How To Ripen An Avocado In The Microwave: A Dietician Reveals The Best Method

Every couple of days I treat myself to my favorite breakfast: avocado toast with a fried egg. The avocado needs to be just ripe enough to be creamy and delicious, pairing perfectly with a runny yolk. But too many times I’ve been left disappointed disaster struck this morning when I realized my avocados were completely green! Not wanting to derail my plans, I desperately searched for a solution — and found these genius hacks to quickly ripen avocado.

How to ripen avocado in the microwave

The tip comes from registered dietitian Leslie Bonci, who let Women’s Health in on her secret. Turns out, one trick to ripening avocados is to microwave them! Yes, you read that right. Bonci says we can avoid the hard texture of green avocados by simply covering them in plastic wrap (yup, this is totally safe!) and popping them in the microwave until they reach your desired softness.

This hack really works better on very green, rock-hard avocados. I wouldn’t recommend trying on semi-soft ones — you’re better off just waiting a day or so for them to ripen. But if you need your fix fast, follow these simple steps.

• Step 1: First cut your avocado in half lengthwise and remove the pit, but keep the skin on.
• Step 2: Cover the avocado in microwave-safe plastic wrap.
• Step 3: After wrapping it, Bonci says to pop it in the microwave for 30-second intervals.

Now, this is where I think we can deviate from the instructions a bit. I tried the 30-second intervals and found the first one didn’t ripen them enough, but the second interval went over the top! I watched as the beautiful bright green fruit started turning brown, quickly passing the point of ripe.

So for this hack, I highly recommend following shorter intervals, maybe 15 to 20 seconds instead. This will give you more control as the fruit gets hotter and ripens fast.

After the avocado is at your desired softness, you can either immediately serve or let it cool down a bit. I don’t like my mashed avocado piping hot so I popped the two halves in the fridge for a few minutes to get them back down to a neutral temperature.

How to ripen avocado in the oven

Bonci says you can also use your oven to get your avocados ready for eating. This method isn’t as fast as the microwave, but it’s still faster than waiting for Mother Nature to fully ripen your avocados. It also doesn’t make the fruit piping hot like the microwave. Keep in mind that this hack works best for avocados that aren’t completely green or rock-solid.

• Step 1: Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Step 2: Wrap avocados in foil.
• Step 3: Once oven is heated, bake for 10-15 minutes.

“The fruit should come out softened slightly but not warmed,” says Bonci. If you’d like it cooler, you can put it in the refrigerator.

How to ripen avocado in a paper bag

If you don’t feel like zapping or baking your avocados but you want guacamole in the next couple days, there’s another method you can try: a brown paper bag. While not as fast as the first two methods, putting your avocados in a closed paper bag helps them ripen more quickly (within 2 to 4 days) than just leaving them out on the countertop.

Why does this work? As avocados ripen, they release a gas called ethylene. Keeping them in a closed bag traps this gas, accelerating the ripening process. For an extra speed boost, put another ethylene-producing fruit like a banana or an apple in the bag with the avocado.

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For more avocado hacks:

Don’t Toss That Avocado Seed! Use It To Brew Up a Delicious, Heart-Healthy + Slimming Tea

Use This Hack to Easily Remove an Avocado Pit Every Time — Without Cutting Yourself