Dark Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream - vegan, low carb, paleo
If you are a chocolate lover, you are going to LOVE this Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream recipe. It's super creamy, super rich, and I think you'll agree--much tastier than store bought vegan ice cream.
I'm sure you can tell that by recipes on my site such as Homemade Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Almond Chip Ice Cream, No-Bake Almond Joy Bars, and Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream that we are big-time chocolate lovers here.
However, there are some other foods that we have similar addictions to.
Do you have the same thing in your home? Foods that you just can't keep around because they'll be demolished?
For us, black olives, chips, and avocados fit into this category. The "never can have enough of 'em" category.
I suspect many of you are in the same (or similar) boats with us.....that's why Guac and Chips are such a popular treat--because it's a combo of two flavorful foods.
But Chocolate AND Avocados?
Yes. Big yes.
Truth is, we've been on a huge avocado kick for as long as I can remember.
You can see evidence of how good chocolate and avocados go together in these recipes:
Chocolate Mint Grasshopper Bars - a healthy treat for mint chocolate lovers
Chocolate Avocado Mousse (super smooth and rich)
Buckwheat Crepe Cake with Chocolate Avocado Filling - a really lovely recipe
Chocolate Avocado Truffles with a Kick - a super fun way to eat avocados
Whew - that's a lot of chocolate and a lot of avocados!
Anyhow, today I have what just might be the best avocado dessert recipe on my blog yet---Dark Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream. Seriously--this recipe is amazing!
And it's super simple too--just a few ingredients mix up super quick to make an amazingly rich, decadent, chocolate ice cream that rivals anything you've ever had in an ice cream parlor.
PLUS it's super good for you. This avocado chocolate ice cream is loaded with the healthful goodness of avocados, cocoa powder, coconut milk and sweetener. So no guilt. Just healthy indulgence.
How This Avocado Chocolate Ice Cream Came to Be
My whole family just loves ice cream, but I might be the biggest ice cream lover of them all. I used to do my best to single-handedly devour large amounts of ice cream when I was little (while simultaneously doing homework and watching TV after school), and then used to work in an ice cream parlor during my high school years.
I don't recommend those things to anyone.
My forearm got a good workout with all of the dipping, but it was just too tempting and ice cream doesn't make for a very healthful dinner. There were just way too many days when I would come home too full for dinner. Like I said--not good.)
Anyhow, we love ice cream, but my oldest has a life-threatening allergy to dairy, and my youngest and I don't do the best with a lot of dairy, so vegan ice cream is the way to go for us--but sadly a lot of the vegan ice creams on the market are made with soy (GMO - ick!) or almond and rice (these don't make the best ice creams) so we're left with cashew (oldest son is allergic to these as well)--and coconut. Throw in the fact that we all avoid lots of carbs due to candida, and we're not left with many choices.
And have you seen the prices for teensy pints of vegan keto ice cream? Yipes!
Whenever we go on a trip, we often stop at Whole Foods for a low-carb vegan ice cream (overpriced) treat, but on one of our most recent trips, we noticed Avocado Ice Cream in the store's freezer.
I was soooooo going to do this!
So I did.
Took some ripe avocados, added some delicious cocoa and just a few other ingredients, and.....
And the results were just amazing.
What's Special About This Ice Cream
Great Taste
First of all, as I said, this chocolate avocado ice cream tastes phenomenal. Dark. Chocolate. Deelish.
Healthy
This vegan ice cream is healthy--with all of the goodness of the healthy fats from avocado and the antioxidants in cocoa, this avocado chocolate ice cream is a seriously healthy treat.
Creamy
Talk about creaminess. Instead of leaning on heavy cream or egg yolks, avocados give this ice cream its luscious creaminess. You have to try it to see what I mean. We love this vegan chocolate ice cream, but whenever we talk about making ice cream these days, my oldest asks if we have ripe avocados so we can make this chocolate avocado ice cream. It's become that much of a favorite.
Easy
Only 7 ingredients and this delicious vegan avocado chocolate ice cream can be yours. Nothing fancy to buy and it freezes up so well, you'll think you're in an ice cream parlor--but without the resulting lighter wallet syndrome.
I won't be surprised if this soon becomes a favorite in your home.
Feel free to invite us over the next time you make it :).
Oh, and to make this chocolate avocado ice cream a truly frugal dessert, simply buy avocados when you see them on sale, and then follow the tips in this post for freezing avocados.
Race you to the kitchen!
Substitutions for Special Diets
- Milk Options: If you would like to make your own coconut milk, see my Homemade Coconut Milk. Any other dairy-free milk (or regular milk) can be used instead of coconut milk but coconut and cashew (and possibly oat milk) will yield the creamiest results.
- AIP: For AIP, use carob instead of chocolate and use coconut sugar, maple syrup, or honey instead of xylitol.
- Vegan: For vegan, you can use arrowroot for the thickener.
- Sweetener Options: If you like using only whole food sweeteners, you can use sucanat or coconut sugar or honey or maple syrup. Honey and maple syrup are sweeter than sugar, so you will want to use 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of each for each cup of sweetener in the recipe.
Recipes Notes
- Stevia: For tips on stevia, see How to Use Stevia. Also, here is a great brand of stevia scoops.
- THM: This recipe qualifies as an "S" for those on the Trim Healthy Mama plan as long as you use gelatin if using a thickener.
- Granulated Sweetener: If you use a granulated sweetener such as xylitol, blending it before adding it to the other ingredients will result in a smoother texture.
- Thickener: You should be fine not using a thickener if you use MCT oil. I would definitely use a thickener otherwise, though, as it really helps improve the texture of the recipe.
No Ice Cream Maker?
I haven't tested this method, but you can use the following instructions:
- Transfer the ice cream base into a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer. Allow to freeze for 1 hour.
- Whisk slightly every 20 minutes for 3-4 hours until it's firm enough to scoop.
I'm telling you, this is super rich. Lovely chocolatey.
But hey, why not make it even better topped with this Homemade Magic Shell and really go for it?
Recipe
Dark Chocolate Avocado Ice Cream - vegan, low carb, AIP, THM:S
Ingredients
- 3 medium haas avocados
- 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
- 3/4 cup cocoa
- 6 tablespoons low carb sweetener (or other sweetener, as desired. See notes)
- 1-3 tablespoons MCT oil (optional--for creaminess)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon gelatin (an optional thickener--use arrowroot for vegan version)
- 3/16 teaspoon stevia (or alternative. 3/16 teaspoon is the equivalent of 6 tiny "scoops" -- see Recipe Notes for more info.)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or into a blender.
- Process until smooth.
- Place blended ice cream base into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze the ice cream. For faster ice cream making, place the blended base into the refrigerator for about 2 hours to chill prior to making the ice cream.
- Serve immediately. If not serving immediately, thaw for 5-10 minutes after removing from freezer and then use an ice cream scoop to serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Have you ever had avocado ice cream?
Do you think this recipe is significantly less expensive to make than buying unsweetened chocolate chips? I looked up the cocoa butter, and it's rather expensive. But I am not sure how it would work out with all of the ingredients. Thanks.
Hi there. I think you are on the wrong post, correct? This is ice cream and not chocolate chips :). Good question. I haven't checked but I have done them with coconut oil in the cooler months (actually year round) and I buy my cocoa butter in bulk to save money. I buy almost everything in bulk :). Hope that helps!
Can I make this without an ice cream maker?
Technically you can make any ice cream recipe without an ice cream maker. It's just a matter of being willing to have it not typically turn out as well since the maker puts air into the ice cream consistently which you can't do otherwise. Hope you like it either way!
How much is a "scoop" os stevia?
Hello there. Sorry for the delay--we've been inundated here. There was some information in the post about "scoops" of stevia, but I clarified it in the recipe now. Thanks for the question :).
No I have heard avocado ice cream before. I was wondering have you used mac a root in ice cream, before?
It's so good. You mean the adaptogen? I haven't but are you doing it just for adaptogenic purposes?
This is SO delicious! I'm trying to cut refined sugar out of my diet, but I love ice cream, and this is a perfect substitute. So rich and chocolatey! I bet the base could make a great pudding, too. So glad I found this recipe on Pinterest.
(I did use cow's milk and real maple syrup instead of xylitol and stevia, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly.)
Thank you so much, Emily - we love it too! Yes, you could make this also: https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/chocolate-avocado-mousse/
And these :): https://wholenewmom.com/recipes/chocolate-avocado-truffles-chocolate-truffles-recipe-truffle-recipe/ I think the truffles are the best.
Working on another one too - thanks again - you made my night!
I make a chocolate shake nearly every day that is very similar to this. So good!
What a fun idea! Did you try the ice cream or just you noticed the similarity?
I didn't try the ice cream exactly. I live outside the USA and often can't get all the ingredients. I don't measure anything either when making a shake/smoothie. For my chocolate shake I put in 1/2 avocado (a whole one if it's small), 1 frozen banana (approximately, as I cut them into pieces before freezing), stevia to taste, milk of choice (I put in whatever it takes to make it the consistency of a thick shake), some ice (2-4 cubes), just a little less than 1/4 c. organic cocoa powder (I like a strong chocolate flavor!), and cinnamon just for fun (a lot, cuz I love cinnamon), and sometimes a bit of vanilla
. I'm going to the States for a few months this summer so I hope I can try this out according to the exact recipe!
Sounds great!!! Hope you can try it and safe travels!
I used erythritol and liquid stevia drops for this recipe. My calculations showed a lot of carbs. How do you figure this recipe is low carb?
Hi Tammy!
Where are you getting the carbs from in the ingredients? Thanks for reading!
Your site has so many ads! It is really hard to scroll down to find your recipe on mobile without accidentally clicking, which is I guess why they do it? I would have pinned this, bit too many ads!!
Hello "C" - thanks for reading and for writing. I just checked that post and there were a total of maybe 7 ads on it which is pretty normal for blogs these days. Did you have a different experience?
Are you on mobile or desktop?
I will say that ads are the main way that bloggers make income---we typically spend a lot of time creating content and updating things/ responding to questions, and without income we would have to stop. So it's a balance b/c wanting the site to be as appealing to our readers as possible while still getting paid for our work.
I am getting in touch w/ my ad provider and would be happy to tell them about your concern, but I hope you can understand the conundrum here. Companies like CNN, etc., have ads on their site to pay for their webpage (and of course they have commercials on TV). Sadly it's a necessary evil in a lot of ways. I just block them out.
I could go into more details, but so many income streams for bloggers are decreasing b/c of companies like Amazon so we are left trying to figure out how to make income in other ways.
Actually I haven't had issues w/ scrolling and not clicking. Maybe it was an odd situation? If you scroll quickly the ads won't even show.
Hope that helps and please do let me know.
So what measure is six scoops of stevia?
Hello there--I'm so sorry for missing this comment! I updated the recipe so you can see the exact measurement. I believe a link was there to explain it but it's more clear now. Hope you like it and sorry again!
What is the size of servings ? How many servings? Do you know the macros?
Hi there. We working on getting that functionality done on the site--thanks for your patience! I just updated the recipe w/ serving sizes - thanks for reading!
Hello! have you tried this with a etythritol sweetener? thanks!
I haven't but I think it would be great. Enjoy!
Love, love your recipe!! I have started using fresh raw milk straight off the farm and no more allergies.
Thank you
Please stop telling people to use xylitol unless you are going to warn them that it is toxic to pets. Highly toxic!
Hi Kim. Thanks for reading and for commenting. So I know that xylitol is toxic to dogs - but other things are as well like raisins and grapes and other things are toxic to other animals. Do you think that I should have disclaimers on all posts about such things? I guess I just don't know the best way to handle this. I have a blogger friend who has 2 dogs and she started using xylitol awhile ago in her recipes, but even she doesn't mention it in her recipes that I have noticed. Thanks.
For AIP, you say replace the sweetners with coconut sugar. Do you replace both the Stevia and Xylitol? If so, what measurement do you give to the coconut sugar?
Yes both. Here is info on replacing stevia. Xylitol you can replace 1:1. https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/
I love this recipe I was wondering can I use my vitamin blender to mix all the ingredients I don't Have a ice cream mixer. Thank you
Yes, that would be instead of the food processor. It might be hard to get it out, however, but you will be able to do it!
We have a coconut allergy and have been looking for a good rexipie since I can't make my coconut milk and frozen fruit ice cream anymore. Could I replace tve coconut milk here with say almond milk? Thanks!
Yes! Of course! Coconut milk is very thick and creamy so almond won't be quite as good but it will still work. Adding it to the post now.
How could this be made if you don't have an ice cream maker pls?
Hi Lori. Good question. I haven't tested it but I just added some instructions. Hope it works for you!
What measurement equals a scoop of stevia please? ( mine didn't come with a scoop)
If using ripe bananas. Stead of xylitol, could anyone advise how many they would use in this recipe?
Thanks
Hi there.
There is a link in the recipe to this post. I see it's not opening properly so I'm trying to get that fixed. Hope this helps. https://wholenewmom.com/kitchen-tips/stevia-what-it-is-and-how-to-use-it/
I don't know about the bananas. Sorry. That will change things a lot.
I am not a big stevia fan as I tend to taste a bitter aftertaste from it, and I am not experienced in using it. I do have some liquid stevia (NuNaturals) so could you please tell me about how many drops would correspond to the scoops you have in this recipe? I am okay using xylitol and we also have coconut sugar so I might do a blend of the two for the dry sweetener part (too much xylitol in a recipe also tastes off or almost bitter to me). LOVE avocados and have to be egg free and mostly dairy free for our daughter so I'm eager to try this.
Thanks!
Hi there. I think about 5 drops should do it. I so hope it works for you! I think I should do a conversion table for sweeteners!
I'm wondering if I were to throw in some ripened banana for sweetness instead of the xylitol and stevia. I find xylitol gives me a headache and stevia makes me jittery. This ice cream looks SO delish, dark and decadent. Thanks for sharing. Always love your posts. You're a little ray of light. God bless.
You could do that or use any sweetener you like. I can put a note in the post to make that more clear. I hope you like it and thanks for the kind words!