5 Ways To Cook With Avocado That You Did Not Know

Avocado is one of the most versatile fruits that exist. Thanks to its smooth flavor and creamy texture, it provides us with a wide range of ways to enjoy it, whether with sweet, salty, acidic or bitter ingredients (or all at the same time).

5 original ways to add avocado to all your dishes

The simplest thing is to eat the avocado as is. Cut in half, remove the stone and eat the fruit with a spoon, taking advantage of its natural wrapping that acts as a container.

We also usually cut it and add it to salads or put it on toasts, but there are many more ways to use avocado:

1. As an ingredient in cakes, pies, biscuits and brownies

In this article I explained how to make avocado brownies. The beaten avocado acts as a fat and creamy ingredient. It is like adding a solid fat at room temperature (such as vegetable margarine or coconut oil) and fruit compote at the same time.

In these preparations it works perfectly as a substitute for margarine, we just have to bear in mind that it is as if we also added a little liquid, a whipped fruit or something creamy (melted chocolate, for example) and adjust quantities of flours or other ingredients if if necessary.

In general the substitution ratio is 1.5: 1. We will always add 50% more avocado than we would add in margarine or coconut oil. For example, for every 100ml of fat that we are going to use (margarine, coconut oil, etc.) we will use 150ml of avocado.

Also substitute the egg if they are small amounts (1 egg), since it provides fat, protein and creaminess but does not curdle like eggs.

2. To make vegetable mayonnaise

Instead of starting from the classic ingredients (vegetable milk and oil), we can start from avocado and vegetable milk. We will need about 1 medium avocado to make half a cup of avocado veganesa.

Vegetable mayonnaise made this way has less fat (and better) than that made with sunflower oil. As it already has that creamy texture, it is not necessary to add huge amounts of oil for the emulsion to take on body.

The same happens when we make vegan with potato, carrot or other similar vegetables, but with the advantage that the final texture of our mayonnaise will be much more similar to the original. Of course, with avocado flavor and green color.

3. To make sauces healthier

It works with just about any slightly thick sauce. To do this we will have to change the way we prepare the sauce, but it is not difficult.

For example a béchamel : instead of thickening it with flour, we add beaten avocado. It is not necessary to heat oil with flour, although it is recommended if we want the béchamel to taste more similar to that of a lifetime, but you will need much less (1 tablespoon of oil and 1 of flour). Then you just have to add the vegetable milk and stir as for a normal béchamel.

The avocado bechamel is also green and only a subtle aroma if we have browned the flour at the beginning. The advantage of this bechamel is that it will brown and gratin much better than the traditional one in the oven thanks to the avocado components.

4. Frostings and toppings

Pass the avocado through the blender and mix it with the freshly melted chocolate. You will have a chocolate cream at the moment with which to cover any cake, cupcake or sponge cake you have. Also as a filler, of course.

Instead of using margarine, coconut oil or vegetable cream, we use avocado, again taking advantage of its creamy texture and fat content.

With dark chocolate it makes a very good combination since it not only makes it manageable but also reduces the bitterness of the chocolate and we notice it sweeter. It is not for nothing magical, it is that we add more volume of another ingredient that does not taste bitter, acidic or salty, and that also melts in your mouth along with the chocolate.

It will also be more satiating, so put less topping than you normally use in your desserts. Don’t worry about the color, your cream will remain chocolate brown.

5. To make ice cream

With the previous explanations, you could see it coming: ice cream with avocado. You can make them whatever flavor you want, and then, instead of mixing them with whipping cream, liquid vegetable cream, etc., mix them with whipped avocado.

Avocado freezes very well, has little water and has all the ingredients that favor an ice cream without large ice crystals, that is, creamy, not hard.

In ice cream we will notice the avocado flavor less, but the color will be noticeable. It is not a problem when we use green ingredients (kiwi, mint, mint, pistachios, matcha, melon …) and it can even be an advantage if what we want is a contrast of colors (for example with pieces of strawberries, cherries, blueberries or raspberries ).

You can also add vegetable yogurt and the ingredients that you like the most to your ice cream, but use avocado as a base.