Matcha Avocado Ice Cream
April 24, 2020 by Nicole Collins
Do you know anyone that’s a hoarder?
I wouldn’t call myself a hoarder, per se. There are just some things that I can’t bear to part with.
In my defense, most of those things are kitchen related. So, that makes them a necessity.
Though, I did throw out half a drawer full of spatulas once, and that was a really big moment for me.
Anyways, I definitely have some gadgets that have been “demoted” to the basement storage area. But with the extra free time at home now, I’ve been pulling out some devices that haven’t seen the light of day in years. Like the panini grill that made the best grilled crostini ever.
I even thought about finding a place for it on the kitchen level. That’s a BIG promotion!
The other day, I broke out this half pint ice cream maker that I was gifted not long after I moved into my house (12 years ago), and it was the first time I'd ever opened the box. Almost immediately after opening it, I started doing my online research to buy a big girl ice cream maker, and I came this close to making an impromptu purchase.
Thankfully, my good sense kicked in and told me to try the little one first. And after today’s recipe, I think she’ll be getting some usage much more often.
So today, we’re making Matcha Avocado Ice Cream!
Now, don’t give me that look. I know this sounds a little strange. But, I need you to trust me on this one. This unique mix of flavors is giving us an indulgent but healthy dessert!
We don’t have to do much work to prep this ice cream. Perfectly ripe avocados, honey, coconut milk, heavy cream, a little vanilla, a squeeze of lemon, and some matcha powder all go into a blender to be blended together. That’s it. Throw the mix in a bowl, place some plastic wrap on the surface to try to keep the air out, and chill your ice cream base for about two hours.
Let’s talk about matcha for a second. There are different grades out there, but I used culinary grade powder for this recipe. That’s what I’ve seen used most often in dessert recipes. Matcha powder is a green tea powder, and it definitely tastes like it. It’s basically a finely ground type of green tea leaves that can be used in drinks, baking, and other kinds of cooking. It tastes earthy like a green tea, so a little sweetener really helps to compliment it. Matcha powder is pretty readily available in stores these days, but I just ordered mine from Amazon.
Now, this ice cream could very easily be made vegan by swapping out some cream of coconut for the heavy cream and some maple syrup for the honey. Regardless, we need something with a little bit of a fat content to make our ice cream nice and creamy.
After our ice cream base has chilled, all we have to do is run it through the ice cream maker. Since my machine is a tiny gal, I had to make mine in two batches. But, even though this is a small batch recipe, I’m sure it’d be fine in a bigger machine.
The end result is a soft serve consistency ice cream. It’s not cloyingly sweet, it’s a little earthy, but it’s still a completely satisfying as a dessert. If you want you’re ice cream a little more firm, pop it in the freezer for an extra few minutes before serving. If you have leftovers to store in the freezer, make sure you let this sit out to soften for about 15 mins before serving. I chose to serve my ice cream with some coconut black sesame rolled cookies that I found at Aldi, and it was a perfect compliment to a satisfying treat.
So, now that I’ve gotten this ice cream making thing under my belt, what flavor should I make next? Send me some requests and ideas!
For now, enjoy! And, let’s eat!!
Matcha Avocado Ice Cream
Serves: about 1 pint Print
Ingredients:
1 ½ avocados, pitted and skin removed
¾ cup heavy cream
¾ cup lite coconut milk
½ tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup + 1 tbsp honey
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp matcha powder (culinary grade)
pinch of salt
coconut cookies for serving, optional
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer mix to a glass bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap touches the surface of the ice cream mix. Chill for at least 2 hours.
Once chilled, transfer mix to an ice cream maker, and process according to manufacturer's directions. The ice cream will take about 15 mins to become soft serve texture. Serve with coconut cookies, if desired!
Recipe notes:
*Every ice cream maker is different, so be sure to read the instructions before you get started on the mix. The machine may require additional chilling time and since we're using avocado, we don't want our mix sitting out too long.
*Matcha powder is ground green tea leaves, and it's pretty readily available these days. I ordered mine on Amazon.
*You could make this vegan by swapping out the heavy cream for cream of coconut and the honey for maple syrup.
*Store leftovers in the freezer. The ice cream will harden, so let it sit at room temp for about 15 mins before serving again.
