How to Keep Avocados Fresh for Days, According to This Viral Instagram Hack

Lindsay Parrill

A viral Instagram video promises to keep avocados fresh for days. I tested it and was shocked to find it actually works.

Avocados have the emotional range of a toddler: perfectly fine one minute, total meltdown the next. Blink, and that deliciously creamy green turns sad and brown. They’ll break your heart by giving you about five minutes of perfect ripeness before collapsing into mush, and no amount of plastic wrap ever seems to help at all.

So when a viral Instagram reel promised to keep avocados fresh for days with nothing more than a plate and a refrigerator, I had to see if it could outsmart the most dramatic fruit in the produce aisle.

Here’s Exactly How to Keep Your Avocados Fresh

In the video, which has been making the rounds in foodie corners of social media, chef Matt Mancuso calls this the best kitchen hack he’s learned in the last five years. And it’s suspiciously simple. After slicing off the top portion of your avocado for your toast or taco topping, flip the rest onto a plate, cut side down, and pop it in the fridge. That’s it—no cling wrap, no water bath, no half-hearted lemon juice drizzle.

The logic checks out. When the exposed flesh is pressed tightly against the plate, air can’t reach it. Less oxygen means slower oxidation—the process that turns that gorgeous green into muddy brown once it’s cut and exposed to the outside world. The cold air of the fridge does the rest, keeping the fruit firm and halting the ripening spiral.

Does this hack actually work?

sliced avocado upside down on a plate — TASTE OF HOME

Shockingly, yes. I was ready to roll my eyes and move on, but this hack proved me wrong. I finished the experiment genuinely impressed. After slicing (and eating) the top portion of my avocado, I followed the video’s instructions exactly and stored the rest upside down on a plate in the fridge.

When I checked 24 hours later, I saw only the faintest ring of browning. After slicing off that thin layer, the inside looked—and tasted—just as fresh as day 1. I repeated the same routine for three days straight, and each time it was still creamy, green, and ready to be spread on toast.

Results may vary depending on how ripe your avocado is to begin with, but this hack easily brought me three extra days of perfectly fresh avocado toast. Who knew the answer to the avocado’s mood swings was as simple as flipping it upside down?