How to Make Mom’s Super-Easy Avocado Sherbet

If you’ve bought more avocados than you can use for guacamole this Super Bowl Sunday, here’s what to do. Make easy avocado sherbet.

Avocados were practically free when we were kids in Hawaii. If you didn’t grow them, your neighbor did.

To “put up” extras when we had more than we could eat, mom created this simple avocado sherbet. It takes just four ingredients and a few minutes to make.

The dessert has a luscious, creamy quality from the avocados. But since an avocado is fairly bland, fresh lemon juice, plus sugar, adds sprightly flavor.

Convenient canned evaporated milk melds everything together, with less fat and calories than you’d get using cream. And the health benefits of avocados gives this indulgent sherbet a healthy halo.

You’ll always have lemon juice on hand if you juice lemons to store in the freezer. Grate the zest and freeze separately. I measure out the juice in 3-tablespoon portions into plastic sauce cups with lids that I recycle from takeout meals.

For another delicious, homestyle recipe from Hawaii, try easy Okinawa Doughnuts.

This sherbet will freeze quite hard. So, if you freeze it in a single container, as I did, you’ll want to let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes before you put an ice cream scoop to it.

Alternatively, use plastic ice cube trays or ice pop molds.

Mom’s Avocado Sherbet

2 medium fully ripe avocados (about 7 ounces each)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup nonfat evaporated milk
1 to 1¼ cups sugar

Halve avocados, pit, and spoon flesh into blender jar. Blend, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of the blender jar with a rubber spatula. All the avocados will not be puréed.

Add lemon juice and milk and blend until avocados are completely puréed, scraping sides of the blender occasionally. Stir in 1 cup of the sugar and blend until sugar is incorporated and mixture is completely smooth. Taste and add remaining ¼ cup sugar, if needed; blend smooth.

Pour avocado mixture into plastic ice cube trays or a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze about 6 hours or until firm.

To serve, slide a table knife around the edge of the sherbet in ice cube trays to loosen and coax them up out of the tray. If frozen in a single container, let sit for about 5 to 10 minutes until the sherbet soften slightly, then scoop out with an ice cream scoop.

Makes about 3 cups sherbet (about 4 servings).

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