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This Coconut Avocado Sorbet features creamy avocado, sweet coconut cream, crystallized ginger, fresh lime juice, and Himalayan pink sea salt. Oh yeah! Sweet and creamy juxtaposed with salty and spicy are the perfect combination in this creamy, frozen summer treat... Nothing beats a frozen dessert on a steamy hot day in August!
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'I know one thing about the place I came from,' I say. 'We didn't eat dessert.'
'Then you came from a horrible and backward place and must stay here out of self-preservation.'
~~ Josin L. McQuein, Arclight
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks - Recipe Inspiration
IMPORTANT NOTE: This sorbet recipe was originally published in August of 2016. I have totally re-written the post and updated the post before re-publishing in March 2022.
Have you been to McAllen, Texas (or Brownsville or South Padre Island)? It's hot. And it's humid. Walking out the front door this time of year is painful, and I promise, I am not being a drama queen! Frozen desserts are so appealing right now, and given my propensity for healthy, seasonal ingredients, avocados came to mind!
Avocados are available year-round in McAllen (subtropical climate and 5 miles from Mexico), and I can always count on finding nice, ripe avocados. I sort of combined tropical flavors and Indian flavors in coming up with this combination.
Cream of Coconut is a great pantry item as it combines coconut milk with natural sweeteners such as sugar cane; this dessert requires no simple syrup! My recipe for this Avocado Sorbet really is simple. I use my food processor, but any blender or processor will do. Add the avocado, cream of coconut, fresh ginger, lime juice, and salt to the bowl or pitcher. Blend until gorgeously smooth. Add mixture to your freezer bowl and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. That's it! NOTE: I have made this avocado sorbet in a loaf pan with great results!
I do love the idea of freezing this sorbet in my ice pop molds, but when I tried it, I had a tough time releasing them from their molds. I may try it again, and if so, I will update this post.
🥑 About Avocados
- Avocados are fruits. While they're not particularly sweet (neither are limes), they are the fleshy product of a plant or tree that is edible - like tomatoes and cucumbers.
- The healthy fats in avocados provide the creamy texture in this vegan, non-dairy sorbet.
- Avocados are healthy, but only in moderation! The fats are of the "monounsaturated" variety, meaning they help reduce LDL (aka "bad") cholesterol.
- Avocados provide healthy nutrients like folate, vitamin K-1, and potassium.
I stop short of saying this is a "healthy" dessert, because desserts are a splurge rather than a necessity. However, as desserts go, this sorbet is a decent choice.
📋 Avocado Sorbet Ingredients
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
- avocados - 2 large avocados works out about right. An exact amount is not necessary. My 2 avocados weighed about 17 ounces. If your avocados are small, you might want 4, and if they're medium, try 3.
- coconut cream - Make sure you're getting sweetened cream of coconut! It provides the sweetener for the sorbet.
- ginger - I either use ginger paste or grate frozen fresh ginger root with a microplane to get it really fine.
- fresh lime juice - Use fresh lime juice. The bottled stuff suffers by comparison.
- sea salt - You'll want to use a very fine sea salt.
🔪 Instructions
- Add the avocados, cream of coconut, lime juice, ginger, and salt to the processor or blender.
- Pulse/blend until exceptionally smooth.
- Add the avocado mixture to your ice cream freezer, or spoon into a loaf pan.
- Freeze until very thick, add the crystallized ginger, then finish freezing.
- Scoop into bowls or cones, and garnish with additional crystallized ginger and/or toasted coconut as desired. Enjoy!
💭 Tips
I keep ginger root frozen, and after peeling it (while frozen), I use a microplane to very finely mince the ginger. I also keep a jar of ginger paste in my refrigerator, and it's a great time saver!
Changes in temperature are the enemy! Store the sorbet away from the door where the temperature fluctuates. The freeze/thaw process will create ice crystals on your sorbet.
A perfectly ripe avocado is slightly firm but not rock-hard. It should yield only slightly to pressure.
For more on making the best sorbets, see The Science of the Best Sorbet.
This sorbet mixture needs to be well-chilled prior to freezing. This is especially important for the ice cream freezers that have a bowl that must be frozen prior to freezing the sorbet.
❓ FAQ
In an airtight container with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed against the surface to keep air off it. I like this reusable ice cream container.
Store it in a paper bag on the counter until it gives a little when you squeeze it. Once it’s ripe, you can store it in the fridge for a day or two to keep it from going soft too quickly.
🧂 Useful Stuff
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What are you doing to beat the heat in August? If you've got a favorite frozen dessert, or an idea you'd love to see developed into a recipe, please let me know through a comment on this post, or an email through my "contact" page! Stay cool!
📖 Recipe
Coconut Avocado Sorbet
Useful Equipment
- Compressor Ice Cream Freezer not required but very cool!
- ice cream maker another helpful but not required item!
- loaf pan this will get the job done!
Ingredients
- 2 large avocados peeled and seeded
- 1 can cream of coconut not coconut cream!
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger or ginger paste
- juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup crystallized ginger chopped or sliced
Garnishes
- toasted shaved coconut optional
- more crystallized ginger optional
Instructions
- Add avocados, cream of coconut, sea salt, minced ginger, and lime juice to the bowl of your blender or processor. Blend until very smooth.
- For sorbet, scoop into a pan or bowl of your ice cream freezer.
- Freeze until semi-frozen. Stir in the crystallized ginger if using a loaf pan, or add to the ice cream freezer while the mixture is still soft.
- Scoop into dishes. Garnish with toasted coconut and/or additional crystallized ginger as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Mark says
This is a fantastic dessert, even if you don't eat dessert often. The combination of flavors is absolutely perfect!
Beyond Mere Sustenance says
What? You don't eat dessert very often? Lol. I think this is one of my favorite frozen desserts too!
Christine | Vermilion Roots says
Wow, the combination of flavors here is amazing. I can't wait to try it myself! 🙂
Tamara says
Try it! I think you'll like it 😉
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
Interesting combination of flavours here. I bet this is lovely and cooling on a hot day
Tamara says
That it is, Bintu!
Tina Dawson | Love is in my Tummy says
Avocado Sorbet with cream of coconut - the flavours mentally slide through my brain like silk! You are so lucky to have a chef in the family! It's lovely when all the family can cook. Kitchen bonds are the closest!
Tamara says
You are so right Tina! I think our 4 sons grew up in the kitchen, and it's really cool to have one of them pursue a career in cooking!
Suchi @elegantmeraki says
Three of my favorite stuff all together. Perfect for this crazy summer!
Tamara says
Haha... I thought the same Suchi 😉
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Ooh yum! I really need to get more creative with avocado 🙂 I've seen it a lot in desserts and it always looks good!
Tamara says
You should Becca! The healthy fats and creamy texture make it a perfect dessert ingredient!
Jennifer @ Delicious Everyday says
This will be perfect for when summer arrives here in Brisbane. Our summers are much like Texas summers I think, only more humid and sticky. I'll definitely by making this then!
Tamara says
It's hard to imagine more humid and sticky! We are hitting 100-105 f with humidity at about 80%... UGH! I'm still a desert rat at heart 🙂 Yes, I think will enjoy this recipe when your summer arrives!