What Kind Of Fruit Is An Avocado?

Although you might find avocados grouped with the vegetables in your grocery store's produce section, an avocado is not actually a vegetable. Who knew, right? The classification of creamy avocados is a question that has plagued culinary enthusiasts for years, most likely due to the wide variety of savory foods that you typically enjoy with them. Avocado tastes delish in a salad, alongside salsa-topped chicken, or in a recipe for mango avocado spring rolls served with ginger and soy peanut sauce. 

These preparations undoubtedly give a veggie vibe, but they are definitely a fruit. Avocados, like tomatoes and peppers, fall into the category of culinary vegetables. This means that they usually are used in the same way as other veggies in the kitchen — an honorary vegetable, if you will. Due to the fact that they have edible flesh, grow out of a flower, contain a seed, and grow on trees, avocados are firmly in the scientific category of fruits. In contrast, vegetables — though not a technical botanical term — are usually the roots, stalks, leaves, or flowers of edible plants. To be specific, an avocado fits the definition of a single-seeded berry. Are you berry surprised by this news? You aren't alone. 

You may need a ceramic knife to cut avocado skin, but that doesn't change the fact that avocados have a lot in common with blueberries, cranberries, and peaches. Most berries have multiple seeds and a soft inner layer. But that also doesn't mean avocados aren't berries; they simply fall among other single-seed berries in the family lauraceae, like sassafras and bay laurel. Their thick skin, or exocarp, doesn't disqualify them, and they still have a soft inner layer that is oh-so-scoopable with a spoon! Best of all, they are loaded in potassium (even more so than bananas) and contain good fats that keep your heart happy. 

Having squared away the squirrely science of avocados' classification, we can focus on just enjoying one of our favorite foods. When you are trying to find the best avocados at the grocery store, you need to use your sense of touch the way you do with fruit ... feel for softness and "give." Slightly soft avocados will be ready to take home and enjoy in guacamole, mashed on toast, blended into smoothies, or even substituted for condiments like mayo or sour cream. But you need not stop with the typical uses: Much like their smaller berry kin, they pair well with chocolate. Regardless of taxonomy, avocados are delicious.