Avocado Ice Cream

Avocado lovers, listen up: We’ve developed one creamy, decadent avocado ice cream recipe that’ll satisfy your sweet tooth and leave your belly happy. If you’ve never tried avocado ice cream and are a little hesitant on combining sweet sugar with the rich, nutty flavor of an avocado, this is an excellent recipe to start with. Yes, avocado ice cream does taste a bit like avocado, but it’s mild, slightly nutty, and just sweet enough to be a treat. And all that healthy fat leads to a seriously creamy consistency. We’ve added plain Greek yogurt and heavy whipping cream as well, taking what could be a bland recipe and adding a rich, smooth slightly tangy flavor from the yogurt. Add in the optional chocolate chips, and your taste buds won’t even know what hit them.

Ingredients for Avocado Ice Cream

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• Avocados: For best flavor and texture, we recommend using fresh, ripe avocados. Frozen avocado will also work well.
• Dairy: You’ll be using heavy whipping cream and plain Greek yogurt to create an impossibly thick, creamy consistency.
• Sugar: If you’d like a more subtle, deeper sweet tone, try using coconut sugar here.
• Vanilla extract: Consider making your own vanilla extract to keep on hand for baking projects such as this – the extra effort is definitely worth the added flavor.
• Salt: Although it’s just a pinch, the added salt helps to balance the flavors of sugar and vanilla extract, while also bringing out the nutty avocado flavor as well.
• Miniature semisweet chocolate chips, optional: These tiny chocolate morsels add a nice, rich depth to avocado ice cream.

Directions

Step 1: Blend ingredients

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Place all ingredients (except for the optional chocolate chips) into a blender; cover and process until smooth.

Step 2: Transfer to ice cream maker

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Fill the cylinder of an ice cream maker no more than two-thirds full. You can refrigerate any remaining mixture until you’re ready to freeze it, or make avocado ice cream freeze pops by using popsicle molds. Freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions, adding chocolate chips during last minute of processing, if desired.

Step 3: Freeze

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Transfer the ice cream to freezer containers, allowing headspace for expansion. Freeze until firm, or about two to four hours.

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Avocado Ice Cream Variations

• Add bananas: Frozen bananas are creamy and sweet, and they add a pop of tropical flavor to an otherwise more neutral ice cream. Peel two to three bananas and drop them into the blender with the rest of the ingredients.
• Make it minty: Avocado has a mellow, nutty flavor that pairs exceptionally well with mint. Finely dice a few sprigs of fresh mint and toss it into the blender with the rest of the ingredients.
• Top with pistachios: Chop a handful of pistachios and sprinkle over the top prior to serving.

How to Store Avocado Ice Cream

While we doubt you’ll have leftovers for this long (this recipe for avocado ice cream is a fan favorite!), you can store properly sealed avocado ice cream in the freezer for up to three months.

Avocado Ice Cream Tips

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Can I make this vegan?

Yes, avocado ice cream is an excellent vegan ice cream and this recipe is fairly simple to adapt. To do so, change out the heavy whipping cream and Greek yogurt for canned, full-fat coconut milk and coconut yogurt. Continue the rest of the recipe as called for.

How do I keep the green avocado color?

Add a bit of lemon to the blender (a few tablespoons is just fine). Additionally, cover the ice cream tightly with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic wrap is touching the top of the ice cream. Then, store it in an airtight container being sure to keep the plastic directly on top of the ice cream as you’re securing the top of the container. Keeping oxygen from the avocado is key to keeping it nice and green.

How can I hide the avocado flavor?

If you have a few picky eaters in your house but you love avocado ice cream (and want to serve up a good dose of quality, healthy fats) you can add cocoa powder and maple syrup to the blender. The combination will not only mask the color of the avocados, but it will add a richer, more chocolatey-sweet flavor that’ll keep picky eaters from the know.