The Vietnamese avocado shake, or sinh to bo as people commonly call it in Vietnam, is one of the sweetest smoothies I have ever had. All you need is regular milk, some sweetened condensed milk and of course, ripe avocados. As a food enthusiast, I am ever on the lookout for the next recipe I will try out, but I have to be honest and admit that it is not always that meals jump out at me.
As such, when I came across this Vietnamese avocado smoothie, I was quite skeptical, but after reading a ton of positive reviews, I was on my way to the market to get me some avocados. I have always loved avocados in my salads, on toast, guacamole, and some other dishes. However, the idea of this delicacy in a shake did not come quickly to me.
To begin with, the question of how this avocado drink would taste owing to its green flavor kept playing in the back of my head. However, I chose to disregard my worries and try out the recipe.
After all, you can never learn new things if you are not willing to leap.
One of the main ingredients in making this smoothie is condensed milk and let’s be honest; many people love it. Whether you are adding it to toast or having it by its own, it works great, and this is one of the things that sold me on this drink. Well, that and the need to see what the fuss was all about.
With the ingredients in hand, I was so glad to see how little I needed and how easy it would be to make other drinks if my first attempt was a success. The result can be pretty scary if you pay attention to its looks and if you have not had a green smoothie before. However, on taking a sip, creamy and sweet tastes hit your buds, and you won’t know when it’s time to stop.
Before you know it, you will be staring at an empty glass, trying to get your tongue deeper for one last drop and beaming at the disbelief at how great the drink is. Well, at least that was my reaction. Based on its amazing buttery texture and luxurious tastes, I bet that you will fall in love with this drink and if not, its variations will get you going.
I will start you off with the traditional way of making this shake. Be warned though that it tends to be very sweet and if this is not what you want, you can vary the condensed milk to less than half a cup. This drink falls in-between being a smoothie and a shake, with most people arguing that it is more in line with a milkshake than it is a smoothie. You be the judge of that.
Another thing that you will adore about this shake is that you are free to play about with flavors until you find what works best for you. Don’t hold back!
How to Make Avocado Smoothie
This creamy drink is best for dessert owing to the high number of calories in play. It is quite tempting to drink many portions but one to three a day will keep you out of the doctor’s office. The total time taken to prepare the drink is ten minutes, and you will have enough for four people in the end. Enjoy!
Ingredients
With only four ingredients, you can whip up this Vietnamese dessert drink and have your loved ones beaming with pleasure. You will require:
- One cup of ice cubes
- Half a cup of condensed milk
- One ripe avocado
- Half a cup of milk
When it comes to the milk, having a little extra is advisable in case the smoothie ends up being too thick, and you wish to thin it.
Directions
Start by skinning the avocado and getting rid of its seed. Next, add the ice cubes, milk, and avocado plus some of the condensed milk into a blender. Cover the mixer and turn the power on at high speed. Wait for the mixture to be smooth before switching off the power, lifting the lid and checking for consistency.
If you feel that the mixture is too thick, add more milk until you achieve your desired thickness. Turn on the blender and wait for the milk to combine. Next, check for sweetness by tasting some of it. If you feel that it is sweet enough, you can end the process at this point.
However, if you think that the mixture needs sweetness, add condensed milk and blend until you get your preferred sweetness. With condensed milk, the advisable thing to do is to start small as opposed to making something so sugary that you end up having to dilute the taste with other smoothies.
Once you have your desired thickness and sweetness, you can now proceed to pour the drink into dessert dishes or small glasses. You can enjoy this delicacy at room temperature or when chilled. If you do not wish to take the smoothie immediately after preparation, you can have it in the fridge for twelve hours. You should note though that discoloration is one of the side effects of this move.
Variations
Once you get the hang of how people make this shake, you will be itching to try other ways in which you can enjoy it and here are a few variations on the same to help you out.
Sinh to bo with passion fruit
If you are looking to add some sweetness and flavor to this conventional shake, here is a way to achieve this. This recipe also calls for four ingredients, and you can serve two people with it.
Ingredients
- One avocado
- Two tablespoons of condensed milk
- One cup of milk
- One passion fruit
Toppings are optional, and for this, I use moist coconut flakes. You could also add chia seeds or their equivalent to make this drink even more flavorful.
Directions
Skin the avocado, cut it in half and get rid of its seed. Place the halves in a blender. Next, split the passion fruit into two and scoop its flesh, adding it to the blender. From here you can add the milk and the condensed milk. You can now work on varying the sweetness and the thickness to your desired level. Pour the drink into two glasses and garnish with your preferred toppings. This shake is best drunk immediately.
To get the most out of this Vietnamese smoothie, chill the avocado overnight as a whole before skinning it. Also, you can opt to go healthy when making this drink by using low-fat milk. Another substitution that you can make is concerning the condensed milk by using brown sugar in its stead. In this way, you will healthily sweeten your shake.
The healthy version
The passion fruit is a much healthier option as opposed to the traditional version. However, if you desire the most healthy choice of all, then look no further than this avocado shake. It comes out very sweet and quite thick.
When compared to the traditional version, this one falls more in line with being a smoothie. As such, where the original sinh to bo is excellent for dessert, you can look at this variation as an ideal choice for breakfast or workout snacks. You can substitute as well as vary the ingredients to make the drink suited to your tastes. This recipe serves one person. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- One teaspoon of honey
- Five ice cubes
- Quarter a cup of 2% milk
- Four tablespoons of non-fat yogurt
- Half a ripe avocado
Note that in my recipe I opted for vanilla yogurt. You can use other flavors if you wish.
Directions
Start by warming the honey and the milk and combining them in a cup. Next, pour them into a blender. Peel the avocado and cut it into halves while getting rid of the seed and add the pieces into the blender. Also, add the yogurt and the ice cubes before covering the mixer and turning the power on at high speeds. Let the blender run until the mixture is smooth. Adjust the consistency to your desired level before blending again and serving the drink cold.
You can incorporate other ways of making this Vietnamese shake. For coffee lovers, you can forego the use of milk and use strong coffee in its stead. This variation is sure to have you awake all day as you power through all those meetings. You can also choose to add some lime juice to the final drink, and this will give it a very distinct taste.
Whichever way you choose to make this Vietnamese avocado smoothie, you will be in for a treat. It is best served cold and is a great way to enjoy the warm weather. I hope that you enjoyed my recipes. Thank you!
