How to ripen avocados quickly

If you’ve ever Googled “how to ripen avocados fast” you know the jam. We’ve all been there. You’ve got the corn chips. You’ve got the chilli, lime, and cilantro. You’re ready for a big night on the guac. You check the fruit bowl and the avos are still firm and green. Sacré bleu! You frantically hit Google and discover a back catalog of avocado ripening techniques worthy of their own Netflix docuseries.

We went ahead and tried every single avocado ripening hack in the book. For the sake of the guac, naturally.

Here’s what happened.

Don’t try it: the oven method

Yikes. While it is true that temperature affects the avocado ripening process, one shouldn’t get hasty when trying to speed up the natural ripening process. We were left with hot and gooey avocados with an uneven texture. Far from the desired smooth, creamy whip one dreams of when making guacamole.

Take it from us, for the love of guac. Step away from the oven.

 Meh: the windowsill method

Again with the heat, theory. The idea here is to use the natural heat from the sun to speed up the ripening process to slice into our avocados quicker. Alas, sunlight can cause some serious damage to our delicate friend, the avocado. Sunlight may be their friend when they’re growing, but once picked, direct sunlight essentially cooks an avocado from the inside.

We let an avocado sit in the sunniest spot in our kitchen for three days and, while it did technically ripen, the texture was a bit mushier than we would have hoped.

Guacamole-ready: The paper bag method

It all boiled down to one tried and true avocado ripening method that we come back to, time and time again. It’s called the paper bag method.

How to ripen avocados quickly using the paper bag method

By far the most common method to ripen avocados, the paper bag method is simple. Place an unripe avocado in a paper bag along with one banana or apple. Carefully roll down the top of the paper bag tightly, so as to trap the natural ethylene gases in the bag. Place the bag away from natural sunlight—the pantry works great. You’ll have a ripe and ready-to-use avocado within the next 36 hours.

Why the paper bag method?

It’s perhaps not surprising that the paper bag technique came out on top as the number one method to quickly ripen an avocado. The science behind the magic is simply hard to beat. Bananas and apples release a juicy amount of natural ethylene gas, the gas that assists in the natural ripening process of avocados.

But I need to ripen my avocados now!

Sorry, pal. While some of the quickie methods do technically make your avocado softer in a matter of minutes, it’s not the kind of creamy texture that makes your avocado on toast pop. In reality, the quickest and best way to ripen an avocado is going to take a couple of days (and a spot of patience). Plan ahead, and you’ll be on your way to avo-town faster than you can say “guacamole.”

Suggested: Avocado benefits: 6 reasons to love the guac