Avocados are creamy, delicious, and super good for you. If you are an avocado lover, there’s nothing worse than cutting into one only to find that it’s unripe, hard, and bitter.
While this not-so-cheap fruit has incredible health benefits, so waiting around for it to ripen is annoying, even though they can go from being unripe to overripe in a matter of a day. It’s common to wonder whether it is safe to eat an unripe avocado.
According to health experts, eating an unripe avocado is safe and will not cause any health issues. Unripe avocados are not toxic, despite a rumor that they are. Of course, eating too many ripe or unripe avocados could cause an upset stomach or even diarrhea due to the large amount of dietary fiber found in avocados.
Here’s what else you need to know.
Is It Dangerous to Eat an Unripe Avocado?
It isn’t dangerous to eat an unripe avocado. Doing so won’t have adverse effects on your health. In fact, all the nutritional goodness remains exactly the same.
The only thing that eating an unripe avocado will affect is your tastebuds. Unless, of course, you like that bitter taste.
The good thing about avocados is that you can tell when it’s still not ripe. It’s hard on the outside and will be even harder to cut into.
If you do decide to eat an unripe avocado for any reason, you won’t be doing any damage to your body.
Can You Get Sick From Eating an Unripe Avocado?
Even avocados aren’t free of the rumor mill.
At one point, it was thought that unripe avocados are toxic to humans. While it’s uncertain where this rumor began, many nutritionists & health professionals have stated that you cannot get sick from eating an unripe avocado.
However, unripe avocados may be dangerous to birds, horses, and domestic animals, but it’s entirely safe for humans.
So, if you want your pet to share your love of avocados, you may want to steer clear of feeding it an unripe one.
Related How Long Does Guacamole Last? | Proper Storage Guidelines.
Does Unripe Avocado Give You Diarrhea?
Eating avocados, whether ripe or unripe, it’s unlikely that you will experience any digestive problems.
Having said that, avocados are rich in fiber, and fiber can cause diarrhea.
A single avocado fruit contains 13.5 grams of fiber, that’s 54% of adults’ recommended daily (RDA) intake. Thus, its high fiber content may be the culprit.
Eating anything in excess is bad for you, no matter how healthy it may seem. However, there isn’t any scientific research that links eating an unripe avocado to diarrhea.
How Do You Store an Unripe Avocado?
What do you if you have an unripe avocado in your hands? Well, there a few things you can do to achieve ripeness perfection.
Here are 3 ways you can store unripe avocados:
1. Leave Them At Room Temperature
You can leave out avocados to ripen naturally. This will take about 3-5 five days, but it also depends on the type of avocado. Look out for its firmness, darker color, and softness. If you apply a little pressure and it’s soft, that means it’s ready to eat.
2. Place It With Fruit
Fruits like apples and bananas release a ripening gas called ethylene. If you place your avocados near apples and bananas it can they will ripen quite quickly.
3. Put In The Microwave
If you simply cannot wait and need your avocado intake, then a nifty trick is to put it in the microwave. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pip and wrap each half in plastic. Cook it for 20 or 30-seconds intervals until you get the desired softness you want.
Do Avocados Ripen in the Fridge?
Another trick for ripening avocados is to put them in the fridge. You can cut them in half, wrap them in plastic or store them whole.
Storing it in a fridge will slow down the browning process and will make your avocados ripe in 3-4 days.
For the best results, store the avocados in an airtight zipper bag (Amazon link). You actually don’t need to keep it in a plastic bag but, if you don’t want other smells to penetrate your avocados, then a plastic bag is a good choice.
Related Should Avocados Be Refrigerated? (Or Left Out).
Bottom Line
Eating an unripe avocado isn’t bad for your health in any way. They just taste horrible, in my opinion.
Sometimes it may feel like determining the ripening of an avocado is a bit of a guessing game. But, with these crafty little tips and tricks, you can get the perfect ripeness and enjoy it with all its goodness.
I hope this article has been helpful. Thanks for stoppin’ by!
Jelly Grandma
For more, don’t miss The 10 Best Fast Foods That Are Easy on the Stomach.
Anne James has a wealth of expertise in a wide array of interests, including quilting, cooking, gardening, camping, and making jelly.
She has a professional canning business and has been featured in the local newspaper, and has been her family canner for decades. Anyone growing up in the South knows that there is always a person in the family who has knowledge of the “old ways,” and this is exactly what Anne is.
With over 55 years of experience in these endeavors, she brings a level of hands-on knowledge that is hard to surpass.
Lovingly known as “Jelly Grandma” by her grandkids, Anne hopes your visit here has been a sweet one.