4 Simple Ways to Quickly Ripen an Avocado

People desperate to make their avocados ripen faster have been known to take drastic measures. But if you have an inedibly firm avocado at home, there's no reason to stick it in the oven and ruin its flavor. Nor do you need to run to the supermarket and squeeze every avocado you can find. Even if you can't make your avocado ripen instantly, you can ripen it faster with one of the simple methods below.

1. Paper-bag it.

An easy and effective way to ripen an avocado quickly is to stick it in a paper bag. Avocados get softer naturally by releasing ethylene gas. By enclosing the fruit in a bag, you trap the gas it releases in there with it, thus speeding up the ripening process.

2. Store it with an apple.

If the paper bag method alone doesn't do the job fast enough for you, toss another fruit in there with the avocado. Like avocados, fruits like apples and bananas emit ethylene gas over time, and by doubling the amount of fruit in the bag you double the concentration of ripening agents.

3. Bury it in flour.

This is one the more unusual suggestions on the list, but it also produces some of the best results. After sticking your avocado in a bag, add enough flour to the bottom to cover or partially submerge the fruit. Like the other tactics, the flour amplifies the avocado's ethylene emissions. It also has the added effect of absorbing excess moisture, producing an avocado that's perfectly ripe, green, and creamy rather than one that's brown and squishy.

4. Put it in a sunny spot.

To slightly cut down an avocado's ripening time, let it sit in the sunniest spot in your kitchen. The warmth of the sunlight will soften your avocado faster without totally changing its flavor the way more intense heat from an oven or microwave does. This method reportedly produces a mushier avocado, making it perfect for your guacamole.