Avocado Grapefruit Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

Let me start by saying that, when I first heard of avocado ice cream, I was a bit skeptical about the whole idea.  After all, in this house avocados are for guacamole and pretty much solely guacamole.   Sure, the occasional slice may make it on a sandwich or get dropped into a salad, but the majority of the time it’s “green sauce”, as my seven year old Alex affectionately calls it, for this family.

Then came the deal on avocados at Costco.  A bag of six for a “too good to pass on” price.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to tackle that many avocados in one sitting, but I was perusing the aisles at lunch time and my stomach took over the buying decisions so into the cart went a bag of the magnificent Mexican Orbs (note to self: don’t shop at meal time if you’re trying to keep the grocery bill on the down low).

We, of course, delighted in a bowl of guacamole once the acquired fruits were ripe and ready.  After the chip carnage was over, however, we still had three primed contenders to deal with.  I had seen various forms of ice cream floating around the blogosphere so I figured why the heck not.  Let’s give it a go.

If you’re wondering how it all turned out, I need to simply say – avocado ice cream is darn good!  The best part is that the creamy consistency and natural fat in an avocado make the addition of heavy cream (aka: extra fat) unnecessary.  As a result, not only do you have a tasty treat, but you have one that’s actually not all that bad for you.  To take it one step further, I made it dairy free for my husband who has a bit of an “issue” (shhh, don’t tell him I told you that) with straight up dairy.  If you’d prefer to use regular milk, however, feel free to do so.

The best part of all this?  It’s super simple to make.  Start out with your ripe avocados.  Nom nom.

Add them to a blender along with a little almond milk, some sugar, the juice of a grapefruit, and a handful of additional flavorings.

And….. hit the on button.  Check out the result of your advanced button pushing exercise…

It’s a beautiful sight and we haven’t even “ice creamatized” it yet!  So what are you waiting for?  Grab your ice cream maker and process it according to your machine’s directions.

It should also be noted that I tossed in an optional teaspoon of vodka with the mix.  No I didn’t do this so I wouldn’t have to share with my kids (although now that I think about, that’s not a terrible excuse to give so I can have the bucket all to myself).  I did it because it helps keep the ice cream soft once it’s been in the freezer for an extended period of time (think about how alcohol doesn’t freeze).  You choose whether or not you decide to take this step.  Either way it won’t affect the flavor of the finished product.

And that’s it.  We’re done.  Finished.  Over.  Off you go to the grocery store to grab yourself some avocados.

Avocado Ice Cream (Dairy Free)

Yield: Approximately 1 Quart Ice Cream

Total Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

3 Ripe Avocados
2/3 Cup White Sugar
11/2 Cups Almond Milk
1 Grapefruit, Juiced (about 1/3-1/2 Cup)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vodka (Optional to help with softness of ice cream)

Directions:

Toss all of the above ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth.

Pour into an ice cream maker and run until frozen. Enjoy!

Note: If ice cream hardens after a day or two in the freezer, simply let it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes before serving.