How Filipino Cuisine Uses Avocado As A Delicious Dessert

Guacamole and avo toast steal the avocado limelight, but there are so many more uses for the beloved green fruit. Botanically, avocados are classified as a berry, complete with a pit and a fleshy interior, per California Avocados. As such, they function superbly in inventive sweet dishes. Alton Brown churns avocados into five-ingredient ice cream, and the custardy fruit also makes for a delectable chocolate buttercream.

Although dessert applications are less typical for American palates, it's nothing new in other cuisines. In Morrocco, avocado smoothies are a ubiquitous beverage, particularly popular during Ramadan. Frequently made with dates, they're sold in juice stalls and prepared at home, per Taste of Maroc. Brazilians blend avocados with ice cream and lime juice to create a cream called creme de abacate, per Sabor Brasil. Sometimes eaten with a spoon, and other times like a milkshake, such a dessert combination is also popular in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines (via AvoSeed).

Another popular Filipino avocado preparation technique has recently taken TikTok by storm — let's uncover what it's all about.

Many Filipino desserts resemble a sweet soup, with fruits, jellies, and tapioca pearls deposited into a liquid cream base. There's buko pandan, made with a pandan leaf-infused condensed milk combined with jelly cubes and shredded coconut. Fruit salad is another popular example, with various fruits and occasionally corn drenched in cream and condensed milk. Every household creates its own rendition, altering temperature, textures, and fruit components (via Will Fly For Food).

With avocados popular as a smoothie ingredient, it's not surprising they're the base of another liquidy treat. The preparation is simple — avocados are sliced into chunks and combined with condensed milk and ice. Sometimes the mixture is blended, but usually, it's simply eaten with a spoon. Some throw in an additional sweetener and others add crushed ice — it's all up for personal taste, reports Vice.

Although common in households across the Philippines for many years, the dish recently took the internet by storm. TikToker Anna Paul amassed over 10 million views sharing the combo, and there are countless other viral interpretations. Perfect for a summer day, the preparation is quick, and the results rewarding.