Looking for an easy, homemade dessert...that’s ALSO vegan?! Look no further! This secretly healthy avocado ice cream recipe is rich, smooth, and so unbelievably creamy. Just one taste and you’ll be smitten - and you’d never believe the ingredients!
Avocados and ice cream might not seem like a natural fit. They’re green, they’re healthy, but are they dessert-worthy? But the two work beautifully together, just as you can add avocados to smoothies. Avocados have a smooth and naturally creamy texture, making them such a perfect candidate to throw into frozen desserts. And the best part is that you don’t even need an ice cream maker to whip up this vegan treat!
Ingredients:
- Two ripe avocados
- Canned coconut milk
- 1 banana
- A sweetener of choice
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon Juice
Instructions:
- Start by combining the avocados, a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, canned coconut milk, a ripe banana and your favorite sweetener.
- While blending, it will look like a super thick vibrant green smoothie, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for.
- When the mixture is smooth and consistent, transfer it form the blender to a loaf pan, and freeze for 4 hours. And then you’ve got homemade avocado ice cream! The waiting is the hard part.
Notes:
- Sweetener options: Pretty much any all purpose sweetener goes, from sugar or pure maple syrup, to honey or agave, to stevia or erythritol for sugar free ice cream. If using stevia, use only the amount equivalent in sweetness to one fourth cup of sugar.
- The avocados: Squeeze the fruit very gently. They are ripe if they yield slightly to the pressure but do not feel mushy. Use ripe avocados for this recipe.
Once you’ve mastered the art of avocado ice cream, you can try out these fun variants as well:
Avocado ice cream flavors:
- Chocolate Ice Cream: Blend three tablespoons of unsweetened or Dutch cocoa powder into the avocado ice cream mixture.
- Mint Chocolate Chip: Add one fourth teaspoon of pure peppermint extract before blending. Stir a handful of chocolate chips into the ice cream at the end.
- Vanilla Bean: Replace the vanilla extract in the recipe below with half a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or the flecks inside half of a small vanilla bean pod.
- Coconut Avocado Ice Cream: Use canned coconut milk or coconut cream instead of heavy cream. Top with shredded coconut or Coconut Whipped Cream.
- Chocolate Chip: Blend a third cup of regular sized or mini chocolate chips into the healthy ice cream, or stir the chocolate chips in after blending.
- Banana: For avocado nice cream, simply blend one banana into the mixture. If desired, you can omit the sweetener in the recipe below and add a few dates instead.
- Lime: Traditional avocado ice cream is often made with lime juice. Feel free to add two teaspoons of lime juice to this recipe and an optional teaspoon of lime zest
