little thing, you’ll have to deal with browning. The good news is that you can easily avoid any section of gilding.
We invite you to take a look at the following section of questions and answers to see if any information may be useful to you.
Will adding the bone to the guacamole prevent it from turning brown?
The bone can help prevent the guacamole from turning brown.
The downside to this method is that the bone only protects a small surface area and may not prevent the entire top layer from turning brown , depending on the size of the dish.
Is guacamole healthy for you?
Everything that contains the guacamole is integral and natural . Guacamole is considered a healthy dish.
Of course, the overall health value depends on how you use the guacamole. For example, if you eat a bag full of tortilla chips with the guacamole, it is no longer healthy.
Apart from this knowledge, guacamole is full of nutrients. Avocados are a healthy fat, and other vegetables can also provide you with health benefits. Guacamole is low in cholesterol and high in fiber.
Additionally, guacamole is credited with reducing the risk of hemorrhoids, while also reducing the risk of various heart diseases and even heart attacks.
Now that you know all about storing and freezing guacamole, it’s also important to know how to store the chips to go with it! Read this article to learn how to keep French fries fresh.
How do you choose a ripe avocado?
Ripe avocados will typically be a deep purple/brown color. If you lightly press on the top of the avocado, it should squash slightly, but still be a bit firm. You don’t want an avocado that is too firm or too soft.