You might not find avocado ice cream in a U.S. Baskin and Robbins anytime soon, but it’s a huge favorite in a lot of other countries from the Philippines and Indonesia to Brazil and its gelato cousin in southern Italy.
You can make it from all wholesome ingredients (and based on the super ‘good-for-you’ avocado), there are health benefits that make this a snack you could eat every day!
Avocado Ice Cream Around the World
You can easily make avocado ice cream into a chocolate-mint chip because the mild flavor of avocado is masked by the stronger mint and chocolate flavors! See second photo from the left. The chocolate changes the color a bit! No artificial colors either!
Avocados are a great source of vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium. They also provide lutein, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids…and even more health benefits, I’ll mention in a minute.
It’s the kind of ice cream you can eat everyday.
Seven weeks before I had our twins (I was almost 41), I received doctor’s orders to stay off my feet to delay their entry into this world as long as possible. With our first child, a 22-month old, and 6 infertility procedures under my belt, I needed help, so we asked a young Filipino woman to come and stay with us for a time. She needed help and so did we.
Medy taught us how to make this amazing, nutty, creamy, delicious, typical Filipino avocado ice cream. She was a blessing to your family in many ways.
Through the years I’ve experimented with Medy’s tropical recipe (and variations) to make it dairy-free and refined sugar-free, and it’s still just as fabulous.
Avocado ice cream is perfect for those hot dog days of summer but rich and satisfying anytime!
The good fats in avocados keeps the finished product from freezing hard.
Avocado Ice Cream Recipe (with Ketogenic Option):
Ingredients (serves 4):
- 3 med. to large avocados
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup honey or to taste. Go Ketogenic: with this Stevia Powder use just under 1/4 tsp. and add work up to taste (the conversion chart shows 1 tsp. stevia = 1 c. sugar). Or 4 TBSP Lakanto monk fruit = 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. real vanilla extract (optional)
- pinch of sea salt for extra health-giving minerals and to bring out flavors
- (optional) add 72% dark chocolate chunks and experiment with adding 2-3 drops of real mint extract (to taste)
Note: Only use absolutely ripe but not over-ripe avocados. For a slightly less sweet ice cream, use 1/5 cup of your sweetener and add stevia of your choice
Directions:
1. Cut avocados in quarters, pop out the pits, and peel down the heavy skin.
2. Smash the soft avocado meat with a fork until no lumps remain. This takes no time at all with a potato masher when they are truly ripe!
3. Add sweetener and all other ingredients and mix thoroughly with spoon. Taste test for sweetness at this time.
4. Put mixture in blender for extra smooth consistency, optional
5. Pour into your freezer container and freeze for at minimum 3 hours or overnight.
Tip: Save a couple of empty ice cream containers and their lids to re-use just for your own homemade ice cream!
Avocados are a Superfood:
- Made up of heart-healthy, plaque-busting, weight-reducing mono-unsaturated fatty acids
- Prevent birth defects. Eat a single avocado each day, and you’ll fulfill 41% of the daily recommended value of folic acid.
- Regulate the blood sugar levels – are full of monounsaturated fat that slows the release of sugars into the bloodstream, prompting less insulin release.
- Smooshed up, makes a wonderful brain-nourishing baby food.
- Rich source of vitamins and minerals – Avocados are full of potassium (way more than bananas) and magnesium, two nutrients known to help reduce blood pressure. They are also rich in Vitamins A, B9, B6, B5,C, K, and E along with copper, bio-available iron, and phosphorus.
- See my post on 14 other health benefits here.
I thank God for sending our family Medy, allowing me to rest!
We believe having her help kept our twins safely inside my body for 6 more weeks, allowing me extra-special time with our active toddler – not to mention, learning a bit of fabulous Filipino cooking!
Good health to you all and Bon appétit!
Have you ever had this typical Filipino avocado dessert?
Charlotte Moore
How interesting to make ice cream from avocados. I wonder if a little mint extract would make it taste like mint since it looks like mint?
Hope you are doing well.
Blessings!
Jacqueline
Yes, mint and chocolate chips *could* be amazing, Charlotte! If you do make it, let me know…
The colors are just perfect, aren’t they!
Janet
Yummy. I’m going to give it a try!
Jacqueline
Yay! Enjoy!
Janet
Have you tried using an ice cream maker, or is it just as easy to freeze it all at once without the dasher spinning inside the frozen canister?
Jacqueline
Janet, for me, the ice cream maker is overkill for this recipe. I just smash it and freeze it, but it will work in an ice cream maker for a quicker set-up. Do it 😀
Lisa
Hi there!
Just to clarify….in #3 it says to “add sweetener and other ingredients”, but in #5 it says to add the milk. Do the “other ingredients” refer to everything other than the milk? If it is blended in the blender, is this done before adding the milk then?
Thanks….sounds so yummy!
Lisa
(in Mongolia!)
Jacqueline
Yes, Lisa, the other ingredients except the milk! Sorry and thanks for clarifying 🙂 I don’t blend mine b/c I don’t like the extra clean-up and it gets pretty smooth for me with my potato masher, but it would be best to add the milk later if you use the blender….
Blessings to you in Mongolia!
Diana
Thank you for this recipe! I’m going to try it with just stevia and see what happens. 🙂
Marla
Avocado is so good for us. I tried a recipe very similar to this one, but me or my husband didn’t really like the taste of the ice-cream but we do make pineapple, raspberries, blueberry, pumpkin much the same way except we add a few tablespoons of coconut nectar which gives it a really good taste. We would love you to share your real food recipes on Real Food Friday that goes live every Thursday @ 7pm EST. Visiting from Simple Homestead Blog hop.
Jacqueline
Thanks, Marla! That would be great 🙂 And I’ll be looking into coconut nectar! Sounds delish and a nice way to add more coconut to our diet 🙂
Blessings!
Kelly @RaisingSamuels
Sounds yummy! Can’t wait to try! Thanks for sharing on #SocialButterflySunday this week 🙂
eatdrinkandmeetmary.com
Thanks for nice recipes….this ice cream will be healthy for kids.
Sharon Wade
Is the coconut milk the one in the can or the refrigerated carton kind, or does it matter?
Jacqueline
Sharon, It is the one in the can with the healthy thick coconut oil you spoon out! Enjoy!
Jeannette
I have tried this and it is pretty tasty! I want to make it again and just reviewed the recipe. I did notice that the stevia comment about how much to use is probably an error. The link to the stevia product shows a comment that someone made a blend of it with erythritol. That blended product used about 1 Tbl to equal the sweetness of one cup of sugar. I think 1/4 – 1/2 tsp of stevia is about the sweetness of one cup of sugar. Maybe I am remembering that wrong, but I know it is a very small amount. People familiar with stevia probably know this, but if it is new to them, be aware to start with a small amount and work up. 🙂
Jeannette again
I see I didn’t explain that very well. The recipe calls for 1/4 C honey (or 1/4 C sugar). So using my note above, it would only take 1/16 to 1/8 of a teaspoon to sweeten. Then add more if it isn’t sweet enough. I used to use stevia regularly, but it has been a while. Thanks for a yummy way to use avocado!
Jacqueline
Jeannette, I am so thankful you caught that! It is fixed now! You are a dear!
Sending peace to you!
Love,
Jacque