Abstract Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments were conducted to find desirable methods for maturity evaluation of avocado fruits. NMR image intensity, the ratio of the oil and water resonance peaks of the one-dimensional NMR spectrum, and both the spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) and spin-spin relaxation time (T2) of water in the fruit were found to correlate with maturity of the fruit. The technique of using a surface-coil NMR probe to obtain the oil/water resonance peak ratio of the signal from a region of an intact fruit produced the best result and has desirable features for high-speed sorting.