It can take avocados ages to be soft and ready to eat, but there is a simple way to speed up their ripening process naturally using only the items in your fruit bowl.

Picture of ripe avocados

Avocados are easy to get soft as ripe as long as you do not expose them to heat (Image: Getty)

Nothing is better than toast topped with fresh creamy avocado, but it can be annoying to be in the middle of cutting the fruit only to discover it is unripe. 

If you wish to ripen an avocado quickly then it can be done quickly and naturally but it is incredibly important not to try putting it in the oven despite how popular this hack is online. 

Lori Monte, a cook and founder of The Kitchen Whisperer, has shared that cooking an unripe avocado will not ripen it and instead lead to a rubbery ruined fruit that tastes horrible. 

She said: “It ‘kind of’ works but ONLY if you have an almost ripe avocado.

“But working with a rock-hard avocado – don’t try it. Please. You’ll just end up wasting your time and end up with a soft and slimy avocado whose interior flesh is still rock hard.”

Picture of avocados in a fruit bowl

Avocados will ripen naturally if stored near apples or bananas (Image: Getty)

Avocados will not ripen when exposed to excessive heat as it will simply cook the outer layer of the fruit, which will lead to a mushy exterior while the middle remains underripe. 

Instead, Lori has shared that you can ripen avocados naturally by placing them in a bag with an apple or a banana. 

When fruit is harvested it will begin to naturally produce a substance called ethylene gas, which ripens, breaking down starches in the fruit to make it softer and more flavourful. 

Bananas and apples produce a lot of ethylene gas and when stored in an enclosed container like a paper bag they will begin to quickly ripen all fruit nearby 

Lori said: “Apples and bananas give off ethylene which is a natural food ripening agent. 

“By ‘trapping’ the avocado in the bag with the fruit you’re speeding up the ripening process of the avocado.”

Picture of avocados near a paper bag

Simply place the avocados in a paper bag with a apple or banana (Image: Getty)

How to naturally ripen avocados using the paper bag method

All you need to do is place any unripened avocados in a paper bag will either an apple or a banana. 

Fold the bag so it is shut tightly and no light can get in. You may want to use a rubber band or paper clip to secure the bag. 

Then, place the bag in a dark place in your kitchen such as a pantry, drawer or cupboard. 

Keep the paper bag away from light and heat as it will damage the avocados rather than ripen them.

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Piture of ripe avocaods

Avocados will be fresh and ripe after 24 hours (Image: Getty)

Make sure to use a breathable container that allows air to circulate like a paper bag as you do not want moisture to get trapped as it will cause rot or mould. 

Do not use a plastic bag — it will create a damp environment where bacteria can thrive. 

Open up the bag after 24 hours and you should have green, soft and deliciously ripe avocados ready to eat.