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If you’re looking for a homemade easy vegan dessert, you need to try avocado ice cream. I know what you’re thinking, avocados and ice cream together? But it totally works, just like you can add avocados to smoothies. Avocados have a smooth and naturally creamy texture makes it such a perfect candidate to throw in smoothies, mousses and even ice cream. And the best part is you don’t need an ice cream maker to whip up this vegan treat!
How to make avocado ice cream
There are some simple versions of this recipe that basically use avocados, heavy cream, sugar and lemon juice (to prevent the avocados from browning). My version is pretty similar to the general ones, but I also add bananas for some sweetness and I used canned coconut milk to make this vegan and paleo friendly.
You’ll need 2 ripe avocados to start along with fresh mint leaves and a couple tablespoons of lemon juice.
Next, add those ingredients all together along with canned coconut milk, a ripe banana and maple syrup to sweeten it. When you blend it, 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 part is the hard part.
There may be some discoloration on the top after you freeze the avocado ice cream, but a tightly wrapped plastic touching the ice cream will usually help eliminate that problem.
Avocado ice cream variations
- Don’t like mint? Leave it out!
- Want to make this into a mint chocolate chip ice cream? Double the amount of mint leaves and fold in chocolate chips in the end!
- Craving some chocolatey? Add 2 tablespoons of cacao powder to the recipe to make Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream.
- Want to add a citrus flavor to it? Blend 1 tablespoon of lemon zest or orange zest, or combination of the two into the blender.
- Love nuts? Chop them finely and fold them in right before freezing. I love adding pistachios or almonds to this.
Watch this video to learn how to make avocado ice cream.
Tips for making avocado nice cream
- Make sure to cut the bananas before freezing them. This makes it much easier for the blender or food processor to break down and churn the bananas quickly before it turns into a smoothie.
- Freeze the ice cream container before adding ice cream to it. It’s hard to remember, but if you can do this for 24 hours before you add the ice cream mix to it, it will really help improve the consistency.
- Work quickly to transfer the ice cream. Try to scoop it from the food processor bowl to the ice cream container as quickly as possible. That’s because fast freezing help minimize ice crystals.
For more vegan desserts:
- Almond Joy Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie
- Cappuccino Ice Cream
- Avocado Chocolate Mousse
- Vegan Lemon Pudding
- 3-Ingredient Chia Pudding
If you’e never made ice cream before and you don’t have an ice cream maker, don’t be intimidated. All you need is a good blender, super ripe avocados and a few other basic pantry items.
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Avocado Ice Cream recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Avocado Ice Cream
Video
Ingredients
- 1 14- ounce can full-fat coconut milk refrigerated overnight
- 2 avocados halved, pitted and peeled
- 1 ripe banana cut, and frozen
- 3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4-5 fresh mint
Instructions
- Chill a loaf pan in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- In a high-speed blender, add the peeled and pitted avocados. Scoop out the solid part of the coconut milk into a blender and save the liquid part to use in another recipe (like a smoothie). Add the banana, maple syrup, lemon juice and mint leaves. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the mixture into the chilled loaf pan and use the back of a spoon to distribute evenly. Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- For best results, let soften for 10-15 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Notes
- For best results, eat the ice cream within 48 hours
- To minimize browning, make sure to place a plastic wrap tightly over the ice cream, so that it is touching the ice cream, right before you freeze it
- Store any leftovers in the loaf pan or an airtight container in the freezer
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Hi, can I use a can of coconut cream instead of coconut milk? Would I need to adjust anything in the recipe if I use the cream?
Yes, you can! You don’t need to change anything, just know that your ice cream will turn out creamier (which is not a bad thing, in my opinion). Enjoy!!
I put all the ingredients together. It was so beautiful. However, when I froze the mixture, it’s not soft like ice cream, but very hard. It does taste great, but I can’t figure out what I did wrong.
Hi Shawn, did you use canned full-fat coconut milk and make sure to refrigerate it overnight?
I did use full fat coconut milk, but didn’t refrigerate it overnight. I missed that step. I’ll give that a go. It tasted fabulous, but I had to let it soften first.
I forgot to freeze the bananas so I will update with how it turned out. I used no sugar chocolate chips added in and before I froze it taste tested it and it was so yummy! Leave your coconut milk in the fridge for 2-3 days and the whole thing becomes a cream with no liquid.
So glad you loved the flavor, Lexie! I hope your ice cream turned out great!!
Could you like to convert coconut milk amount into grams/ ml?
Hi Lianesia, 14 ounces converts to 414 mL. I believe coconut milk cans come in a 400-milliliter size, I would use one of those for this recipe!
Ok, I made this and it was so good, even without the maple syrup. This is definitely now my favorite.
So glad you enjoyed the ice cream!
Wow that’s an awesome icecream , I have been avoiding icecream because high in fat and sugar and I have heart problems . Now I am going to buy an icecream maker.
Thank you!! That’s so exciting!
Is this keto friendly?
I don’t think so because the banana adds a bit of carbs to the recipe.