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Avocado Ice Cream Recipe

Wait! Don’t click away. This is actually not just sort of unique but actually really good. I promise. Yes, I’m talking about avocado ice cream.

It’s super simple to make, and it tastes amazing. It isn’t overly sweet and has a great creamy texture, and it’s really fun.

How do I know? Mister Man, who will not step foot in the same room as an avocado, loves it. As in he asks me for it daily now.

Where did I come up with the idea? I actually had avocado ice cream the first time at a funky little ice cream parlor in Niles, which was on my way home from work a looooooooong time ago. They always had unique flavors in addition to the standard favorites, and of course they offer sample tastes. I had to try avocado when they had it and oh my word was it good.

Trust me.

So with Cinco de Mayo around the corner, of course I made more. Wouldn’t you?

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Dish of homemade avocado ice cream

What does avocado ice cream taste like?

My immediate reaction when I first tried this was a much more avocado forward, almost guacamole feel, but that is not the case at all. The avocado ice cream has a very mild flavor in fact, and unless someone told you it was avocado, you probably wouldn’t guess.

The avocadoes also make this an incredibly smooth ice cream that has a fantastic mouth feel to it. This makes it feel and taste even more decadent, which is a real draw for me.

Can I make vegan avocado ice cream?

Yes, you absolutely can make this vegan. While this recipe uses milk and heavy cream, you can easily substitute canned coconut milk – the full fat version – which is the only nonvegan item in avocado ice cream.

Coconut milk pairs beautifully with fresh avocado, and it also makes for a very smooth and creamy tasting ice cream.

Note that you do not want to use the coconut milk that you drink from the carton in the fridge, as it does not have a high enough fat content and will form ice crystals in your dessert. Thankfully, most grocery stores stock canned coconut milk for various cooking styles, so it’s easily accessible.

How to cut an avocado

This may be the trickiest part of the recipe, but it’s super simple.

First step, be sure to use a sharp knife, and be careful of your fingers.

Hold the avocado in one hand and carefully cut into the avocado lengthwise to the pit. Turn the avocado in your hand versus trying to move the knife around the avocado to more safely cut it.

Once you have cut the avocado in half around the pit, put your knife down. Gently twist the avocado to split it into two pieces.

You’re seen the videos to remove the avocado pit, and they work.

Hold the avocado away from you with your fingers on the flesh and your thumbs together near the center on the skin. Firmly press forward with your thumbs, and the pit will pop out like magic.

Use a spoon to scoop out the avocado flesh, and discard the skins and pit.

For this recipe, you want 12 ounces of avocado, so use a digital scale to weigh what you’ve removed. If you don’t have one, know that you generally need about three decent size, ripe avocadoes, but get that digital scale!

Do I need an ice cream maker?

For this recipe, yes, you need an ice cream maker. This is what gives the perfect smooth texture rather than freezing into a hard block of ice milk.

Be sure to prep your ice cream maker by freezing the insert as directed before you start on this recipe. If you forget, you can store the ice cream base in your fridge in a tightly sealed container for up to two days.

That said, if you don’t have an ice cream maker, try this cherry chip no churn ice cream instead! It uses a different philosophy and ingredients that work without an ice cream maker.

How to Make Avocado Ice Cream

Freeze your ice cream maker container, as directed by your manual in advance. For me, I stick it in the freezer the day before I’m making ice cream, and that’s perfect. Don’t start this without a bucket ready to set your ice cream up!

Cut open your avocados and scoop out the insides, discarding the pits. Place the avocado flesh into a blender or food processor.

Add the milk, sugar, and lime juice – but not the cream! – and puree until it’s a smooth consistency, which will take less than a minute in most blenders.

Add the cream to the mixture and hand stir the mixture. Do not blend the cream.

Once the cream is fully incorporated into the ice cream base, you’re set. Place this into the fridge until it is nice and cold, which will take several hours.

Once it’s fully chilled, place it in your ice cream maker and begin processing it. You’ll see that it sets up pretty quickly.

You don’t want to overprocess it or it will change the consistency, and not in a good way. This shouldn’t take more than 5 to 10 minutes.

Transfer the semi-frozen ice cream into a sealable container (I LOVE these ice cream containers) and place it in the freezer for a few hours to fully harden.

If you aren’t serving it within a few hours of making it, you may want to let it sit on the counter for fifteen minute or so (depending on how how it is outside!) to soften up just a touch before serving.

Trust me. It’s good.

Save this recipe so you can try avocado ice cream again!

Avocado Ice Cream

This avocado ice cream is for real! It tastes nothing like what you imagined and is a fun change from your every day.
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill and Freeze Time: 5 hours 35 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 330kcal
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 3 avocados 12 ounces avocado flesh
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice

Instructions

  • Prep ice cream maker in advance.
  • Cut open avocados and scoop out the insides, discarding the pits. Place the avocado flesh into a blender or food processor. Add milk, sugar, and lime juice, and puree until smooth
    3 avocados, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • Add cream and stir by hand. Refrigerate until chilled, at least two hours.
    1 cup heavy cream
  • Once chilled, place base in ice cream maker and process just until it thickens, 5-10 minutes.
  • Transfer to an ice cream container and freeze at least 3 hours to fully harden.

Notes

  • If you aren't serving it within a few hours of making it, you may want to let it sit on the counter for fifteen minute or so (depending on how how it is outside!) to soften up just a touch before serving.
  • For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 330kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 40mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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5 from 7 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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  1. […] love making ice cream – witness my avocado ice cream from a few weeks ago or the peach coconut milk “ice cream” from awhile ago – and […]

  2. […] you heard about the avocado ice cream I made, right?  And how awesome it was?  That wasn’t all I cooked up with avocados.  I […]

  3. Rachee says:

    I had never thought about avocados as ice cream but I have a few ripe ones ready for the tasting.

    • Michelle says:

      I know. There are so many foods that work as ice cream that you wouldn’t think to use. Red wine is another surprisingly good ice cream. Go for it and let me know what you think!

  4. Cher says:

    Pinning this! We have an ice cream maker that we have been looking for new recipes to try out!

    Thanks by the way for making me do math!

    • Michelle says:

      It was really really good. Definitely test this one out. I made some mango fro yo this weekend that I need to post about, too. Another totally yummy one – and a little more mainstream! Thanks for the pin. And math is good?

  5. I need an ice cream maker, because I NEED to make this! 🙂

    • Michelle says:

      You really do. And they aren’t that expensive actually. I think mine retails for around $40, so you know you can get it cheaper, right? So good, wasn’t it?

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