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How did this happen?

That’s what my roommate, Anu, kept asking me as she paced around our apartment, fervently licking creme brulee out of the little crimped edges of the ramekin that were all too tragically spoon-inaccessible.

You see, just a mere half hour before, she had walked into the kitchen to find me swearing off all things green, with avocado traces conspicuously strewn all over the kitchen counters and in my hair.  Trying to whip vegan milk.

Have you ever tried to whip vegan milk before?

Don’t.  It’s an exercise in futility.

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And now here she was with a full-fledged delicious, and dare I say – healthy – version of creme brulee in her hands.  So yes.  Queries as to what had actually transpired in that kitchen were certainly warranted.

I have no idea.

All of a sudden, after my very tired hand mixer looked at me pathetically thirty-two too many times, I decided to seize the day.  Carpe diem.  And I just mixed the avocado straight into the maybe-now-slightly-thickened-but-certainly-not-whipped pistachio-infused milk mixture.  My plan was to whip this new weird piercingly green avocado-milk mixture since avocados have a lot of fat, which is what you really need for whipping anyway.  But upon further inspection the whole thing seemed quite custardy as is.  So instead I just plopped it into ramekins.  Crossed my fingers.  Clicked my heels a few times.  And hoped for the best.

And somehow, “the best” happened.  Hallelujah.

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So now that we’ve tackled “how”.  You might be wondering “why”?  Well.  The theme for this month’s Dessert Wars is green.  And as such we had to include one traditional and one non-traditional green ingredient in our dessert.  Last summer, I went to Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain with my parents where I consumed a pistachio creme brulee for dessert.  It rocked my world and made up for the fact that I had not been on a date in five months.  Yeah.  It was good.  So I took that idea and ran with it.  And now here we are.  I have not been on a good date now in at least a year.  And I am strangely okay with that, thanks to this creme brulee, which you can actually feel good about eating and which may actually lower your cholesterol levels.  I bet you never thought you’d see the day…

Avocado Pistachio Creme Brulee
Serves 4-6, an Eats Well With Others original, inspired by this and this

1 cup shelled pistachios, salted
5 tbsp sugar, plus more for sprinkling and blowtorching
1 1/2 cups vegan milk – I used coconut
1 1/2 avocados
4 tbsp vanilla sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp flour

1. Place the pistachios and sugar in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not a paste.  Combine with the milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and stir until it becomes hot.  Remove from the heat, cover with the lid, and let steep for 30 minutes.

2. Pour the contents from the saucepan through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.  Wet a clean thin kitchen towel with cold water and squeeze out as much water as possible.  Put the pistachio solids into the center of the towel, wrap the edges up around the nut meat, and squeeze out any remaining liquid into the bowl.  Discard the pistachios.  Place the bowl of milk into an ice water bath, stirring until it is cool.

3. Pit and peel the avocados, then process in the food processor with the vanilla sugar and lemon juice until smooth.

4. Add 2 tbsp coconut oil and 2 tbsp flour to the milk mixture.  Mix with a hand mixer on high for 5 minutes.  This will make it frothy and help to thicken it a bit.

5. Mix the avocado mousse into the milk.  Divide among ramekins, then cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.  Just before serving, remove plastic wrap and sprinkle with 2 tsp sugar.  Move blowtorch flame back and forth just above the sugar until it is caramelized and slightly browned.  Let stand 2 minutes before serving.

This is my submission to this month’s Dessert Wars, the theme of which is GREEN!

The March prize package includes:

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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120 Responses to Avocado Pistachio Creme Brulee {VEGAN} – Dessert Wars!

  1. Simply Life says:

    wow, you never cease to amaze me with these creations! how fun!

  2. I get this feeling in that u going to win this month.
    How could u not ,this is an amzing combi of 2 wonderful greenies and i saw that pistachio creme brulee too 🙂
    I could lick off all of them too and i have these creme brulee molds too 🙂
    Gosh and here i am sleep deprived for more than a week , having sugar cravings , with the last cc cookie gone , and staring at this 🙂 with nothing that says dessert around me , this calls for a war now 🙂
    U creme brulee looks fantasticccc !

  3. I have been meaning to do more with avocado… have a few things on my list… but this is just so creative and beautiful… and, I swear, I think I can tell what this tastes like just based on your pictures.

  4. Danielle says:

    So creative! Good Luck.

    Danielle

  5. Vegan creme brûlée and one with avocado and pistachio! You’ve done it all! Say, Joanne did you participate in the half marathon in NYC 2 weeks ago? I was in NY and saw the event on the news!

  6. Lea Ann says:

    How do you have time to do all of this??? Very nice dish Joanne.

  7. I hope you win! It looks good, definitely creamy, Lot of great flavors, too, coconut and pistachio, I’d love to try it, !

  8. Wow, only you could make a vegan creme brulee, and with avocados – brilliant!

  9. What a great idea! I’ve seen a few desserts with avocado that I’ve wanted to try, but this is definitely the most creative!

  10. Shannon says:

    wow, this sounds awesome! love the avocado… might need to get on this, asap 🙂

  11. Shut up!!! I would be all over this! I love anything with avocados (green gold) and in dessert form like you have so wonderfully developed here?! Yes please! Another beauty chock full of creativity – very nice

  12. Corina says:

    This looks yummy. I’d never have thought of putting avocado in a creme brulee but I have had (not made tho) avocado ice-cream before which was pretty good.

  13. Candace says:

    You’ve got my vote, Joanne! I know this would be just the thing to cure what ails me. Can you send me some please? 🙂

  14. Katerina says:

    It happened to me once. I wouldn’t get the cream to become whipped. I was crying desperately in the kitchen! I was one big spectacle! But you made it and it looks delicious Joanne!Excellent job!

  15. Kristen says:

    I am surprised your roommate was still trying to get the edges with a spoon. I would have been licking it out with my tongue and to heck with social mores! Looks delicious.

  16. Barbara says:

    A pistachio creme brulee, yes. One with avacado, I think I’ll pass. I am not a fan. I can manage them in a salad, but not with enthusiasm.

  17. janet says:

    Pistachio creme brulee sounds divine… but to make it vegan as well is sheer genius. 🙂 I would have figured coconut milk would have enough fat, but you’ve got a lot of delicious ingredients in that custard it must taste heavenly. 🙂

  18. brandi says:

    good luck! this is awesome. and impressive. and I want one.

  19. you. are. brilliant.

    and that prize is amazing! good luck!

  20. Nelly says:

    For the coconut milk, did you use the stuff that comes in a can or a carton?

  21. Vegan creme brulee??? but why? 😉
    I’ll take a good creme brulee over some goofy guy any day! I’ve not had Pistachio creme brulee. I will have to get on that immediately.
    As for this recipe, it really does sound interesting. I love avacado and can totally imagine it in a creme brulee now that you’ve mentioned it. YUM.

  22. Vivienne says:

    this is possibly one of the coolest and most original recipe ive seen in a long time…pistachio and avocado!! i love those 2 greens..and i bet this version beats the normal creme brulee!

  23. Pure genius! What a combination of flavours and such a lovely green colour 🙂

  24. Amy says:

    I call sacrilege!! Some things are just supposed to be high in fat and cholesterol. Nope, never thought I’d see the day is right. You crazy 😉 Hey, you should send this to Bobby Flay and see what he says. I see a mini throw down in your future 😀

  25. Suman Singh says:

    Wow, this looks heavenly, what a interesting combination of ingredients! Love it..

  26. I first saw avocado in a dessert over at another blog and now you have totally convinced me Joanne.

  27. woah, this looks so good and very interesting. I have never seen avocado in a dessert. Good Luck!

  28. Dawn says:

    VERY nice. I bet the avocado adds a wonderful creaminess.

  29. oh my, very creative! Have you trip whipping evaporated milk that’s not thoroughly chilled? Don’t.

  30. Nadji says:

    Une combinaison inhabituelle mais telleemnt bonne.
    J’adore.
    See soon.

  31. That Girl says:

    Even though I’ve seen it a gazillion times, I am still always surprised by the use of avocado in desserts!

  32. Katie Mar says:

    amazing!
    congrats on making “the best”
    healthy dessert? i’m all over it!

  33. You took a risk and you were rewarded! =) I’m glad it turned out well and I’ve give my right pinky finger to taste some!

  34. This is a very smart idea. I have o doubt it would be delicious.
    🙂
    Valerie

  35. When Brian and I were in Disney World on our honeymoon, we had this amazing pistachio creme brulee. It was to die for. Creamy and nutty and tasty. We’ve been trying to replicate it ever since.

    But I’ve never thought to add avocado to it. Until now! I didn’t think pistachio creme brulee could get any better, but then you put an avocado in it!? Genius. Pure and simple genius. 🙂

  36. Big Dude says:

    I’m not a big fan of creme brulee, but I think I could like this dish.

  37. Johanna GGG says:

    who needs dates – this looks amazing – and I say that as someone who has no need for creme brulee in my life but when you take out the eggs and milk and add a little green nuttiness I am all for it

  38. I love this recipe just because it uses a blow torch. You had me sold at “flame”.

    This looks lovely!

  39. Megan says:

    This looks amazing! It’s a good thing you didn’t give up!

  40. nico. says:

    these are ridiculous! did you have a brulee torch just sitting around your apartment? I love it! and, I am very jealous that you ate at Bobby Flay’s restaurant. I love his menu 🙂

  41. Very unusual and interesting sounding dessert. I am not a big fan of avocado but would gladly eat this

  42. Wow, I’m impressed! I’m def. not vegan but LOVE avocado and am totally intrigued that you utilized it in creme brulee 🙂

    Sues

  43. Lora says:

    Fantastic! I always wanted to create a dessert with avocado. This is so creative.

  44. I just love avacados, Brulee looks so tempting:)

  45. Celia says:

    I’m an avocado fanatic: this looks awesome. So happy I stopped by on this post (Victoria from Mission Food pointed me in your direction). Great thinking and cooking!

  46. Angel7 says:

    Now that is creative! I love avocadoes, and do not have a major sweet tooth, so the avocadoes would probably balance out the sweetness of the creme brulee.

    All your hard work paid off!

    Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/

  47. Swathi says:

    Delicious and creamy rich avocado dessert love it.

  48. SassyAgapi says:

    this looks awesome, never would’ev thought of it!

  49. avocado brulee! what haha I have heard about making chocolate mousse with avocados. I have to try this 🙂
    X
    Nicole

  50. This is so creative I can’t stand it. Silky smooth avocado in anything and I’m already getting dizzy with excitement. Also, I’m jealous since I’ve never been to Bar Americain.

  51. gotnomilk says:

    Mmmm. Nothing sounds better to me than a good vegan creme brulee. Must try this soon!

  52. This is so awesome.I think you have the most creative recipe around here Joanne.Kudos! Love Love Love the first pic.

  53. Ada says:

    You seriously deserve a Noble Prize, or whatever prize one could receive, for marrying avocado with one of the most decadent desserts around. Totally genius. This definitely goes way up there with Banana “Soft Serve” as one of the best vegan ideas ever:)

  54. Kerstin says:

    I need to try a dessert with avocado – maybe I’ll start with this one! I need to get a torch though 🙂

  55. OohLookBel says:

    This looks too good to be true, especially the proper brulee top! I’d believe anything you say, Joanne (more than, for example, that vegan woman I saw on the Ellen de Generes show the other day who seemed like a total nutcase…)

  56. The dessert looks fantastic! Never heard of such a thing before..And hey, I have the same oval baker~

  57. Haha!! I have no idea who had the idea to make a vegan creme brulee, but it worked out well I guess! I had a pistachio creme brulee at a restaurant lately and it was sooooo good. Bet the avocado made it extra creamy!

  58. What a wild and crazy creation. goes to show you that you never know what’ll work in the kitchen!

  59. Reeni says:

    What a delectable creation! I bet it’s heavenly with the richness of the avocado and coconut milk. I’m going to say it again – I wish taste testing were mandatory! Thanks for entering!

  60. Maria says:

    That looks really delicious, I love that you’ve used avocado, they are so versatile!

  61. Julie says:

    What a delicious and beautiful creation! Great flavor choices! Love creme brulee!

  62. Creme brulee is my all-time favorite dessert. Avocados – another all-time favorite – what a combination! Bravo!

  63. Cara says:

    Oh, the things you do to me. Creme brulee is just about the last thing I would ever order from a dessert menu, and yet, right now it’s all I want to eat (only the avocado pistachio version, of course!)

  64. Oh wow! And oh wow! Seriously nice my dear 🙂

  65. seriously amazing effort! i wish I can muster this type of effort but lately I have been into easy and speedy things. Love that combo too.

  66. Katie says:

    My sister got me a blowtorch for my birthday and I’m dying to use it. I think this would definitely work!

  67. Pam says:

    Look at you! So creative. So clever. Such an amazing baker, cook, med student, runner – how can one girl have so many talents?

    Now, please move to my neighborhood and cook for me. Soon. Thank you.

  68. Absolutely lovely combo! I can imagine how good this must be. Yum!

  69. Miriam says:

    You’re a genius. I am convinced :), Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

  70. RamblingTart says:

    Wow! This is brilliant, Joanne! 🙂 I love avocados in smoothies – they make it so thick and creamy – so I know they’d be splendid in this! Yum!!

  71. Mary says:

    This really sounds delicious and its different enough that I am compelled to try it. I can’t wait to see what it tastes like. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary

  72. sophia says:

    Minus the vegan, and it sounds freaking AWESOME. Pistachio!!!!!! My favorite nut ever. And I love the greenness of that creme…ooh lala.

  73. Emily says:

    I love, LOVE this. First, I love creme brulee, second, I love avocado, and lastly I love pistachios. They have so much flavor.

    This looks amazing!

  74. Oh your so gonna win this one! How can you not- that dish looks AMAZING! The use of avocado- are you kidding me? Never would have done it but so glad yo did!

  75. This looks like a winner to me! I have never made a dessert with avocado before but since it’s one of the best foods in the world, why not? Sounds creamy and comforting and VEGAN? Wow!

  76. Marisa says:

    I’m actually speechless. Avo? I mean that texture looks spot on! Very interested to know what this would taste like – just have to gather my (dutch) courage.

  77. Kristin says:

    The name threw me through a loop but the pictures look delicious! I bookmarked it and cannot wait to give it a try.

  78. Crème brûlée (in all flavours) is always a great idea!

    ?
    Camila F.

  79. Raina says:

    You are amazing! To come up with such a healthy and delicious lookng creme brulee…wow! That firs pic looks incredible. I want a taste. Good luck in Dessert Wars!

  80. Stephanie says:

    I’m just going to say it: I don’t know how I feel about this. It’s GREEN. And contains AVOCADOS. Dessert = Chocolate in my book.

  81. I hope you win, my dear! This is a crazy but awesome invention and I’m dying to try it.

  82. Kimberley says:

    Wow. I have to confess that I’m a little skeptical when avocado is cooked, but this ridiculous creme brulee might convince me to be a little more open-minded.

  83. kellypea says:

    Heck! I’ve been staring at avocados the past couple of days (what? like staring at food isn’t something I routinely do?) and thinking they belong in something sweet…And while we’re on the subject, isn’t it the protein that causes that fluffy action in milk? And when you think about it, egg whites can be whipped because they are fatless. So your dessert is a total wonder! Pretty darn innovative. Hope you win — that’s quite the list of loot 🙂

  84. MMMMMMM,..;what a great & tasty idea to make an avocado & pistache crème brûlée! Great flavour & green combo’s!!

    A delightful & very stylish dessert!

  85. tigerfish says:

    That is a unique creme brulee!

  86. girlichef says:

    Oh! The skies just opened…and I hard singing…YUM!

  87. Wonderful, Joanne! I know you’ll win!Beautiful and unique dessert!

  88. Tammy says:

    Oh my goodness, how amazing, Joanne! Such a interesting and unique idea- I’m hooked, I would totally love to try this! 🙂

    xx,
    Tammy

  89. Beth says:

    What a great outcome!
    When I was your age, I went months without a date too. Things will pick up, I promise.

  90. Fantastic idea Joanne! Yes, avocadoes are amazingly custardy and even a bit gelatin-like. Too bad the buggers are so darn green, otherwise they could be used in so many things without a raised eyebrow.

  91. Victoria says:

    I’m proud of you for not giving up! Even with the weirdest kitchen mishaps, sometimes we find the results to be more superior than we expected 🙂 And to top it all off, this is vegan?! Rock on, my friend.

  92. Hey! That’s pretty awesome! Way to rock it green style.

  93. Nutmeg Nanny says:

    Wow! What an idea! I bet it was delicious. I have not tried avocado in a lot of sweet dishes but I hear it’s amazing.

  94. teresa says:

    oh my goodness, this is fantastic! i love the flavors, excellent dessert.

  95. Peggy says:

    I definitely want to take a moment and bow down to you and your greatness.

    Seriously girl. You. Are. A. Genius.

  96. Velva says:

    I can’t say that I have ever made or even tried vegan milk. I have no doubt that preparing it myself would be futile too.

    Cheers to Bobby Flay for the concept. This is an incredibly creative way to whip up a creme brulee.

    Fingers crossed for you for Dessert Wars-It’s a nice prize package.

    Velva

  97. I love all things avocado- this is brilliant!

  98. Claudie says:

    Woow. That is brilliant. Avocado and pistachio? I would have never, never thought of this combination. I love the idea! And I’m sure I’m gonna love it even more once I make it. Especially with coconut milk 🙂

  99. sweetlife says:

    Oh heavens, I must devour this soon, a wonderful combo!! Good luck, this is sure to win the event!!

    sweeltife

  100. Wow…I can’t believe how gorgeous that looks. I am bookmarking this for sure! I can only imagine the combination of avocado and pistachio is divine.

  101. Gosh..avocado and pistachio in a creme brulee..oh my…writing it down has already made me salivate terribly. You are a kitchen witch!

  102. OMG, I love this very creative and yummy recipe.
    have a nice week end
    Delphine

  103. Nabeela says:

    absolutely yummy 🙂
    thanks for sharing
    http://www.matbakhun.com/

  104. daphne says:

    Love the combi. Plus..they are good fat isn’t it? 😉

  105. grace says:

    avocados are such a lovely hue–why isn’t a color named for them? tasty treat here, joanne–it’s a combination and application i’d never imagine!

  106. Fabulous–I want to lick the ramekins too! So very creative and I love how much healthier you made it.
    😉

  107. Hannah says:

    What a great idea! I love the thought of using avocados for richness and creaminess here… Sounds delicious all around! 🙂

  108. Chris says:

    “Have you ever tried to whip vegan milk before?”

    Oh sure, I’ve heard THAT old pick up line before 😉

    What kind of blow torch did you use, a little butane one or propane?

  109. marla says:

    I had not a clue you could make a vegan creme brulee. Bookmark on this one!

  110. Nina says:

    Wow, this is brilliant and so creative!! I am sure it is delish..love, love, love avocados!

  111. Lisa says:

    That’s about as creamy as creamy gets. Beautifully executed and mouth-watering photos! Good luck in Dessert Wars!

  112. marla says:

    I cannot get over how amazing this creme brulee sounds – and it’s vegan?? Love that you use the avocado in this. I would certainly be licking the ramekin too 🙂

  113. Wow this is completely brilliant Joanne!! I love how you veganized the avocado creme brulee.. and avocado in a creme brulee just sounds so intriguing, and perfectly paired with pistachio.

  114. pureglow*16 says:

    that looks delicious!! love your blog!! 🙂

  115. […] Avocado Pistachio Creme Brulee by Eats Well With Others […]

  116. […] Avocado Pistachio Crème Brulee {from Eats Well with Others} […]

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