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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.
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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
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 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.
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.
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 was thinking about substituting the honey for agave. That should work, right? Since the honey is being used as the sweetener.
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.
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 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!!
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.
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
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.