How to tell if Avocados are bad, rotten or spoiled?

Practicing proper hygiene and food safety techniques will help prevent foodborne illness.

A perfect avocado is a dark green color and the avocados firmness will give just a little when pressed. An avocado has most probably gone bad when it is black and you can leave an indent in the avocado with a gentle press of your finger. A good avocado is a light green color when cut open and an avocado that has gone bad will be brown or even black on the inside of the avocado. So, before this happens to your avocado you better know how to guacamole.

There are, of course, certain health risks associated with spoiled foods so always remember to practice food safety and enjoy your foods before their shelf life has expired!

How to store Avocados to extend their shelf life?

Even though avocados are actually fruit, they are best kept in the refrigerator drawer that is marked for fresh produce. Once avocados are ripe, keeping them in the refrigerator will make them last several days longer. If they are left on the counter, they will continue to ripen. If your avocado is not yet ripe, read our page on how to ripen an avocado.

Some benefits of proper food storage include eating healthier, cutting food costs and helping the environment by avoiding waste.

Interesting facts about Avocados:

How to use extra before your Avocados go bad?

How to Guacamole

How to make guacamole with avocados is a very important thing to know before guests arrive for your fiesta and a great use of too many avocados! Try this simple avocado guacamole recipe if you do have too many avocados. To make avocado guacamole just smash your avocados up with some tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice, salt & pepper and dip your chips away - that's how to guacamole! And don't forget to leave the avocado pit in the middle of your guacamole dip to keep it looking fresh and green for hours.

Then be sure to read our how long does guacamole last page.

How long are Avocados good for when prepared in a dish?

How long do avocados last? That depends. How long do tomatoes last? In general, avocados last only as long as the quickest expiring ingredient in the recipe.

What are our shelf life resources?

In determining how long Avocados lasts, our content incorporates research from multiple resources, including the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Food & Drug Administration. In addition, we scoured the web for informative articles and reports related to food safety, food storage and the shelf life of Avocados.

*An important note about expiration dates...

Although the Avocados shelf life information on Eat By Date is generally reliable, please remember that individual cases will vary and that our advice should only be taken as an opinion and not a replacement for your health care professional. Please eat responsibly!