Storing your cut avocados can be a gamble, as they turn brown quickly, but storing them alongside one common vegetable could increase their shelf-life
Zahna Eklund Senior Social News Reporter
15:39, 11 Apr 2026
Avocado will stay fresh for longer when you store it this way (stock photo)(Image: Westend61 via Getty Images)
Storing avocados alongside another vegetable could prevent them from turning brown. Avocado is a highly nutritious fruit that contains fibre, healthy fats, and nearly 20 vitamins and minerals. It’s believed to support heart health by reducing “bad” cholesterol, while also promoting eye health and assisting with weight management.
However, if you’ve ever sliced open an avocado to use half in a recipe, you’ll be aware that the countdown begins immediately to consume the remaining half before the exposed flesh turns brown. This occurs due to oxidation, a chemical reaction between oxygen in the air and enzymes within the avocado flesh – and it happens remarkably quickly.
Provided the avocado doesn’t have an unpleasant odour, the browned flesh remains safe to consume, though it does appear unappetising and can lead people to discard it rather than take the chance. However, just one storage technique could help maintain your avocado’s freshness for longer.
In a video posted on Instagram, health and fitness coach Jessica Goh showed how you can prevent your avocado from browning by storing it in an airtight container with a common fresh vegetable – an onion.
She explained: “If there’s one kitchen hack that makes me happy every single time I use it, it’s keeping your avocado fresh and non-brown once it’s been cut if you keep it with some red onion. I don’t know if it works with regular onion, but I know it works with red onion.
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“I just have the top of a red onion that I keep in this pot so that I can keep my avocado fresh. I cut this in half yesterday, and it’s absolutely fine. I just think that’s magic. Try and tell me that’s not magic. An avocado sitting out for two minutes wants to turn brown, but as soon as I put it in a [box] with a bit of red onion, look at how fresh it is.
The tip had also been previously highlighted by cookbook author and recipe developer Nicole Keshishian Modic, who explained during an appearance on Good Morning America in 2023 that the method works due to onions releasing sulphur, which prevents the oxygen in the air from interacting with the enzymes in the avocado.
However, she noted that storing the two together can leave your avocado with a “tiny tinge of onion” flavour. This is unlikely to be an issue if you’re planning to use your avocado in guacamole, which typically contains onion anyway, but may be more apparent in other dishes – particularly if you’re not a fan of onion.
Viewers of Jessica’s video were grateful for her advice, with many saying they intended to give it a go themselves the next time they need to keep an avocado fresh. One person commented: “I’m shook! I’ve literally bought avocados today as well.”
Another remarked: “I didn’t know this! I’ll definitely be trying it.”
A third wrote: “You’re right, it is magic.”
How to store avocados
1. Storing whole avocados (uncut)
If it’s unripe (hard, bright green): Keep it at room temperature until it gives slightly when you press it gently.To ripen faster: Put it in a paper bag with a banana or apple for one or two days. The fruits release ethylene gas, which speeds ripening.If it’s ripe (yields to gentle pressure): Move it to the fridge to slow ripening and buy yourself a few extra days.
2. Storing a cut avocado
Keep the stone in if possible: It won’t stop browning everywhere, but it can reduce it on the section it covers.Use an acid barrier: Brush or sprinkle the cut surface with lemon or lime juice, or a little vinegar. This slows oxidation.Seal it airtight: Press cling film directly onto the exposed flesh, not just over the bowl, or use an airtight container with minimal air inside.Refrigerate immediately: Cut avocado should be kept in the fridge, not on a counter.
3) How to tell if an avocado has gone off
A little browning is normal: Scrape off the top layer if it’s only lightly discoloured and smells fine.Bin it if: It smells sour or ‘off’, has widespread mould on it, or the flesh is very dark or grey with an unpleasant taste and slimy texture.