Tips for Composting
Avocado Skin
and Pits

If you’re an avid avocado eater or you just happen to whip up an extra-large batch of guacamole, you may find yourself with peels and pits piled up in the waste bin. Is there something you can do with all this? Can you compost avocado pits? Can you compost avocado skin? As a matter of fact, you can!

Can You Compost Avocado Pits and Skins?

Yes! You can compost avocado pits, skins, and even unusable or brown avocado meat. However, avocado peels tend to be slow to decompose. To speed up the process, cut the peels into small squares with kitchen scissors before adding them to your composter. Avocado pits take even longer to break down, so grind them up before adding them to your composter.

Looking for other uses for avocado skin? If you’ve had your composter for a while, take some of the rich soil it produces and fill your empty avocado skins. These biodegradable “pots” make great windowsill-sized homes for herb, veggie, and plant seedlings. When the seedling is ready to be transplanted to a garden bed or larger pot, you can bury the avocado skin right in the soil — voila! Built-in compost!

Why Should You Compost Avocado Pits and Skins?

We know YOU love eating avocado, but so will your garden. Composting your avocado peels and pits is a resourceful way to share your favorite fruit with your yard. One of the main keys to composting efficiently is to have a diverse, nutrient-rich compost pile. The more fruit and vegetable scraps from your kitchen (and natural waste from your yard, like leaves and lawn clippings), the happier and healthier your compost will be.

One of our favorite parts of Avocados From Mexico is that they contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, including potassium, copper, vitamin E, and vitamin C. These nutrients are great for humans like you, and the goodness doesn’t stop there. Not only are fresh avocados cholesterol- and sugar-free, but they’re also a source of good fats!

That nutritious profile is good news for your garden, too. When your compost is ready to be applied, avocados’ wide variety of nutrients might contribute to your compost’s role in building healthier soil, preventing soil erosion, and improving your plants’ health in your yard.

Other Avocado Recycling Tips

If you’re not composting, that’s OK. You can still reuse your avocado in these other ways. There are plenty of uses for avocado skins and pits.

• Plant the seed in your garden and grow your very own avocado tree.
• When your dogs are barking, whip up this simple avocado foot scrub.

Before you can compost or recycle avocado peels and pits, or turn them into your next work of art, you need a delicious recipe to use up the green goodness inside!

Avocado Dirt That’s Yummy for Humans

Let’s take a quick break from discussing decomposed avocados and talk about something a little more delicious: dirt cups. Pudding, that is. Despite being known as a childhood classic, it’s proven by science that dirt cups ain’t just for kids.

And yes, before you say anything, of course, we have a recipe for Avocado Chocolate Pudding Cups. All that’s missing is a layer of crushed chocolate cookies on top and a couple of gummy worms wiggling their way through. (When you’re finished making them, don’t forget to toss those avocado pits and peels in the compost pile!)

More Ways to Save Leftover Avocado

Your compost pile will be very grateful for each scrap of avocado peels and pits you feed it, but that doesn’t mean you need to let any avocado go to waste. Before tossing out leftover halves of avocado or worrying leftover guacamole will turn brown, check out these preservation tips:

How to Store Leftover Avocado:

An uneaten avocado half today is an eaten half tomorrow. All you have to do is spritz the bright green interior of your avocado with lemon juice before covering it in plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic is thoroughly pressed down to keep the air out. An avocado wrapped like this and stored in the refrigerator should last another day or two.

How to Save Leftover Guacamole:

It’s a similar method for guac. Pour a thin layer of lemon juice, lime juice, or milk (yes, milk!) on your guacamole to create a seal between that precious dip and the air. Cover the bowl in plastic wrap (keeping the plastic pressed to the guac) and store it in the refrigerator. That guac has up to two days of goodness left before it needs to go into the compost pile!

If you can’t wait to start composting avocado pits and peels, we know the feeling — it’s just one more great reason to start eating more avocado. Dig into our bottomless avocado recipe book for inspiration for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.