Can You Freeze Guacamole? Because Those Leftovers Are Too Good to Go to Waste

Avocados, the key ingredient in our favorite dip, are a wonderfully savory and notoriously fickle fruit. Indeed, your beloved toast companion and guac base has a nasty habit of going from ideal ripeness to unappetizing mush in the blink of an eye on the countertop; and sadly, once cut open and exposed to air, these guys don’t fare much better in the fridge. The good news is that guacamole, in all its lime-spiked glory, gets a slightly better prognosis (homemade guac will last a couple of days in the fridge, per Avocados from Mexico). That said, if you just whipped up more of the stuff than you can consume in half a week, you’re either looking at a race against the clock or looking at your freezer to save the day (or the dip, as it were). So, can you freeze guacamole? Read on for our full investigation into this hard-hitting question.

The short answer is yes, you can freeze guacamole: When frozen promptly in an air-tight container, guacamole will be safe to eat for up to two months. Stay with us though, because the long answer is likely more worth your while.

Now we arrive at the more important question—namely whether or not you should freeze guacamole. Let’s start by acknowledging that Hass avocados are basically the precious stones of the produce aisle (at least as far as your pocketbook is concerned), so it’s particularly painful to be the bearers of bad news here. Still, we’d be remiss to recommend freezing guacamole, especially to those who find pleasure in the creamy, buttery goodness of a freshly mashed and robustly seasoned avocado spread. (Raises hand.)

Unfortunately, avocado quickly loses its delicate and rich flavor in the freezer—and considering that guacamole is 90 percent avocado, that’s reason enough not to freeze the stuff. To make matters worse, some of the other key flavor enhancers in guacamole—like jalapeños, onions and tomatoes—have a similar tendency to deteriorate in the freezer. The takeaway? If you choose to freeze guacamole, don’t expect to serve it as a stand-alone appetizer because it will likely emerge with a relatively bland taste and unappealing, mealy texture to boot.

Let’s say you’re still hellbent on freezing your guacamole, despite our advice above. If you’re going to go this route, you have two solid options.

1. Frozen avocado mash

If you’ve got a bunch of avocados that are on the verge of overripening, we recommend you peel and dice them before storing in airtight containers as a future guacamole base. The thawed avocado won’t be quite as flavorful and there will be some textural changes, too—but with the addition of some fresh ingredients, you’ll still come out on top.

2. Frozen guacamole

So, you went whole hog and made a big batch of your very best guac and now you want to freeze your leftovers. In this case, our suggestion is simply to adjust the way you use them. Once the standard guacamole mix-ins are a part of the picture, the thawed dip will not be as palatable on its own. The workaround?  Send the thawed guacamole straight to the food processor, thin it with some olive oil and voila—a green goddess dressing with an extra kick.