How to Cut an Avocado and Easily Get the Pit Out

The best and easiest (and no mess!) method to cut an avocado and remove the pit without feeling like you’re trying to wrestle a slippery fish.

What’s the best way to cut an avocado? And how in the world do you get that rascally pit out (without feeling like you’re trying to wrestle a fish)?!

Are Avocados Healthy?

Avocados are a wonderfully healthy food.

With 9 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, and 150 mg of omega-3s, plus vitamins C, K, and B6, avocados are the perfectly slimming and healthy replacement for fattening mayonnaise, cheese, or butter in sandwiches or on bread.

How to Choose a Good Avocado

(For this post, I’m referring to the most popular variety of avocados – Haas avocados.)

Cutting open an avocado only to find that it is spoiled is quite disappointing. To avoid this, I always buy firm, unripe avocados at the grocery store. Then I allow them to ripen on my counter top where I can carefully guard them from getting bruised and keep a close eye on them – and eat them at their perfect ripeness.

How to Know When an Avocado is Ripe?

A nicely ripened avocado tastes rich and buttery, but an unripe one is a different story. Imagine biting into a piece of oily rubber and you’ll know what I mean when I say that it’s good to make sure your avocado is ripe before you cut it.

But, of course, you don’t want your avocado to get too ripe or it will be super mushy and maybe even spoiled.

So how do you know when an avocado is ripe?

Think of Mr. Whipple. If you gently press the skin of the avocado with your thumb, it should give ever so slightly. If it feels hard, it is not ready. If it’s squishy, it may be over ripe. If it feels (or sounds) hollow, it is probably spoiled.

Another way to determine if your avocado is ripe is to pay attention to the color of the skin. The skin of a Haas avocado (the most popular variety of avocados) will change from bright green to very dark green or purplish-black when it is ripe.

How to Cut an Avocado

To easily prepare an avocado, I like to use a good chef’s knife because it provides a clean, smooth, precise cut. And a chef’s knife is big enough to cut all the way through to the pit.

Here’s how to cut an avocado:

1. Holding the avocado with one hand, cut it lengthwise around the pit. Insert the knife into the avocado and swivel it all the way around until you’ve cut the avocado in half.

2. Set the knife aside and holding onto the two avocado halves, gently twist them apart.

How to Remove the Avocado Pit

Now that you’ve cut your avocado, you will probably want to remove the pit.

Here’s how to easily remove an avocado pit without even touching it or messing up your pretty avocado.

1. Hold the avocado half in one hand.

2. Now give the pit a firm tap with the sharp edge your chef’s knife. Use enough force so that the knife wedges into the pit a little.

(I recommend putting a folded kitchen towel in your hand for safety.)

3. Pressing the knife into the pit slightly, swivel/twist your knife and dislodge the pit. Voila! The pit should lift right out of the avocado.

How to Peel an Avocado

Method 1

The easiest way to separate the peel from the avocado flesh is to scoop the flesh out with a spoon (after you’ve cut the avocado in half and removed the pit).

This method is perfect for when you need the flesh for something like guacamole or salad dressing. Or if you just want to eat the avocado plain.

Method 2

Cut the avocado halves lengthwise into quarters (or smaller). The skin will easier pull of the avocado wedges.

Method 3

If you need sliced or cubed avocado, you can cut the avocado halves while still in the skin.

Then either:

Gently and carefully scoop the slices or cubes out with a large spoon.
OR
Lie the avocado cut-side-down on a plate or cutting board. Pull the peel off starting at the stem end. It usually tears into pieces, but it comes off easily.