A unique and surprisingly tasty dessert, avocado pie is a chilled, no-bake dish made from avocados. Its preparation is similar to that of many other no-bake pies, and its flavor is light and sweet. Many eaters of the pie maintain that it does not taste as much like avocados as it does like a key lime cheesecake.
Avocado pie is made with avocados, whipped cream, and sweetened condensed milk. Avocados are pitted and peeled before being used. When using large avocados, two large pieces of the fruit are generally sufficient to make a complete pie. If smaller avocados are on hand, more may be needed, depending upon the recipe.
Both lemon and lime juice are often called for when making this pie. Salt and a garnish, such as additional whipped topping, may be added. Depending upon the recipe, gelatin, or sour cream may also be required. Vegans may also prepare the recipe with alternative ingredients, such as sweetened condensed soy milk and vegan cream cheese.
The crust used for an avocado pie may be any crust preferred by the cook. A homemade crust made from graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter may provide the freshest, most flavorful crust. If the crust is homemade, the recipe is no longer considered a no-bake procedure, as it requires cooking. Any store bought crust, however, will also work for most avocado pie recipes.
To create the pie, all of the ingredients for the filling are combined together. This can be done with a mixer or any other preferred method. Once a homogenous mixture, it is poured into the crust of the pie. If the pie crust is homemade, it should be allowed to cool before it is filled with the avocado mixture. Failure to allow the crust to completely cool could result in a messier pie that does not set as well.
Once the pie is filled, it is then left in the refrigerator to chill for a minimum of four hours. The pie should be allowed to fully set before serving in order to guarantee its firmness. Before serving, the pie can be topped with any garnish of choice. The most common garnish used is a whipped topping.
Well-executed avocado pies will be glistening and smooth, similar to cheesecake in consistency and kiwi or key lime in flavor. Servings yielded by the pie vary depending upon the size of each slice. A typical avocado pie serves eight people.
