Vietnamese Avocado Mousse Ice Cream (Kem Bo)
Vietnamese Avocado Mousse Ice Cream (Kem Bo) is a rich and creamy dessert which is super easy to put together. It is a popular street food snack in Danang, one of the most beautiful cities in Vietnam.
What is this Vietnamese Avocado Mousse Ice Cream (Kem Bo Danang)
I came across a Vietnamese article about trendy street foods recently. One of the items mentioned was this avocado ice cream (kem bo). It is said to be the signature item of a street food stall opened in the 1990’s in Danang. It sounds quite interesting so I recreated it based on the descriptions and photos in the article. I was surprised at how tasty this Vietnamese avocado dessert is and how well the ingredients complement each other.
At the bottom is a layer of mashed avocado. Then we top it up with a scoop of ice cream, coconut sauce, and toasted coconut flakes. There are so many layers of flavors and textures. The smoothness and richness of avocado goes well with a scoop of cold ice cream. The coconut sauce adds silkiness as well as a light coconut fragrance. Finally, the toasted coconut flakes add crunchiness and some nuttiness, making the dessert more interesting and balancing the richness.
How to Make Avocado Mousse Ice Cream (Kem Bo Danang)
Here are the ingredients you need to make this avocado ice cream: avocado, ice cream, coconut milk, sugar, cornstarch, maple syrup and coconut flakes.
I use coconut ice cream from Coconut Bliss, which is dairy-free and gluten-free. It is also my favorite ice cream choice to eat with pandan sticky rice. I’m sure other light flavor ice cream such as vanilla ice cream will work perfectly.
There are three main steps:
- making the coconut sauce,
- toasting the coconut flakes, and
- processing the avocado until smooth.
Each step is super quick and easy. I also tested with slightly chunky mashed avocado, but I think the dish tastes more delicious with smooth avocado mousse. Detailed step-by-step instructions to make this avocado mousse ice cream are in the recipe card below.
I’d love to hear what you think about this dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Vietnamese Avocado Mousse Ice Cream (Kem Bo)
Ingredients
- 4 ripe avocados
- 3/4 cup coconut flakes
- 2 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- coconut ice cream (or your favorite light flavor ice cream)
For the Coconut Sauce
- 2/3 cup coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Spread coconut flakes on a baking sheet, toast for 6-7 minutes until golden. Stir or rotate the baking sheet once or twice for even color. Set aside to cool.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add coconut milk and stir in sugar. Warm until tiny bubbles start to appear. Do not let it boil. Mix cornstarch with water, and slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan while stirring. Continue to stir for up to a minute to thicken the coconut sauce. Set aside to cool.
- Scoop avocado flesh into the bowl of a food processor. Add maple syrup and process into mousse. Adjust sweetness to taste.
- Add avocado mousse to serving glasses, top with some coconut sauce, a scoop of ice cream and a sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes. Serve immediately.
The dessert looks great and yummy. Can this dessert be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge? Will the avocado mouse turn brown and the coconut sauce harden? Thanks.
Hi Fanny,
The avocado mousse will turn brown, so I don’t recommend making it a day in advance. The coconut sauce can be briefly microwaved in case it thickens in the fridge.
I love avacado. In Malaysia they make like juice. 👍
I’m Vietnamese living in Canada. I’ve never had this dessert before. Your pictures looked so good I had to try it.
I made it just now and it turned out delicious. I didn’t have maple syrup and substituted it with condensed milk. I didn’t have coconut flakes and substituted that with crushed salted toasted peanut. It was so good! Thank you for the recipe!!
I will definitely make this again!
Hi Hanna,
I’m very happy to hear that it turned out delicious. Yes, any kinds of sweetener will work. That was a great idea to use toasted peanut as toppings. I also like to top a lot of Vietnamese desserts with toasted peanut :). Thank you so much for trying the recipe and writing me a feedback!
Sophie
Thanks Marvellina! It’s been a while since I last had a photo with heavy shadows like this, but I like how it turns out. Indonesia is definitely on my list to visit and try all the food there :).
This is sooo beautiful! I mean the food itself and also your photos!!! We have something similar to this in Indonesia and I absolutely love it. Just going through the ingredient list I know I can gulp this down in no time 🙂 Pinning!