Avocado Ice Cream is a delicious, dairy-free dessert that you can make in just minutes. I love how the addition of mint and chocolate totally hides the avocado flavor!
Why You’ll Love It
- It’s healthy ice cream! There’s no cholesterol or refined sugar added, with plenty of healthy fats to help keep you feeling satisfied.
- No ice cream maker required. I’ve tested this recipe both ways, and you can definitely make it without the ice cream maker if you don’t have one. It’s ready to eat in less than 30 minutes if you do have one, though!
- It’s naturally green. The avocado adds a beautiful green color, with no artificial food dyes.
- Simple ingredients. All you need is 5 simple ingredients, which you may already have on hand in your pantry.
- It’s delicious! Once you taste it, you won’t believe that this ice cream is made with avocado.
Pro Tip: Be sure to taste the avocado before you use it in this ice cream recipe. Bruised or over-ripe avocados can sometimes be too strong in flavor, so you want to make sure you pick a more mild one to use in this recipe.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What is avocado ice cream made of?
- Avocado
- Coconut milk
- Maple syrup
- Peppermint extract
That’s it! It’s literally one of the easiest ice creams you’ll ever make. You could even use frozen avocado, if you want to, to make the freezing process even faster. (You may want to use a food processor in this case, since it tends to break down frozen ingredients a little easier than a narrow blender base.)
Unless, of course, you make banana ice cream, which requires only 2 ingredients.
How to Make Avocado Ice Cream
- Blend. Add the avocado, coconut milk, mint extract, and maple syrup to a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. It will look like avocado pudding.
- Freeze. I like to pour this into an ice cream maker, so it will be ready to eat in about 25 minutes. However, you can also skip the machine and pour this directly into a loaf pan to freeze for 4 to 6 hours.
- Enjoy! Once it’s frozen, it’s ready to eat! I like to add in some crunchy cacao nibs for a chocolate flavor, without the added sugar. You can also use mini chocolate chips, if you prefer.
Variations
Want to change up the flavor? Try these ideas.
- Coffee Ice Cream. Omit the peppermint, and add 2 to 3 teaspoons of instant coffee. You may need to adjust the sweetness to taste with this variation, too. I added another 2 tablespoons of maple syrup to balance out the bitterness.
- Chocolate Mint Ice Cream. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cacao powder for an extra chocolate flavor. You might want to add another tablespoon or two of maple syrup in this case, too.
- Raspberry Ice Cream. Omit the peppermint and add in 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of frozen raspberries when blending. Adjust the sweetness to taste, to compensate for the tart fruit. You can add more raspberries, as needed, to help hide any avocado flavor.
More Avocado Recipes
Need more ways to use up a ripe avocado? Try these ideas below.
- Avocado Brownies
- Cherry Chocolate Avocado Pudding
- Avocado Fudgesicles
- Easy Avocado Toast
- Avocado Deviled Eggs
- Chocolate Avocado Pudding
- Avocado Pesto Pasta
- Creamy Avocado Cilantro Dressing
- Avocado Caesar Salad
- Chocolate Avocado Smoothie
- Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles
Avocado Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 avocados (12 ounces)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can coconut milk (not light coconut milk)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (108 grams)
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (5 grams)
- 3 tablespoons cacao nibs (optional)
Instructions
- Add the avocado, coconut milk, maple syrup, and peppermint extract to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste, and adjust any flavoring as needed. You can add more maple syrup to make it sweeter, or more peppermint if you have a particulary strong-flavored avocado.
- Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and run the machine according to the manufacturer directions. It takes about 20 to 25 minutes to become thick and creamy. Alternatively, you can skip the machine and pour the mixture into a loaf pan to freeze for 4 to 6 hours, until firm.
- When the ice cream is thick and frozen, stir in the cacao nibs, if desired. (You can also use mini chocolate chips, if you prefer.) I let the ice cream maker run for 2 more minutes to stir them in, or you can simply stir them into the loaf pan 2 hours after it's been starting to freeze.
- Serve frozen right away from the ice cream maker, or store it in an airtight container in the freezer until ready to serve. This ice cream is the most "scoopable" the same day you make it, but it is still relatively easy to scoop the next day compared to other homemade vegan ice creams. Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes, if you need to help it soften up before serving. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months, in an airtight container so the avocado isn't exposed to oxygen and won't brown.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Update Note: This recipe has been updated in June 2021 to be easier, with a better texture. If you miss the original, the ingredients were 2 ripe avocados, 1/2 cup almond milk, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 3 tablespoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, and 2 ounces dark chocolate for stirring in.
If you try this avocado ice cream recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
I am going to make this today love mint flavour actually I use the same brand, I use their almond extract too I think they are much better then from frontier.
Favourite ice cream chocolate coconut flavour and mint one.
Megan Can you write what side effect do you have from stevia? Are they gone when you use raw honey? How much stevia have you been using? I am asking cause I use it a lot. I put it everywhere.
Thanks a lot
Sam, I don’t plan on talking about my experience until I know more– I think it would be very irresponsible of me to write about a “hunch” that I’m having, especially in regards to a product that I love! I still believe that stevia is a safe alternative to sugar, and just because my body may (or may not) be having a reaction to it, doesn’t mean that it will effect you or others. I’ve been known to develop a temporary intolerance to avocados after eating them too often, as well, so my body may just be sensitive to eating anything too frequently.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend that everyone cut back on avocados, simply because I happen to have a reaction to them, so I am treating stevia with the same respect. For now, I appreciate your respect for my privacy, and if you are feeling good while using stevia, then I hope you keep enjoying it!
Thanks a lot of course I do understand that and respect it.With me it is that I eat lots of avocados daily and use stevia but I ca not may be recognize the side effect of intolerance. You know I might feel a bit tires one day or feel bloated or whatever but I do not think it comes from food. But sure I have to watch my food journal more carefully. Just wanted to ask have you ever done liver cleanse with lemon and olive oil? Or have you only use aloe vera for liver cleanse? Thanks a lot. My colon therapist suggest me to do so before colonics.
Mmmm yess I was hoping there’d be avocado in this recipe! Mint chocolate chip is one of my faves too, as well as cookie dough, but normally I’m in more of a fruity mood so I tend to go for sorbets. The rainbow one at Baskin Robbins gets me every time!
Mmmm… I love rainbow sorbet! Now I want to make a version of that, too. 😉
Hi I came across this recipe last night because I was feeling anxious and needed something positive to look at. I wanted to know if using 12 ounces of frozen avocado and an all natural gum free and emulsifier free coconut milk would work well in this recipe. I also wanted to know if a kitchen aid ice cream maker would work. I don’t like recipes that don’t turn out they frustrate me and I have never made this before and am kind of anxious to try it.
Yum! I can’t wait to try it!
I have saved this page in my must make folder! It sounds delicious. Have you ever stirred thinly minced fresh mint in? I noticed HD do that and got a little inspired… The flavor of ice cream I would have if I could ever make it healthy is chocolate pecan praline. I guess it could be done, but would likely be a bit of a sugar bomb!
I’ve used fresh mint leaves before, but in my experience they can be a bit of a gamble– I’ve had them ruin a couple avocado “milkshakes” before, when the leaves happen to be too bitter. I love throwing them in salads, though!
Chocolate pecan praline sounds like an amazing flavor. Must try that one, too! 🙂
i really need to make a dessert with avocados. i always eat them in savory meals, but very intrigued by mousses and ice cream!
Definitely try the chocolate mousse! My favorite combo lately has been avocado + ripe banana + cocoa powder. Naturally sweet and creamy!
yum, yum, and more yum. any idea if this will work in an ice cream maker?
I bet it would! I actually meant to try it in mine, but I forgot to freeze the bowl and was too impatient. 🙂
Let me know if it works for you!
MMMMMM!!!! Yes, Yes, YES!! I’m making this!!!!! Mint CHocolate is my FAVORITE ice cream and this looks so divine! Thank you love!
xxoo
This looks fabulous! I love avocado and they are so cheap at the farmer’s market right now but lately they have been giving me a stomach ache…not sure why and it totally sucks! I am going to try to make it with bananas…I hope the peppermint banana combo is not too weird…I’ll have to make a tiny test batch first 🙂
thanks for the inspiration as always!
I bet it’ll be delicious! I enjoyed a banana + avocado + cocoa pudding this afternoon, and it was so good. 🙂
Let us know how the peppermint flavor works out!
Hi Megan, can I use canola oil instead of coconut oil if I don’t have it on hand? You mention that it gives the right consistency and texture but I’m not sure if that’s because it’s an oil or because it’s specifically coconut oil.
I think it has to be specifically coconut oil, because it’s the only oil that I know of that solidifies at temperatures below 76 degrees. Butter may actually work, if you want to try that!
Just wanted to let you know that I tried this, loved it, met a new girl at work who has the same food interests so I told her about it, she bought like 10 avocados and made some herself, and now her grandparents are hooked because they think it’s real frozen yogurt and they ask for it every night (but she won’t tell them what’s really in it because it would probably scare them) hahaha. I love it.
Oh my gosh, that’s so awesome! And hilarious. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it!!
Hi Megan!
I really love your blog and have been on my own health and wellness journey for a few years now! I moved from illinois to orange county this year and am in LOVE with how much health food outlets/ conscious people are here! I would love to meet up and ask you how u got our certificate and how you started helping others! With the Passion and knowledge I have from my own journey,i am determined to help others as a career and cant wait any longer as I just feel so stuck in my corporate job that sucks my inspiration!
Yes, it’s definitely health-friendly out here on the west coast. I love it!
As far as my training goes, I received my certificate from Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and received additional training from detox-expert Natalia Rose and chef Doris Choi. If you want to email me (detoxinista (at) gmail (dot) com) with any additional questions you have, I’d be happy to answer them if I can!
Hope you’re enjoying California so far! 🙂
how many servings is it?
I just stumbled upon your blog the other day and have to say I’m glad I did! I wanted to share with individuals that might want to try this, but don’t want to eat that much avocado. I opted for 1/2 a papaya as I’m prone to sit and eat the entire serving.
Papaya has little flavor and will pick up everything! Along with bananas, if frozen, it makes a wonderful base for ice cream! Don’t prefreeze the papaya for this, however, as you’ll have a hard time getting the coconut oil and honey to blend (it hardens).
It was heavenly! Definitely didn’t get the green hue…but I suppose pink matches the peppermint, right 🙂 I split this into 2 individual cup servings and tossed in the freezer! Let set out a little before eating or, to get rid of the crystalized effect, you can toss it back in the blender real quick.
Wow, what a great idea! Thanks for sharing the papaya tip!! I bet if you used a green papaya, it would even look similar to the avocado version! 😉
Just wanted to make a quick suggestion (possibly worth a try) to make your ice cream “green” if using papaya. Try adding a handful of spinach. I’ve made a pistachio ice cream (coconut milk base) and wanted it to be green so I added some spinach and it colored it perfectly….couldn’t taste anything “green” about it.
Hey Megan!
Just wanted to say that your blog has been such a blessing to me!
We have been transitioning to an all vegan diet, and some of your recipes have been SO helpful!
thank you so much for doing a lot of the work for me.
and as for your post today on almonds…i will DEFINITELY be ordering online as of now! 🙂
WOW! Detoxinista* Living in Arizona, I have been wanting to make my own ice cream for forever but never have had an ice cream maker, also have wanted to try “Italian Zabaglione” which doesn’t need an ice cream maker either. Now I can try your ice cream using one of our family favorites,:) Avacados and WOW! again, this will be so much more darn healthy instead of the sugar free ones at the grocery stores which have some unhealthy sugar substitute ingredients in them, if you remember from me mentioning earlier, we are a diabetic family and try whole heartily to eat healthy unsweeteneded or natural sugar free products. I tell my family when they ask, “what’s for dessert”, I say, this wonderful natural peach, banana or any other fruit that is on hand, is what we are having for dessert 🙂
Is there any alternatives to coconut oil? I think I’m a bit allergic to coconuts… this icecream sure looks interesting would love to try it.
I haven’t tried it myself, but I’ve heard Palm oil has the same qualities as coconut oil, so maybe that would work? Otherwise, you could try using grass-fed butter!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Mint chocolate is a favorite combination of mind 🙂 However, this recipe didn’t work out for me… tasted very much like avocado with a little bit of chocolate. I tried to add in more milk/honey/mint and playing around with it, but when it came out of the freezer the taste wasn’t too good. Hmmm, do you know what could’ve gone wrong? Others here seemed to like it, so maybe it’s just me lol
Jessica, the same thing happened to me. I think you just gotta mentally block out the avocado. However, before i froze mine i added another teaspoon or so of the mint, an extra ROUNDED tablespoon of honey, a squirt of blue agave, and semisweet chocolate chips (whole). That did the trick for the most part. Avocados are just so darn full of flavor its going to be hard to mask it. Good luck in the future though!
Hi Danielle, thanks for the tips! I’ll try them sometime when I’m off this Whole60 with sugar detox (day 8).
Can’t wait to try this. Wondering does it need to be raw honey or could I use regular organic honey?
Regular honey would probably work, too!
I tried it as an ice cream but couldn’t get into the texture, so I thawed it out and ate it as a pudding! Yummy! Awesome blog BTW, you make me want to get back into it 😉
could you use MINT extract instead of PEPPERMINT? Just wonderin’….
I’m sure you could! I’d just be cautious with the amount, since certain extracts may be more potent than others.
Hi, I am on paleo and do not have raw honey on hand, will stevia work the same or is honey imperative for the right texture?? 🙂 I can’t wait to make this *hopefully* tomorrow
I have no idea, as I can only comment on things I try myself. Please let us know if you have any success!
…yes, I have died and gone to heaven ….this was to DIE FOR!
I feel like something went wrong here. I was so excited to try this but it was just not good. Does the ripeness of the avocado affect the strength of the avocado flavor substantially? The mint extract? There’s no way other people were eating something that tasted like mine and calling it good… I want to like it. I’m going to melt it and try to kill the flavor w cocoa powder and see what happens… Unless you have a better suggestion. On the other hand, I love your vanilla chia pudding recipe- totally addicted! Great blog!
Love green chocolate mint ice cream (the kinda from Braum’s was my favorite as a kid). So I really wanna try making this sometime. But my dad pointed out that avocados begin to turn brown soon after hitting the air. How do you avoid that happening while in the process of making this “ice cream” recipe?
The avocados don’t turn brown immediately, so as long as you freeze the ice cream after mixing it together, there’s nothing to worry about. When frozen, I didn’t notice the avocados turning brown like they do when refrigerated.
It’s official, I just cant do avocados unless they are plain. I ended up adding too much mint trying to hide the taste and it ended up bitter so I threw it out. My toddlers also love them plain, so we’ll just stick to eating them that way.
This recipe is divine!! Even my avocado hating kids cannot get enough of this stuff – it barely makes it into the freezer. I have a batch in the freezer just now. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Any substitute for the almond milk… My daughter is allergic to almonds 🙁
It’s so cool that you used avocados to make the ice cream look minty. Avocados in desserts give you that creaminess that we love so much. Yum, just thinking about it makes me want to make some right now.
I’m 18 and just started my own food blog and it’s been a fun challenge. I’m at: aglutenfreelovestory.blogspot.com
isnt honey considered non vegan?
Yes, this recipe isn’t labeled vegan since it calls for honey. But, you could easily substitute another sweetener, if you prefer!
My 11-year-old daughter and I really tried to like it. Didn’t. Tasted like avocado but sweet. I guess I’m a savory-recipe-avocado person. Cut it into small frozen chunks to throw a little at a time into my Bullet with other ingredients and hide the taste.
Uh oh, I hope this comes out good. It is in the freezer now. A lot of reviews don’t like it, now I am going to think it tastes like avocados. Will let you know.
Yoli
I see that you have used the frozen banana in a food processor trick to get a good ice cream consistency. Have you tried freezing the avocados first? I quartered 3 avocados and tossed them in lemon juice before putting them in the freezer tonight. I’m going to try putting them in the Blendtec tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Hi Megan!
Will you make a mint milkshake version of this? Im craving a shamrock shake. would you just up the amount of almond milk? Love your cado-milkshakes!!
just made this recently, not quite pleased . My icecream came was too tough to scoop out, so I had to wait like 20 min before I was able to serve. My husband and kids didn’t like it, so wont make it again. However, it tasted good in smoothie.
Hi there, I was thinking of substituting the honey for agave, that should work fine, right? Since I am guess the honey is meant as a sweeter.
I was thinking about substituting the honey for agave. That should work, right? Since the honey is being used as the sweetener.
This looks amazing! Is it possible to use cocoa powder instead of pieces of dark chocolate? How much would you use? Thank you in advance!
I found I had to at least triple the honey and peppermint extract to mask the avocado flavor. You can also make your own healthier chocolate chips to add to this by mixing 1 c. coconut oil, 1 c. cocoa powder, 1/3 c. raw honey, 1 tbsp vanilla over low heat on stove – then pour on parchment paper on cookie sheet and freeze. After a few hours break up with your hands and store in container in freezer until ready to use.
I miss ice cream, and mint chip was always one of my favorites, but I was a little leery about the whole avocado ice cream situation. Sadly, I’m off nuts at the moment (I would kill for a chocolate peanut butter shake right now), so I was forced to substitute coconut milk. Since I am absolutely in love with the avocado chocolate pudding (which I keep doubling and eat probably two weeks out of the month), I thought I would give this a try. The flavor was really good — didn’t taste the slightest hint of avocado, and had the perfect ratio of mint and chocolate. The texture, however, was not my favorite. It was more reminiscent of ice milk (which might be due to the coconut milk substitution), and as soon as it was frozen, it was like a block of ice. I threw it in the microwave after letting it sit on the counter didn’t do much. Again, liked the flavor but really did not like the texture. So I did what any smart girl would do: I made brownies! I used the recipe from your cookbook (which is pretty much my bible) and added a bit of mint to the batter. The ice cream sandwiched between two hot brownies was pretty darn tasty! Will I made it again? Maybe after I can start eating nuts again and can try it with almond milk. I finished off the last of the brownies last night. Very sad.
My favorite summertime treat recipe.. Thank you so much for sharing Megan!!
Are you able to give the exact weight of the avacados?
When I make this again I will weigh them! This is a really old recipe, so it’s due for an update soon. 🙂
Thanks for including the old recipe with almond milk instead of coconut milk in the update! I wanted to ask your opinion – I am worried about using coconut milk for the high saturated fat content. Is it recommended to avoid coconut to keep LDL cholesterol down?
I just mixed this up and I’m about to put it in the freezer. I’m attempting to make popsicle type ice cream bars out of it. I’m hoping it works. It tastes delicious and has a good creamy texture so I suspect they will be amazing.
My 3 year old loves this … so that’s a total win lol!
This recipe is a total win! I moved to south Florida and have a mature avocado tree in the backyard that produces more than 50 a season. Trying to figure out what to do with all the avocado, I came across your recipe. I made it exactly as it says, then added a little extra maple syrup and extract, like you suggested. It is divine! I froze the avocado in chunks before hand and just blended them in the ninja with all the ingredients. I couldn’t get enough, before it even went into the freezer. This is going to be a new yearly tradition, every avocado season. Thank you!!!