Vietnamese Avocado Ice Cream (Kem Bo)

I was watching a YouTube video last week, and I came across this Vietnamese Avocado Ice Cream dessert.  In Vietnamese, it is known as kem bo. This dessert is a street food from Danang. Like many other foods in Vietnam, avocados were introduced by the French. Since their introduction, avocados have been incorporated into a variety of desserts. Yes in Vietnam they eat avocados in desserts not in savory dishes.

This dessert in particular has the weirdest combination of smashed avocado, coconut ice cream, and sweetened coconut milk. I thought it was wild they combined avocado and coconut ice cream, but it works! This is one simple recipe that takes only a few (5!) simple ingredients to put together.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Avocado – Use ripe avocados for this recipe, so they are easier to work with.
• Coconut flakes – Any kind of coconut flakes work for this recipe. If you don’t like coconut flakes, feel free to leave them out.
• Coconut milk – Full fat coconut milk is the best kind of coconut milk to use for this dessert.
• Granulated sugar – I used white, granulated sugar for this recipe.
• Coconut ice cream – I used store bought coconut ice cream when I made this, but you also have the option to make your own homemade coconut ice cream. You can use any kind of light flavored ice cream for this dessert like vanilla, banana, or lavender.

Making my kem bo

The first step is to prep your ingredients. Combine coconut milk and granulated sugar in a sauce pan. Heat for ~1 minute until the sugar melts and the edges of the liquid starts to bubble. Remove from the heat. Set aside and let it cool for 10 minutes. Use a fork to smash your avocado into a smooth consistency. Toast your coconut flakes in the oven for 2-3 minutes until they turn a light brown color.

Now you’re ready to make your dessert! Add a scoop of the avocado to a small cup. Drizzle some of the sweetened coconut milk over the top. Use a 3 tablespoon scoop to scoop the coconut ice cream on top. Sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes and enjoy!

Did you make this dish?

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