How to tell when an avocado is ripe

No nasty surprises - get it right every time. - by Rebecca Lowrey Boyd

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If there’s one thing that Australians are passionate about it’s the humble avocado. When we’re not smashing them and spreading them on toast, we like to furiously debate about them.

So there are few things we dislike more than an unripe avocado.

So how do you know when an avocado is ready to eat?

According to the experts at Australian Avocados, it all comes down to the type of avocado.

The two main varieties of avocados grown in Australia are Hass and Shepard. Hass avocados have rough, pebbly skin and change colour from green to black as they ripen. They are in season from May through to January.

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Shepard avocados are longer and more elongated than Hass and stay green through the ripening process. They are in season from February through to May.

If you have a Hass avocado, you need to give it a gentle squeeze at the stem end. If it’s soft and purple/black, it’s ready to eat. And you can keep it ripe for up to two days in the fridge.

However, if it’s firm and green/black, leave it on the benchtop to ripen. It will be ready in 1 to 2 days.

And if it’s hard and olive green, you’ll need to leave it for 2 to 3 days.

It’s a little trickier to tell when a Shepard avocado is ripe as they stay bright green all the time. The trick is all in the touch.