Summer’s here and so are mangoes. A Mango Ice-cream has been on my mind for a while. Unfortunately, an ice-cream was out of question as my husband and I are eating vegan for a couple of months. It’s just a temporary thing and we will back to eating milk and dairy soon. So then the idea of a Vegan Mango Avocado Gelato came up.
I have been missing milk in my tea and most of all my daily yogurt and rice fix for lunch. It hasn’t been easy but I’ve got used to it. For some strange reason, the craving for ice-cream wouldn’t go away. I’m sure it’s the heat that brought about that craving.
Ice-cream gets its creaminess from milk and cream, both of which are not vegan. A very good substitute for milk and cream in ice-cream is coconut milk. So it’s not fair to call this frozen dessert ice-cream any more. Gelato would be more appropriate.
I wanted to add a little more creaminess to my Gelato and hit upon the idea of adding Avocado to it. I have to tell you that I rarely buy avocado because I do not like it. My mother used to love it and I could never understand why! I decided avocado would work and the other ingredients would hide the flavour. So this time, I shopped for Avocado just to make this Gelato.
A word about avocados in general, if you’re not very familiar with the fruit. It is very rich in fat, but the good kind. Unripe avocados can taste bitter so make sure you use a ripe one for the Gelato. If your avocado feels firm when you press it it is not yet ripe. It should give slightly when you apply pressure on the skin.
All you need to make this Vegan Mango Avocado Gelato are mangoes, avocado, coconut milk and a little sugar. Just blend everything together and freeze. You have to take it out once it is set and mix it a couple of times to break the crystals to make smooth Gelato. If you have an ice-cream machine then just use I as you would to make ice-cream.
You can use fresh or canned coconut milk. I like to use dehydrated or powdered coconut milk for making Gelato or ice-creams. This is because I can get really thick milk by adding a little more dehydrated coconut milk to water. Here I used 2 x 25gm packets of coconut milk powder in 1 cup of water. You can also use mango puree if you can’t find the fresh fruit.
If your sweet mangoes have a hint of tang, this gelato tastes much better. If they don’t, just add a couple of teaspoons of lime juice to the mixture before blending. This is a personal preference and you can omit using the lime juice.
Vegan Mango Avocado Gelato
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe mangoes
- 2 avocadoes
- 1/3 cup sugar adjust to taste
- 1 cup thick coconut milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice optional
- Finely cubed mango to garnish
- Chopped pistachios to garnish
Instructions
- It’s always a good idea to start with chilled fruit for ice-cream or gelato. Put all the ingredients for this gelato, except the garnishes, into the blender. Run till the mixture is smooth. Pour into a freezer safe container and freeze till it sets.
- Take it out a couple of time in between, and break up the ice cream to prevent crystals from forming. I do this by running it in my food processor till smooth.
- Serve with fresh mango and pistachios. I personally don’t think gelato this needs anything else.
I'm Aparna and My Diverse Kitchen is my ovo-lacto vegetarian food blog where you'll find recipes, food stories & photography. I've been blogging since 2007 and believe the kitchen, and the dining table (by extension) is really the heart of a home. 
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