How To Make Avocado Oil (Extra Virgin - Cold-process)
How to make avocado oil at home with just some ripe or overripe avocados and a bit of patience! perfect for high-heat baking, frying, and cooking as well as for hair and beauty purposes!
This many medium avocados yields about 2/3 cups of avocado oil.
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare an avocado paste
First, mash the avocados into a smooth paste. You can use a hand masher, fork, or blender/food processor for this*.
Once mashed, spread the avocado paste in a thin layer over a parchment paper-lined tray or similar surface. Aim to keep the layer below 1/2-inch thickness. Use multiple trays, if necessary.
Step 2: Dry the paste
Allow the avocado paste to dry naturally** in a well-ventilated area (away from direct sunshine) for a few days (4-5). The amount of time this takes may differ depending on the climate/weather where you live.Once you notice that the top of your avocado paste has gone considerably brown, then mix it up well and re-spread into a thin layer. You'll need to do this several times (at least 2 times a day - usually morning and evening).
Continue to do this until you have a very dark brown colored paste. If yours was slightly chunky, like mine, then you may still have a few green bits. If it was super smooth, it's likely that the entire paste is now brown.***
Step 3: Extract the avocado oil
Place the avocado paste in a nut milk bag, muslin cloth, or similar material. You can now either hand-squeeze the oil into a container or leave it to naturally drain, squeezing it at the end of the draining process to get the last of the oil.If, for whatever reason, there are any 'bits' in the oil, then feel free to strain it once more when decanting it into a sterilized glass container.
How To Store
Avocado oil is shelf-stable and should last for months (possibly even up to a year) when stores in an airtight container away from direct heat and sunlight.You can also keep the oil stored in the fridge to extend the shelf life further, by a few months even.
Notes
* I used a hand masher this time round to see the results. A smoother paste from a machine can yield slightly better results due to the more even drying.** You may also use a dehydrator to speed up this process. Though, keep the temperature below 40ºC/104ºF for the oil to remain extra virgin.*** Some people wait until the paste is almost completely dried, but if you do so, then you'll find it incredibly difficult to extract the oil. One good way to know that it is ready is to look at your spoon when mixing the paste; the first few times you mix the mixture, it will pick up avocado. However, when it's ready, you'll notice that the paste no longer sticks to the spoon. Instead, it will look slightly oily.Other DIY notes
Avocado oil can differ in shade and yield based on what avocados you use and several factors (the color can range from a golden yellowy green to dark green- green is best!).
To make organic avocado oil, simply use organic avocados.
Tip for cheap avocados: If you're purchasing avocados from a farmers market, it can be a good idea to look out for overripe avocados as you'll often get them cheaper (or can haggle to get them cheaper).
You can also use any overripe avocados that you have at home ( it happens to all of us). If you want to wait until you have a good amount before making the oil, then freeze the overripe avocados until you have enough, thawing them on the counter till they reach room temperature.
If you plan on using avocado oil to help treat any skin condition, it may be best to consult your doctor first and/or do a skin patch test to check for potential allergies.
Read the blog post above for ways to use the leftover avocado flesh, seeds (pits), and skin!