Whether added to a smoothie, tossed into a salad, served with eggs in the morning, or used to make guacamole, avocados are not only delicious but also packed with healthy fats that support heart health, help manage cholesterol levels, and provide fibre along with a range of essential vitamins and minerals. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the price of an avocado in January 2025 was 91 pence, nearly one pound per item, marking a significant increase from the year 2000, when avocados cost just 47 pence each. It is therefore safe to say that there is nothing more frustrating than paying a high price just to find that your avocado has gone brown in a matter of hours.
In a video posted to her Youtube channel, Jessica Gavin, a food scientist, certified culinary scientist, and cookbook author, shared an unusual yet effective technique with her 151K subscribers that she uses to keep avocados from browning so soon after you’ve diced them up. All she does is add the chopped avocado to a bowl with some water and one tablespoon of lemon juice or lime juice.
The food scientist said that this creates an ‘acidulated water bath’ with the citric acid acting as an antioxidant that is going to interact with the oxygen instead of enzymatic browning with the enzymes in the avocados which will end up slowing down the browning process.
However, Gavin advises not to soak the avocados for more than 10 minutes to avoid them becoming mushy, which will take away that buttery texture that we all want.
She said this will make your avocados no longer ‘brown and yucky’.
One person commented saying that people in Mexico have been preserving avocados using lemon juice for a long time and stated: “Mexican people have been preserving avocado with Lemon juice through history. My father taught me to squeeze lemon juice on avocados before refrigerating as a young child in the 70s, he said to keep it from oxidizing”.
The lemon will slow down the oxidation process and decrease the enzymatic activity but you want to still make sure you also tightly wrap the avocado halves to create a barrier against air and prevent drying, and store it in the fridge as soon as possible.
While Gavin says to put the avocados in two to three cups of water and then add the tablespoon of lemon juice, you can also brush or spray lemon juice on the cut avocado surface if you’re worried about the texture, and then wrap tightly or store in an airtight container.
Regularly check the diced avocados for any signs of browning or spoilage to make sure you eat them before they go brown.