Guacamole is an incredibly popular food and can be served with veggies or chips, spread on toast or a sandwich, or mix with salad dressings and sauces.
But, like avocados themselves, guacamole can sometimes quickly brown and not last as long as you wanted.
Or perhaps you want to make a lot of guacamole at once to take advantage of ripe avocados when you have them.
So can guacamole be frozen?
‘CAN YOU FREEZE GUACAMOLE’ forms part of our ‘Kitchen Basics’ series here on Northern Nester, perfect for you if you’re new to any of our incredible recipes (see here), homesteading life or getting started in the kitchen! Click here to view the whole series!
Can You Freeze Guacamole?
You can freeze guacamole if you use the right recipe.
Some guacamole recipes call for ingredients that don’t freeze well, like tomatoes or dairy.
If your guacamole recipe is freezer-friendly, you can freeze it for 6 months or more, and have guacamole whenever you like.
How to Make Guacamole for Freezing
In most cases, you can easily adapt a guacamole recipe for freezing, provided you follow a few simple steps.
Here’s how you do it:
Puree your avocado with lime juice.
It’s important that you make a smooth puree so that there aren’t lumps of avocado with an inner core that hasn’t been exposed to the citrus juice, and that you do this before adding any other ingredients.
This keeps the guacamole from browning and helps it freeze evenly.
Add your herbs and seasonings
Season your avocado puree with salt, and add any herbs or seasonings you are going to use, like green onion, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, etc.
Do not add any other vegetables
No matter what your guacamole recipe calls for, do not add tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, dairy products or anything else to the guacamole.
Freeze your guacamole
Place your guacamole in airtight containers. It’s best to freeze it in smaller containers so that you can thaw only as much as you mean to use quickly.
Once thawed, guacamole should not be re-frozen.
There are a number of websites that have freezer-friendly guacamole recipes, so feel free to try out different ones and find what you like best.
**Planning on prolonging shelf-life of hummus? Find out if you can freeze the dip in this guide here!!!**
How to Defrost Guacamole
To defrost frozen guacamole, move it from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before you plan to use it.
If you need to defrost it faster, you can place it in a bowl of cold water.
Don’t allow it to completely reach room temperature, because guacamole is perishable.
Once it has thawed, you can stir in minced onion, jalapenos, tomatoes, sour cream, or any other fresh ingredients your recipe calls for.
Related Questions
What happens if you freeze guacamole?
If you freeze guacamole that is chunky with big pieces of avocado and other vegetables, most of the ingredients will lose their texture and get mushy and watery, and the avocado may turn brown.
The results depend on the recipe, but most traditional guacamole is much less appealing after it has been frozen.
Can you freeze store-bought guacamole?
You can often freeze store-bought guacamole, depending on the recipe.
Most brands are made for a longer storage life and freeze well, but you may want to look up your specific brand on their website and see.
How long can you keep guacamole in the freezer?
Frozen guacamole will maintain flavor and freshness for up to 6 months.
After that, it will start to lose flavor, but is still safe to eat for a few months longer.
What happens if you eat old guacamole?
Guacamole should never be kept at room temperature for more than an hour or two, and it’s safest to keep it chilled.
However, it is common for avocado to turn brown when exposed to air, and it is still safe to eat.
Guacamole that has gone bad turns greyish in color and often has liquid on top, and maybe harboring bacteria that can give you food poisoning.
If your guacamole is old, you should always look at it and smell it, and if you see any signs of mold, or if it smells unpleasant, it should be discarded.
Related Article: Can you freeze buttermilk? Prolonging its shelf-life!