Ice cream is one of my biggest guilty pleasures, and I often reach for one as an after-dinner snack. I'm not particularly fussy when it comes to flavour, but I can be quite picky about the texture. There's nothing worse than ice cream that doesn't have that classic creamy texture, and instead just tastes like flavoured ice.

I've also recently discovered matcha, that naturally contains caffeine, meaning I often make a cup of it in the afternoons as I feel my morning start to wear off. While it's not naturally sweet, adding some honey or vanilla to it can make it taste less bitter. Rich in protective polyphenols and supposedly possessing numerous benefits that can support brain function, I definitely feel less guilty about my daily matcha than I do my ice cream, but there's rarely a day that passes at the moment where I go without both of these sweet treats.

So when I saw @theelectrictribe's recipe for matcha ice cream, I was immediately sold. Plus, I needed to top up on my matcha powder as I was running low, so this seemed like a sign to go and buy more.

I've never made ice cream at home before, and don't have an ice cream maker, but this recipe looked so simple and required little prep. It doesn't actually require an ice cream maker either, and you can simply blend the ingredients together.

While most of the ingredients are fairly easy to get a hold of, and I actually had most of them to hand already, there was one I struggled to find and had to substitute.

In the recipe, Jason, who runs the Instagram account @theelectrictribe, uses sea moss gel for the "minerals". The nutrient-rich seaweed has a number of health benefits, from improving the appearance of skin and hair, to supporting a healthy thyroid.

The gel can also be used as a thickening agent, but I found it difficult to find this anywhere. While the creamy texture is supplied through the coconut cream and avocado used in the recipe, I didn't want to risk it not being thick enough, so I substituted it with chia seeds.

When soaked, chia seeds form a gel-like substance, and it makes them easier to digest. Like sea moss, chia seeds are also incredibly rich in nutrients, including fibre and omega-3 fatty acids. I simply soaked a tablespoon of the seeds with three tablespoons of water for 30 minutes, and then blended this.

After blending it all together using my trusty nutribullet, I added it to a tin and left it to freeze for four hours. I served it up with some pistachios and while I didn't hate the taste, it definitely wasn't as sweet as I usually like my ice cream and matcha to be.

Adding vanilla is optional in this recipe, but I'd definitely opt for this next time, and I'm not writing it off just yet, as I think it could be a delicious base for a smoothie bowl with fruit.

I didn't have any passion fruit, but Jason added this to his bowl, and I can imagine the tangy-ness of this with the matcha and coconut cream would be delightful.

Ingredients:

400ml coconut cream

One large avocado

Four bananas (ideally frozen)

Two tbsp sea moss or chia seed gel

One tbsp matcha powder

Optional:

Lemon Zest

One tsp vanilla

Crushed pistachios

Method

Add your avocado, lemon zest (if using), bananas, coconut cream, matcha powder, sea moss or chia seed gel and vanilla essence to a blender.

Blend this together and let it sit for a few minutes before adding to a tin that can go in the freezer.

Pop it in the freezer and let it set for 4 hours. Once ready, scoop into a bowl and add your choice of toppings.