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It sounds weird, I know. Banana Avocado Ice Cream…. trust me, if you have not tried avocado in a sweet preparation, it is time you do. When Roy and I were making one of our first meals together, I put sliced avocado on the side and noticed he saved it until the end and sprinkled coconut sugar on it as a dessert. Of course I tried some of it too and was actually pretty impressed! I had previously tried a lovely chocolate mousse with avocado, coconut oil and milk as the base and LOVED IT. I had assumed that the reason avocado was so delicious as a dessert could be attributed only to the fact that it was hidden with copious amounts of sweetener and chocolate in that particular recipe. I was very wrong-it is actually a lot more versatile than that in sweet applications.
After having our son in May of 2015, my ability to tolerate regular consumption of dairy rapidly disappeared, much to my dismay. I tried to deny it but our son’s symptoms were also pointing to the obvious need for eliminating dairy. Naturally, as his pediatrician expected, eliminating dairy resolved his issues and actually was very beneficial for me as well. I elaborate on that in my original post for dairy-free vanilla ice cream. This recipe is actually a simpler variation of the original. I wanted to offer something with less sugar and more allergy friendly. Oh yeah, it happens to also be vegan for my vegan peeps!
We use this coconut cream and coconut oil. The recipe can be pretty sweet when using overripe bananas and the full 1/4 cup of sweetener, or a whole lot less sweet with green tipped bananas and completely omitting the sweetener. We have this Ice-cream maker and it can handle making the full amount of ice cream in one batch. I believe the maximum capacity for that model is 6 cups. It is possible to make without an ice cream maker! Use the “food processor method” in the recipe. Both methods are best eaten immediately as it gets pretty rock hard after storing. Minimize the thawing time by storing in a wide shallow container that allows the ice cream to be about 1-2″ thick and remember to thaw for awhile before serving or just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to quickly thaw if you are like me and want ice cream asap when the craving hits 🙂
Feel free to garnish with whatever sounds amazing, I put 1/2 of a sliced ripe banana and avocado, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tbsp hemp hearts and 1/2 tbsp cacao nibs in the picture to make it more like a smoothie bowl! Yes, the Banana Avocado Ice Cream ends up looking a little green and the avocado flavor is present. If this is a problem for you, try adding the cocoa powder and including the full amount of sweetener, as well as using very ripe bananas and garnishing. Enjoy and as always let us know what you think in the comments and on Facebook and Instagram!
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings | 8 people |
- 2 cups coconut cream
- 1 1/2 cups avocado
- 3 large bananas (anywhere from green-tipped to overripe depending on sweetness desired)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (refined unless you loooove coconut flavor)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1-4 tbsp maple syrup (honey, sugar or other sweetener, optional)
- 2-5 tbsp cocoa powder (optional for chocolate flavor)
Ingredients
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- ICE CREAM MAKER METHOD:
- In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until completely combined.
- Quickly add softened or melted coconut oil and blend until fully incorporated, If possible, do this through the hole in the lid while the blender is on:
- Put in ice cream maker as directed by manufacturer. If 5 cups is too much for your ice cream maker, do this in two batches.
- For the model we have (link above) this amount works just fine and takes anywhere from 10-30 minutes to get to the right consistency, depending on how warm the mixture got in the Vitamix.
- If you prefer, chill the mixture before adding to the ice cream maker if it warms up during blending.
FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD: Slice and freeze bananas on a baking sheet (optionally lined with plastic wrap or wax paper to help prevent sticking) Blend or food process all other ingredients, saving the coconut oil for last and adding while blender is on if possible. Ensure that the oil incorporates thoroughly and chill mixture in the fridge. When bananas are frozen, add them to the food processor and pulse several times to chop them, add mixture of remaining ingredients and food process until it turns into a lovely ice cream consistency.