Avocado Varieties: Types of Avocados and How They Taste

Walk into most grocery stores and you would think there is only one avocado. There are actually hundreds of avocado varieties, and they taste noticeably different: some rich and nutty, some light and bright, some so buttery they barely need salt. We grow two of our favorites, Hass and Fuerte, on our family grove in Escondido, and the question we hear most from people who love avocados is simple: what else is out there, and what does it taste like?

This guide walks through the avocado varieties worth knowing, how each one tastes, what to use it for, and how to tell when it is ripe.

How many types of avocados are there?

There are hundreds of named avocado varieties, all from a single species, Persea americana. As early as 1926, one California count already listed 400 named varieties. Almost every one traces back to three natural families, which is where most of the difference in flavor comes from.

You would never guess it from the produce aisle. Hass makes up roughly 95 percent of California’s crop, so most of the other varieties only turn up at farmers markets, in backyards and from small family groves. That is a big part of the fun: once you have tasted a few side by side, you start to have favorites.

What are the “two types” of avocados?

Most people mean the two looks they see in stores: dark, pebbly-skinned Hass, and the large, smooth, bright green avocados often sold as Florida avocados. They are very different eating experiences. Hass is rich, creamy and high in natural oils; the big green ones are lighter, juicier and milder. (Growers also talk about Type A and Type B avocados, which is about how the flowers open. More on that in the chart section below.)

Where avocado flavor comes from

Every avocado variety descends from one of three families, or a cross between them, and the family tells you a lot about the taste before you ever cut one open:

• Mexican. Small fruit with thin skin and very rich, high-oil flesh, sometimes with a faint anise note.
• Guatemalan. Thicker, pebbly skin and creamy, nutty flesh. This is the side of the family Hass comes from.
• West Indian. Big, smooth, green fruit with lighter, juicier, lower-oil flesh. Think of the large Florida avocados.

The rule of thumb: the more Guatemalan or Mexican in a variety’s background, the richer and creamier it tastes. The more West Indian, the lighter and milder.

Avocado varieties worth knowing, and how they taste

Hass

Taste: rich, creamy and nutty, with a high natural oil content. Best for: guacamole, avocado toast, anything where you want avocado to be the star. Ripe when: the pebbly skin has turned from green to purple-black and it gives gently in your palm.

The avocado almost everyone knows, and for good reason. Every Hass in the world traces back to a single tree grown by Rudolph Hass, a mail carrier, who patented it in 1935. Here is the story of the Hass avocado patent. In California, Hass is at its best from spring through summer.

Read nextWhen Is California Hass Season? The Best Months to Buy Hass Avocados

Fuerte

Taste: buttery and smooth, with an almost nutty finish. Many people who try one side by side with Hass find it the more delicate of the two. Best for: slicing, salads, eating with a spoon and a pinch of salt. Ripe when: it gives to a gentle squeeze. The thin, smooth green skin stays green, so color will not help you.

Before Hass took over, Fuerte was California’s avocado. It arrived from Atlixco, Mexico, in 1911, and its name means “strong” in Spanish, after the trees came through the hard freeze of 1913. It is harder to find today partly because its thin skin makes it more delicate to ship, which is exactly why it is such a treat straight from the grove. Fuerte ripens in autumn and winter, just as Hass is winding down. More on Fuerte season on our grove.

Reed

Taste: smooth, rich, nutty and creamy, a lot like Hass. Best for: slicing and dicing, because the flesh holds its shape and is slow to brown. Ripe when: it yields slightly; the thick green skin stays green.

Big, round and heavy, sometimes the size of a softball, so one Reed goes a long way. It is a summer and early-autumn avocado.

Bacon

Taste: light and mild, with a softer, less oily texture than Hass. Best for: salads, sandwiches and smoothies, where you want freshness rather than richness. Ripe when: it gives gently; the smooth skin stays green.

A winter avocado, so it is a nice change of pace when Hass is out of season.

Zutano

Taste: the lightest of the California varieties, with pale, fresh-tasting flesh and less oil. Best for: salads, salsas and blending. Ripe when: the shiny yellow-green skin gives slightly to pressure.

Pinkerton

Taste: rich and creamy, close to Hass. Best for: anything you would use Hass for, with more to go around: the long, pear shape and small seed mean a lot of flesh per fruit. Ripe when: it gives in your palm. The pebbly skin stays green when ripe, so go by feel, not color.

Gwen and Lamb Hass

Both are Hass relatives from the University of California breeding program, with rich, creamy, nutty flavor. They differ in one way that matters in the kitchen: Lamb Hass turns black when ripe, just like Hass, but Gwen stays green, so judge a Gwen by feel. Lamb Hass is harvested later than Hass, which stretches Hass-style avocados into late summer and autumn. Treat a Lamb Hass just like a Hass, and a Gwen like a Hass that never changes color.

Florida avocados: Choquette, Lula and others

Taste: light, juicy and mild, with noticeably less oil than Hass. Best for: diced into salads and salsas, or sliced over rice bowls. They make a thinner, wetter guacamole. Ripe when: the smooth green skin gives slightly; they stay bright green.

These are the very large, smooth avocados sometimes sold as “Florida avocados” or “SlimCados.”

Mexicola and other small black-skinned types

Taste: very rich, sometimes with a hint of anise. Best for: eating out of hand; the skin is so thin that some people eat it. You will mostly find these in backyards and at farmers markets.

Which avocado is best for what?

• Guacamole: Hass, Fuerte or Pinkerton. You want rich, high-oil flesh that mashes smooth. Our classic guacamole is built around Hass.
• Avocado toast: Hass or Fuerte.
• Slicing and fanning on a plate: Reed or Fuerte, which hold their shape.
• Salads and salsas: Bacon, Zutano or the Florida types, for a lighter, fresher bite.
• Smoothies and desserts: any creamy variety. Hass is our go-to for Becca’s avocado chia pudding.

How to tell when each variety is ripe

The biggest mistake people make with unfamiliar avocados is waiting for them to turn dark. Only Hass and a few other black-skinned types, such as Lamb Hass, change color. Fuerte, Reed, Bacon, Zutano, Pinkerton, Gwen and the Florida types stay green when they are perfectly ripe.

For every variety, the reliable test is the same: hold it in your palm (not your fingertips, which bruise) and squeeze gently. Ripe fruit yields slightly, like a firm peach. Our avocado ripening guide covers the palm test, speeding ripening up and slowing it down, and how long shipped avocados last explains how to stagger a box so it does not all ripen at once.

Avocado varieties chart

For the curious, and for anyone thinking about planting a tree, here are 22 varieties side by side. Flower type refers to how the blossoms open: every flower opens female first, then male. Type A flowers are female on the morning of the first day and male the afternoon of the next, while Type B flowers are female in the afternoon and male the next morning. Commercial growers often plant one of each to help cross-pollination, but a backyard tree does not need a partner: in cool weather the two stages overlap on the same tree, and a lone tree usually sets fruit. Cold hardiness is the lowest temperature a mature tree will usually tolerate.

Variety	Flower type	Parentage	USDA zones	Cold hardiness (mature tree)
Hass	A	Mostly Guatemalan	9b – 11	30°F to 32°F
Gwen	A	Mostly Guatemalan	9 – 10	30°F
Lamb Hass	A	Mostly Guatemalan	9 – 11	30°F
Pinkerton	A	Guatemalan / Mexican	9 – 11	28°F to 30°F
Reed	A	Guatemalan	10 – 11	30°F to 32°F
Mexicola	A	Mexican	8 – 11	18°F to 20°F
Stewart	A	Mostly Mexican	8b – 10	25°F
Gem	A	Guatemalan	9 – 11	32°F
Choquette	A	West Indian / Guatemalan	9b – 11	26°F to 28°F
Wurtz (Little Cado)	A	Guatemalan (dwarf)	9 – 11	31°F
Brogdon	A	Mexican / West Indian	9 – 11	24°F
Fuerte	B	Guatemalan / Mexican	9 – 11	26°F to 28°F
Bacon	B	Mostly Mexican	8b – 11	24°F to 26°F
Zutano	B	Mostly Mexican	8b – 11	26°F
Sharwil	B	Guatemalan	9b – 11	28°F to 32°F
Sir Prize	B	Mexican	9 – 11	26°F
Ettinger	B	Mexican / Guatemalan	9 – 11	26°F
Lula	B	West Indian / Guatemalan	9b – 11	25°F
Joey	B	Mexican	8 – 11	15°F to 18°F
Lila (Opal)	B	Mexican	8 – 11	15°F to 18°F
Fantastic	B	Mexican	8 – 11	15°F to 18°F
Nabal	B	Guatemalan	10 – 11	28°F

Prefer to watch? Here is our short walk-through of the chart:

Avocado varieties FAQ

What is the most popular avocado variety?

Hass, by a wide margin. It is the variety most US stores carry year-round, and it makes up roughly 95 percent of California’s avocado crop.

What is the best-tasting avocado?

It comes down to what you like. For rich and creamy, Hass, Fuerte, Pinkerton and Reed. For light and fresh, Bacon, Zutano and the Florida types. We are biased toward Fuerte in winter, when it is at its best.

What is the difference between green and black avocados?

Mostly variety. Hass skin turns purple-black as it ripens, while Fuerte, Reed, Bacon, Zutano and the Florida types stay green. A green Hass simply is not ripe yet; a green Fuerte may be perfect.

Why can I not find Fuerte avocados in the store?

Fuerte’s thin skin makes it more delicate to pack and ship over long distances, and the trees are harder to farm: fruit set is erratic and Fuerte groves alternate-bear more than Hass. The industry standardized on Hass decades ago; Hass passed Fuerte in California volume in 1972. Today it mostly comes from small groves that still grow it, like ours.

Taste the difference

The best way to understand avocado varieties is to taste them side by side. We grow Hass and a few treasured heritage Fuerte trees on our second-generation grove in Escondido, pick to order and ship direct. Fuerte season starts in November and boxes are limited. Join the Fuerte list to hear first when it is ready, or see what is in season now.

This is part of our complete guide to choosing, ripening and using avocados — when the season runs, how the varieties differ, how to ripen fruit at home and what to do with it.