A great snack for kids and a healthier fruit dessert recipe, and alternative for dessert drinks and milkshakes too! Although avocados are ubiquitous these days, I had never seen anyone eat or make avocado salad or avocado salad dressing, or sandwiches or avocado toast, or savory breakfasts (like this cauliflower, avocado and halloumi breakfast!) and the like, until I was 16! Up until that fateful day, avocados were strictly a dessert to me. I only knew of two ways to enjoy that creamy, delicious and admittedly very healthy fruit – creamy vanilla avocado drink, and creamy avocado pudding! Every time we got our hands on some ripe avocados, we used to mash up the flesh with a fork (few lumps were A-OK!), and then mix it with a little sugar and milk, and voilà – creamy avocado pudding! So tasty and satisfying. As I grew up, I realized that the only way to make it last longer was to turn it into a thick shake-like drink and then just sip it all day long, like it was the world’s most luxurious drink. Along with this classic mango lassi, and this falooda drink (a popular South Asian vanilla and rose flavored milkshake), these were my favorite dessert drinks growing up. So now instead of mashing it up, I simply blend the avocado with milk, sugar and vanilla to make a deliciously thick, smooth vanilla avocado drink. The vanilla is an important part of this recipe, so make sure to use good quality vanilla which has a delicate aroma and a clean taste. Something like vanilla bean paste or fresh vanilla beans (like I used here) makes it even better. The recipe is super simple, as you can imagine. Simply, mix all the ingredients in a blender and pour into a glass! You can add some milk if you prefer a less thick drink. Or follow my recipe here for a thick shake-like consistency. Optionally, you can top it with some raspberries for a tangy, fruity contrast. I also LOVE to sprinkle a little extra sugar on top of this creamy avocado drink which adds a nice crunch. This drink is adjustable to your sweet preferences. You can reduce the amount of sugar added to the drink and still have that extra little sprinkling of sugar on top! But makes sure you use a quality vanilla extract, or fresh vanilla. Yes, I have grown to like avocado in my salads and sandwiches over the years, but whenever I see avocados on sale now, I stock up on them just so I can make this creamy vanilla avocado drink (or avocado pudding). Some habits, just don’t die. It’s a great snack for kids too, and a healthier alternative to an ice cream shake. I tend to use white sugar when I make this, but you can use raw sugar, honey or even maple syrup. I hope you guys like it, just as much as I do and always have! 🙂
