You might think you don’t like avocados, but you’re wrong.

I used to think I hated them—you know, avoiding guacamole and making icky faces when my mom ventured to put avocados into a salad—but then I actually tried them. As it turns out, avocados are quite lovely, creamy-dreamy fruits. Accordingly, many people use them as fat substitutes in everything from brownies to cheesecake.

What makes avocados so perfect for such recipes is that they’re full of monounsaturated fat (the good kind that is also found in olive oil), which give them a rich and buttery flavor. Plus, avocados are rich in fiber, vitamin K, and folate. You won’t find nutrition like that in a stick of butter!

Because I’m still working on” my baking skills, I decided to incorporate avocados into a dessert that I’m pretty comfortable making—frozen yogurt. This recipe is as basic as it gets—just four ingredients for a really delicious and healthy dessert.

Avocado Frozen Yogurt

Serves 5

Ingredients

• 12 ounces non-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 small avocados (about 3/4 pound with skin and seeds)
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

You’ll also need a frozen yogurt maker for this recipe.

Method

1. Remove avocado flesh from the skins by cutting around the seed, removing the seed, and scooping out the flesh with a spoon.

2. All ingredients in a food processor or blender*. Combine until silky smooth.

3. Transfer the mixture to ice cream/frozen yogurt maker and follow manufacturer instructions. For my Cuisinart model, it required about 20 minutes.

Nutrition per 1/5th recipe (90g): 104 Calories, 2.9g fat, 0.4g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 34mg sodium, 12.7g carbohydrates, 1.3g fiber, 11.1g sugars, 7.6g protein

Note

*If you want a more vibrant green color (say, for a St. Paddy’s Day celebration), you could add a drop or two of food coloring. I decided to keep it au naturel for this post, however.

Filed under: Recipe