Avocado Nice Cream

This ultra-creamy Avocado Nice Cream is dairy-free and vegan. It has only 6 ingredients, and takes only 5 minutes of hands-on time! Get ready for a mint chocolate chip ice cream that’s super healthy!

Avocados and ice cream don’t seem to go together. Avocados are usually used in savory dishes, while ice cream is a sweet treat. However, avocados are perfect for dessert! Why? They are super creamy and have a neutral flavor. This allows them to act as a thickening and cream base in vegan and dairy-free sweets without them overpowering the flavor.

Have you heard of nice cream? It’s the best way to make a healthy ice cream treat using frozen blended bananas. The bananas act as a sweetener and create a thick and smooth consistency that is similar to soft-serve. It’s called nice cream because instead of ice cream it’s dairy-free, and uses natural sugars. I’ve made a few nice creams that I’ve shared in the past like my chocolate nice cream, and cookie dough nice cream, but today’s mint chip version just might be my favorite yet! No ice cream maker is needed! All you need is a food processor or high-speed blender. My whole family loved this recipe! It’s definitely a keeper!

💗 Why You’ll Love this Avocado Nice Cream

• Easy to make
• Dairy-free
• Vegan
• Natural sugars
• Made with whole foods!
• A treat that fits into your healthy lifestyle!
• Smooth and creamy
• Only 4 basic ingredients
• 5 minutes of hands-on time
• Customize to create your own favorite flavor combinations

🥣 Ingredients and Notes

Frozen Bananas: Either use bananas that have been previously frozen to save yourself some time, or slice the bananas into chunks and freeze. Use ripe bananas that are beginning to brown for best results. The riper the banana, the more natural sweetness it will have.

Ripe Avocados: Avocados have healthy fats that make them prefect to create a creamy texture. Make sure your avocados are ripe! Give them a gentle squeeze. If they have some give, they are ripe. You don’t want them to be under ripened or over-ripened. Underripened avocadoes won’t be creamy, and over-ripened avocados will be brown.

Almond Milk: Use unsweetened almond milk for best results. You can substitute almond milk for another dairy-free milk such as coconut milk, or soy milk.

Maple Syrup (optional): I add a touch of pure maple syrup to give this recipe added sweetness. If you are using bananas that have started to brown, you may want to skip the maple syrup. Taste the nice cream before adding and if you think it needs more sweetness, then add the maple syrup.

Mini Chocolate Chips (optional): In this recipe, I created a mint chocolate chip flavor, so I added a small amount of vegan mini chocolate chips.

Peppermint Extract (optional): To give this recipe a mint flavor, I added a touch of peppermint extract. Leave this out if you are going for a natural flavor. Substitute a different extract such as vanilla, or almond, for a different flavor profile.

📋 Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: If your bananas aren’t already frozen, peel 4 bananas and chop them into chunks. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and place them in the freezer for 1 hour.

Step 2: When the bananas are frozen, add them to your food processor with the blade attachment. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the pit, scoop out the flesh, and place them in the food processor. Add ¼-1/2 cup of almond milk. I recommend starting with ¼ cup and adding an additional ¼ cup if the mixture needs more liquid to blend evenly. Place the top on the food processor and blend for 1-2 minutes or until completely combined and smooth and creamy. If needed, stop the food processor and scrape the sides with a spatula to help incorporate all of the ingredients, then continue blending.

Step 3: Taste the nice cream. If it needs more sweetness add the maple syrup. If not, add the peppermint extract, and 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips if using. Pulse a few times to incorporate.

Step 4: Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with the remaining mini chocolate chips. Enjoy immediately for a soft-serve consistency, or transfer to the freezer for 1 hour, for an ice cream consistency.

❓ Recipe FAQS

💭 Expert Tips

• Keep frozen bananas in the freezer for when you want to make smoothies and nice creams.
• Don’t add all the almond milk at one time. Depending on the consistency of the frozen bananas blended with the avocado, you may only need ¼ cup.
• Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the food processor to make sure all of the frozen bananas gets incorporated for a smooth finish.
• Place plastic wrap over the nice cream when in the freezer to keep the air out.
• Leave out the maple syrup if the bananas make this nice cream sweet enough.
• Add in different flavor extracts and toppings depending on what you like.
• Allow thawing at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping.

📖 Variations and Substitutions

There are so many ways you can amp up this basic recipe! Mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream flavor, and the green from the avocado makes it the perfect color to create a mint chip flavor. However, here are some other flavor ideas.

Butter Pecan: Add in ¼ cup of chopped pecan pieces.

Chocolate Peanut Butter: Add in ¼ cup of cacao powder, and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream: Add ¼ cup of cocoa powder.

Cookies and Cream: Mix in 4 crushed Oreo cookies.

Fresh Fruit: Top with your favorite chopped fresh fruit, like strawberries, mango, pineapple, etc.

😋 More Nice Creams and Popsicles!