Chocolate Avocado Gelato aka Chococados! (Vegan, Paleo & Nut-Free)

So FUN and incredibly delicious! Chocolate avocado ice cream with a brownie center -- served in a real avocado shell! I call them "Chococados!" (No dairy, gluten, eggs, refined sugar or nuts! Vegan & Paleo)

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SECRET'S OUT: It's Avocado!

There's no hiding it now! Dessert made with avocado!! I've been doing this for years (in secret) like my Key Lime Pie and Chocolate Silk Pie (2 personal faves) but now we're going public!

AVOCADO CHOCOLATE GELATO, BABY. And right now it's my favorite thing EVER.

Avo ice cream served in it's avocado shell?! I can't take it. Aren't they FUN??

Not only freakin' adorable, they're freakin' DELICIOUS. Like woah.. jaw-dropping, makes you stop, savor-every-bite-kind-of-good.

4000 miles away

First, let me say, I cannot take credit for this idea. You may have seen that video going around on Facebook of an ice cream shop in the UK that sells avocado gelato in the shell. So beautiful and creative, right? It looks just like a real avocado!

Since most of us are thousands of miles away from the UK, I decided to recreate that avocado awesomeness, but with my own Pretty Pies twist, of course.

My first attempt was vanilla avocado ice cream, and TBH it was not great. Mainly the horrific greenish brown color, lol. It looked like old baby food. Not what I was going for.

I wasn't feelin' the taste, either. You could still *really* taste the avocado, and not the delicious vanilla I wanted. (Typically my avocado desserts are paired with other stronger flavors, like lime, mint, chocolate or almond to mask the avocado flavor.)

So I had to add some cacao in there and it turned out PERFECTLY. Like unbelievably good & beyond my expectations! 

Perfect Sweetener for Gelato

I wanted this gelato to turn out thick and creamy (and still be nut-free!) so I sweetened it with coconut sugar instead of maple syrup and coconut cream instead of coconut milk.

Coconut sugar is a great alternative to refined (white) sugar and is perfect for someone on a whole-foods vegan or Paleo diet. It's less processed and also provides trace minerals as well as a lower glycemic index.

Plus the flavor sort of tastes like brown sugar or even graham crackers. Yummy!

How to make this KETO

If you want to make this recipe low-carb/keto, I would replace the coconut sugar with ⅓ cup almond butter and ⅛ teaspoon stevia, to taste (always taste as you go!) as I do in my dairy-free ice cream recipes.

OR use powdered monkfruit (start with half the amount of coconut sugar called for and taste and adjust)

For the brownie center, use my keto no-bake Brownie Bites recipe.

NUT-FREE Ice Cream

This is a big change from my usual recipes which are made out of nuts! NO NUTS (unless you are thinking of coconut, which is actually a fruit. But there is coconut milk 😉

I know so many of you are sensitive/allergic to nuts or can't eat them for whatever reason. So I'm so thrilled that this one is nut-free!

This delicious creamy gelato is made with avocado (ovb), cacao, coconut cream and coconut sugar. Simple, real food ingredients. And tons of fiber!! Woohoooo.

And did you catch the surprise in the center... ? 

CHEWY BROWNIE CENTER

To form the avocado "pit" I made a scrumptious BROWNIE bite! These are nut-free also (yay!) And NO-BAKE.

I modified my 60-Second Brownie Bites recipe to use seeds instead of nuts.

And these are just as delicious and EASY to make. Throw everything in a food processor and pulse until it starts to stick together.

Wanna make it low-carb/keto? No problem! Use my Healthy No-Bake Brownie Bites recipe instead and roll them into balls. 

To CHURN or not to churn?

I used my ice cream maker to make this gelato, but honestly I don't think it's necessary. It does save time, but the result seems to be the same if you simply freeze it and skip the churning.

I melted and re-froze the gelato a few times while making these, and each time, they turned out SO DANG GOOD.

The CRUCIAL part is, you have to let them thaw for about 20 minutes on the counter. Not melt into pudding (which is also good) but it softens into the most amazing frozen dessert texture.

I was FULLY expecting this to have some icy-ness or hard texture, but to my AMAZEMENT, it is not icy at ALL. It's super thick and rich, firm, but not hard.

And since nuts don't freeze either, you don't have to worry about rock hard brownies. They're perfectly soft and chewy. A fantastic combination.

Chocolate Avocado Gelato aka Chococados! (Vegan, Paleo & Nut-Free)

Chocolate avocado ice cream with a brownie center -- served in a real avocado shell! You won't believe it's made with avocado and is dairy-free! So creamy and delicious.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Emily

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Chocolate Avocado Gelato

• 2 medium size ripe avocados
• ¾ cup coconut cream - from 1 13.7oz can of coconut milk
• ⅓ to ½ cup coconut sugar - to taste
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• 2 Tbs vanilla extract
• pinch of Pink salt

Nut-Free Brownie Balls

• 1 cup medjool dates - about 10
• ⅔ cup roasted pepitas - green pumpkin seeds
• ⅓ cup hemp hearts
• ¼ cup cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Generous pinch of Pink salt

Instructions

To make the gelato:

• Cut avocados in half and scoop out flesh (remember to save shells for serving)
• Add avocado to food processor and blend smooth. Scrape down the sides.
• {Use a can of coconut milk that has been refrigerated overnight) Carefully scoop out the solid cream into the food processor, saving the water for a smoothie.
• Add ⅓ cup coconut sugar and remaining ingredients and blend smooth, making sure the sugar has dissolved.
• Taste and adjust for sweetness, adding a couple more Tbs sugar, if needed, depending on the size of your avocados.
• Fill shells with gelato and use a spatula to smooth the surface. Use a small spoon to scoop out a hole for the pit.
• Freeze chococados for about 1-2 hours until firm. Place a brownie ball in each hole. Thaw on the counter for 20-30 minutes. ENJOY!

To make the brownie balls:

• Soak dates in a small bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
• Remove dates from water (save water for blending) and slice open to remove pits.
• Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely ground and a dough forms. Stream in 1-2 Tbs of soaking water if it needs help sticking together (or if mixture is too sticky, add 1-2 teaspoon coconut flour)
• Use a cookie scoop to form 13 balls. Roll each in your hands to smooth out. Wet your hands if needed.
• Place balls on a parchment lined plate and freeze until ready to assemble.

Notes

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through referral links in this post (at no additional cost to you). 

What I used:

Coconut Milk:  here on Amazon

Food processor here on Amazon

Mexican Vanilla:   here on Amazon

To store: Keep frozen in an airtight container for about 1 month. Thaw for approximately 20 minutes on the counter before serving.

Note: this recipes makes enough gelato for SIX shells, but there are only FOUR avocado halves used in the recipe. So the remaining 2 can be served in a small bowl, or save some shells from your guac next time and throw them in the freezer.

You'll also have enough brownie bites for 2 batches of gelato 🙂 Another reason to make it again!

To make these low carb, use monkfruit to taste *always taste*. And my low-carb brownie recipe.

If you don't want to use seeds, use your favorite soft nut, such as walnuts, pecans or cashews.

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Avocado Gelato aka Chococados! (Vegan, Paleo & Nut-Free)

Amount per Serving

Calories

473.49

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

32.68

g

50

%

Saturated Fat

 

12.68

g

79

%

Trans Fat

 

0.01

g

Sodium

 

59.07

mg

3

%

Potassium

 

812.9

mg

23

%

Carbohydrates

 

41.3

g

14

%

Fiber

 

10.36

g

43

%

Sugar

 

23.45

g

26

%

Net Carbs

 

30.9

g

Protein

 

12.3

g

25

%

Vitamin A

 

192.93

IU

4

%

Vitamin C

 

7.78

mg

9

%

Calcium

 

59.01

mg

6

%

Iron

 

4.87

mg

27

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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