Ice cream probably doesn’t rank highly on anyone’s list of healthy foods, but that’s because when most of us think of ice cream, we think of frozen, full-fat dairy. However, that’s not the kind of ice cream we’re going to be talking about today.
You don’t need to use heavy cream and a lot of sugar to make delicious ice cream. In fact, you can make ice cream using some of the healthiest ingredients out there, including kale and toasted nuts!
Read on to find out more about our incredible recipe for kale coconut white chip ice cream with toasted pinoli nuts. It’s much healthier than your average ice cream, but in our opinion, it’s just as delicious!
What Is Kale Ice Cream?
We know what you’re thinking: what is kale ice cream? How can kale turn into ice cream? Is that even possible? Yes, it is, and while you might not think of kale as a tasty ice cream flavor, we promise it’s more flavorful than you might imagine.
Kale has an earthy flavor that is sometimes described as nutty. While the leaves do have a slightly bitter aftertaste, when combined with the right ingredients, it can make a very interesting ice cream flavor.
Because our aim with this kale ice cream is to make it healthier than most ice cream recipes, we haven’t used any heavy or fat-filed dairy products. Instead, the fat in the ice cream comes from coconut milk, and the almond milk adds a little extra creaminess.
The consistency of the ice cream is, admittedly, more like a sorbet, so it’s relatively light, but the white chocolate chips and crunchy toasted pinoli nuts still help it to feel and taste like a treat.
Kale Coconut White Chip Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
Kale (3 cups)
Almond milk (8 oz, sweetened)
Coconut milk (11 oz, canned)
Avocado (½, frozen)
White chocolate chips (¼ cup)
Maple syrup (2 tsp)
Pinoli nuts (2 tsp, toasted)
Instructions
Slice your avocado down the middle and take out the pit before scooping the flesh out of one half of the fruit.
Transfer both halves of the avocado into freezer bags. You’ll be using one half for the ice cream, and you can use the other half later.
Ideally, leave the avocado to freeze overnight. At the very least, wait a few hours until the avocado flesh feels solid.
Remove the stalks from your kale if it didn’t come with the stalks removed, and place the leaves and coconut milk into a blender.
When you have a smooth mixture of coconut milk and kale, strain it into a bowl before putting it back in the blender, along with your avocado and maple syrup.
Blend on a high setting until the mixture is completely smooth. There should be no visible chunks of avocado remaining.
Put your pinoli nuts into a frying pan and turn the heat to a low-medium setting. Make sure not to put any oil in the pan and keep stirring until the nuts start to turn a golden brown color. That’s when you know they’re toasted.
Add your toasted nuts along with the chocolate chips to the rest of the ingredients in your blender.
You should now have a thick, creamy kale ice cream mixture. All you need to do at this point is store it in the freezer until you want to eat it.
How To Serve Your Kale Coconut White Chip Ice Cream
This kale coconut white chip ice cream with toasted pinoli nuts is delicious on its own, but you can also incorporate it into a variety of different desserts and snacks.
For example, we think it’s delicious on waffles, and it also happens to be a great addition to fruit salad. You can’t go wrong with the classic ice cream and brownie combination, especially dark chocolate brownies to balance out the white chocolate chips.
Extra Toppings For Kale Coconut White Chip Ice Cream
If you’d like to add some extra healthy fats into your dessert or snack, you can add different kinds of nuts as a topping for this ice cream. Of course, you already have your pinoli nuts mixed in there, but you could also add pecans or walnuts.
Fruit, chocolate syrup, crumbled up cookies, (see also: Unicorn Poop Cookies – Worth It/Not Worth It)and sprinkles all make fun and tasty additions to your kale coconut white chip ice cream.
If you’ve chosen to make this ice cream as a healthy dessert option, though, be mindful of the kinds of toppings you add to the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Use Frozen Or Fresh Kale?
We personally like to use fresh kale for this ice cream recipe because we feel it adds more flavor to the final product. However, if you only have frozen kale, this can work as well.
With that being said, if you’re going to use frozen kale, it might be better to swap out the frozen avocado for fresh avocado, unless you have a very powerful blender.
If you use both frozen kale and frozen avocado, the ice cream will have a thicker consistency but also a higher water content as it starts to melt.
Do I Have To Use White Chocolate Chips?
No, you don’t have to use white chocolate chips. We have chosen to do so because they help to counteract the slight bitterness of the kale.
But if you enjoy bitter flavors and want to keep the ice cream as healthy as possible, you could swap out the white chocolate chips for dark chips, or meet in the middle with milk chocolate.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to include any chocolate in your ice cream, you can leave out the chocolate chips altogether. The ice cream will still be tasty either way.
Can I Eat Kale Coconut White Chip Ice Cream Every Day?
While our kale coconut white chip ice cream is certainly healthier than the vast majority of ice creams you could buy from the store, we still wouldn’t necessarily recommend eating it every day – at least, not in large quantities.
Of course, the kale is not the issue here, since you can safely consume this leafy green superfood every day.
However, it’s important to remember that even though coconut milk is a healthier option than heavy dairy cream, for example, it’s still high in saturated fat, and the white chocolate chips (if you choose to include them) do contain both saturated fat and sugar. These two ingredients should, ideally, be consumed in moderation.
While a small serving of this ice cream on a daily basis is totally fine, we wouldn’t advise you to eat all 18 ounces every day!
Final Thoughts
You might have had your doubts about the tastiness of kale ice cream, but we hope our kale coconut white chocolate chip ice cream recipe with toasted pinoli nuts has changed your mind!
This recipe goes to show that you don’t need to ‘cheat’ on your diet in order to enjoy dessert, and even the healthiest of foods have their place in the realm of sweet treats.
Remember to freeze your avocado the night before making your ice cream if possible, since it will need time to solidify, and use fresh kale if possible to avoid overworking your blender.
Slice your avocado down the middle and take out the pit before scooping the flesh out of one half of the fruit.
Transfer both halves of the avocado into freezer bags. You’ll be using one half for the ice cream, and you can use the other half later.
Ideally, leave the avocado to freeze overnight. At the very least, wait a few hours until the avocado flesh feels solid.
Remove the stalks from your kale if it didn’t come with the stalks removed, and place the leaves and coconut milk into a blender.
When you have a smooth mixture of coconut milk and kale, strain it into a bowl before putting it back in the blender, along with your avocado and maple syrup.
Blend on a high setting until the mixture is completely smooth. There should be no visible chunks of avocado remaining.
Put your pinoli nuts into a frying pan and turn the heat to a low-medium setting. Make sure not to put any oil in the pan and keep stirring until the nuts start to turn a golden brown color. That’s when you know they’re toasted.
Add your toasted nuts along with the chocolate chips to the rest of the ingredients in your blender.
You should now have a thick, creamy kale ice cream mixture. All you need to do at this point is store it in the freezer until you want to eat it.
Hello, I’m Jenna Hansen, the creator of ImpatientFoodie.com. As a mom of two, I know how hard it is to plan meals everyday, especially healthy, tasty, and interesting foods that the whole family will like.
This is what inspired me to create ImpatientFoodie.com. I wanted to share my recipes, and my love of good food with the world.
I hope that you love reading about our dishes as much as I have enjoyed making them, and start making a change to your lifestyle today with balanced, healthy, and oh-so delicious meals.
