We''re pretty obsessed with freezers around here, and here’s one excellent reason: If you have a blender, some frozen fruit, and the deep freeze, you don’t need an ice cream maker to whip up frozen treats.
Making “ice cream” with frozen fruit is really no different than making a smoothie. Just dial down the liquid and double up on the fruit, and you’ll get a thicker, creamier consistency. You can deploy this hack with pretty much any frozen fruit, but these three quick recipes—what we like to call “recipinis”—are some of our go-to combos. All of them are way easier than making ice cream, but some do need a few hours to freeze. Our advice: Make a batch early in the week for quick and easy eating all week long.
Frozen Mango-Lime Lassi
This is a chill twist on a mango lassi, the refreshing Indian yogurt-based beverage. Any full-fat plant-based yogurt will do, but we love coconut yogurt for the added tang it gives and for how well it plays with sharp summer fruit. You can also sub the mango for an equal amount of any frozen fruit you fancy.
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups frozen mango chunks
- ¾ cup plant-based yogurt
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
Procedure:
- Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender. Blend until the mixture becomes creamy like soft-serve, stopping and scraping the sides of the blender when necessary.
- Drink immediately as you would a Slurpee or Frosty.
Notes and Substitutions:
- For an icier treat, transfer the mixture to a lined loaf pan and freeze for 3 hours.
PB Chocolate Creamy
The natural creaminess of avocados makes this riff on a Fudgsicle luxuriously smooth, but the flavor is all chocolate. You can find bags of avocado chunks in the freezer aisle (they’re the secret to adding healthy fats and creaminess to smoothies), but you can also extend the life of ailing avos by tossing them in cold storage. Just chop ’em up and throw ’em in there.
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen avocado chunks (about 1 medium)
- ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (or any nut butter)
- Pinch of salt
Procedure:
- Combine all ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
- Enjoy right away or freeze in a lined metal loaf pan for 2 hours for a firmer texture.
- Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving, so it softens up enough to scoop.
Notes and Substitutions:
- To freeze avocados, peel them and remove the pit. Chop into chunks and freeze in a single layer on a sheet tray. Transfer to a freezer bag.
- You can swap the avocado for a frozen banana and get equally creamy results.
Any-Fruit Granita
Cold, crunchy, light, and fluffy, granitas are everything we want in the summer. This is the most hands-on recipe of the bunch, but all it takes is some blending and occasionally scraping the freezing mixture with a fork. This is key for the fluffy, icy texture that makes a granita so great. This recipe is more of a formula than a specific flavor: You can use any fruit and any liquid you want, but lemon and lime juice are the classic choice. Feeling frisky? Use wine, liquor, or even kombucha. Blackberry and gin are an amazing combo, but watermelons and tequila also scream summertime.
Yield: 6–8 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 cups frozen bite-sized fruit, like melons, pineapple, or berries
- ¼ cup liquid like juice, wine, or liquor
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Procedure:
- In a blender, purée the fruit, liquid, sugar, and salt until smooth. Pour the mixture into a shallow pan that will fit in your freezer.
- Freeze for about 30–40 minutes, until the top layer and sides start to look icy. Use a fork to scrape the frozen parts and break up any chunks.
- Repeat this process, freezing and scraping, every 30 minutes for 2–3 hours until the mixture is slushy and crunchy throughout.
Notes and Substitutions:
- A 9-inch metal cake pan is my vehicle of choice for granita freezing.
- Boozier granitas will take longer to freeze than juice-based ones—closer to the 3-hour mark.
