Gently squeeze the fruit. You're looking for a slight bit of give, but not too much. When pressing the avocado, it should yield to a minimal amount of pressure if it is ripe. The skin should “give” slightly but should not remain indented. If the avocado feels mushy, it is overripe.
If the avocado yields to firm gentle pressure you know it's ripe and ready-to-eat. Ripe, ready to eat avocados may have a darker color but color can vary so it is best to go by feel as well as color. It will feel lightly soft but it will not feel “mushy” to the touch.
Ripe avocados will have a skin color that is dark green to nearly black.
To determine fruit maturity, pick one of the larger fruits and keep it at room temperature until it softens. It is mature if it softens to good consistency, is not tough and leathery or bitter, does not shrink or shrivel, and is good to eat.
The darker the color, the riper the avocado.
Avocados are stimulated into ripening by the hormone ethylene, which is produced naturally by the fruit itself – and, to varying degrees, by all other fruit. Avocados (along with apples, bananas and many others) are climacteric fruit, which means they continue to ripen after they're picked.
For ripe avocados, place them in your refrigerator for 2-3 days to keep them fresh. If your avocado isn't quite ripe, leave it out on your countertop. Over the next 4-5 days, your avocado will ripen and be ready for you to enjoy.
Can you eat an avocado that is not ripe? Yes, you can eat an unripe avocado, but we don't recommend it. The avocado won't have its wonderfully creamy texture and it won't taste as delicious as normal. Check out our other how to videos to learn tips for ripening avocados.
Avocados should be stored on the counter where they can ripen properly at room temperature. Don't store avocados in a paper bag, which would trap the natural ethylene gas from the avocado and actually speed up the ripening process (Not sure if your avocado is ready to eat?
Pull back the small stem or cap at the top of the avocado. If it comes away easily and you find green or yellow underneath, you've scored a good avocado that's ripe and ready to eat.
Countertop, Fridge or Freezer? Until they're fully ripe, avocados should be stored at room temperature. Placing an unripe avocado in the refrigerator will slow the ripening process, but the same concept applies to ripe avocados: put them in the refrigerator to keep them at their prime ripeness for longer.
Checking for Ripeness in Avocado:
It isn't always possible to determine ripeness based on skin color: Avocados range in color between dark green to purplish black. Smooth-skinned variants tend to have the lightest skin color, whereas bumpy fruits are darker.
Hass avocados have a higher oil percentage (usually around 18 percent) making the texture more creamy, and is therefore considered as the preferred variety. Indian avocados on the other hand have a lower oil percentage (around 12 percent) making the texture slightly less creamy but a little more nutty in flavour.
In the refrigerator: Refrigerate your avocados if you don't plan to use them for the next few days. Avoid cutting them if you haven't yet, as you can just store them as is in your refrigerator if their interior isn't exposed. If you have cut them, store them in an airtight container or inside plastic wrap.
Steps to Make It
Mash the avocados with a fork until they are nearly smooth. Add the chopped onion, tomato, green chili, all the spices, the lemon juice, and chopped coriander. Mix it up until all of the ingredients are blended. Add the yogurt, salt to taste, and stir it in to blend it in with the avocado mixture.
Hard, bright green avocados are 4-7 days away from being ripe. Bright green avocados that are very hard when palmed are still underripe and will have 4 days up to 1 week on the counter before they're ready to eat. Don't even try to eat them, as they will be hard and waxy and lack any flavor.
Bright green: If your avocado has a bright green color, this means that it is still around four to seven days from being ripe. Avocados this color will typically be hard to the touch and will need to rest on the counter for a few days—maybe even a week—before you can eat them. Underripe avocados tend to lack flavor.
You know that thing about putting underripe fruit in a brown paper bag to make it ripen faster? Well, it actually works: Throw an unripe avocado into a paper bag with a ripe banana, fold down the opening, and leave it at room temperature on your countertop for a day or two to accelerate the avocado ripening process.
Avocados typically take 4 to 5 days to ripen. But if you need to speed up this natural process, there are two easy ways to do so: The brown bag method or the sunlight method.
Do not microwave your avocados or put your avocados in the oven to try to ripen them faster. If you do, the microwave or oven may soften the flesh of the fruit a little which may make it 'seem' ripe, but it isn't. The avocado will taste unripe and won't have the creaminess or buttery, nutty flavor we all know and love.
The Lemon Juice Method
Well, this is a great hack for ripening an already cut avocado! Just coat both halves of your avocado with fresh lemon juice (lime will work too), then put back together and wrap tightly in cling film. Whack it in the fridge and check back the next day.
To speed up the avocado ripening process we recommend placing unripe avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana for two to three days until they are ripe. We do not recommend any other method of ripening avocados.