Ok, I know I said I was basic when I made my pumpkin spice latte popsicles. But I think I just out-basic-ed my self. I was on my LAST can of pumpkin during this pumpkin shortage and thought…. What do I make with this? A bread, muffins, cookies, pie…. ICE CREAM? Of course! If you’ve been following me for awhile you know I LOVE to make and eat homemade ice cream. I think it’s probably one of the foods I miss eating the most (going to a boujee ice cream shop in the summer and getting some fancy cone for $11. It’s always worth it because it’s so dang good). Well, I made pumpkin pie ice cream and it’s literally like eating pumpkin pie filling… but cold. It’s delicious.
I get asked a lot if I need an ice cream maker to make ice cream. Well, technically you don’t, but it probably won’t be ice cream if you don’t. You can stick this mix into your blender, mix with a hand mixer, whip it up with a whisk and freeze it. But it just won’t be the same as when it’s churned.
Churning ice cream actually aerates it, so it puts little air bubbles in it when it mixes, to make it light and fluffy. To give it a true ice cream texture. This ice cream still freezes up pretty solid and will need to sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to get melty and soft. Commercial ice cream churners actually aerate the ice cream to a point that it stays creamy in the freezer and doesn’t need time to soften up. Just a fun fact!
But if you don’t have an ice cream maker, feel free to blend and freeze — or I even suggest to pour into popsicle or ice cream molds. I think for the texture these will be perfect! You could even dip them into white chocolate, YUM.
While it’s still September and the air is still warm and mild, this is a perfect time to make this ice cream. You can even serve it up with a big slice of pie! or any other of your favorite gluten free desserts! It’s the perfect compliment.
What is in this pumpkin pie ice cream?
Pumpkin! Canned pumpkin without any extra spices or sugar. You can also roast a pumpkin and use that puree. Because who knows when pumpkin will be back in stock.
Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream: The best base for any ice cream because of the high fat content. It’s comparable to real cream.
Pumpkin Pie Seasoning: A blend of all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Without this, the ice cream would be nothing!
Maple Syrup: Any sweetener works here, but maple syrup goes so well with pumpkin
Gelatin: This is what makes your ice cream creamy and less icy once frozen. You can’t omit!
Sprinkle of Sea Salt: Just a touch, to balance out the sweetness
Crushed Graham Cracker Crumbs: I have a recipe for the perfect paleo crunchy honey graham crackers here. They taste like Honey Maids! But you can use any of your choice. Or even crushed up pie crust if you have that on hand.
What do you need for this pumpkin ice cream?
A saucepan to heat your mixture
An ice cream maker (recommended)
A freezer
A container to store the ice cream
Ingredients:
2 cans of full fat coconut milk
3 tsp of gelatin
1 can of pumpkin puree (just pumpkin as the ingredient)
6+ tbsp of maple syrup
2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
3/4 tsp of cinnamon
Small sprinkle of sea salt
1/2 cup crushed and broken graham cracker crumbs (or piece of pie crust if you have it)
Instructions:
Make sure your ice cream bowl is frozen overnight (if this is the type of ice cream maker you are using) Add coconut milk to a medium saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin on top and let it sit for 2-3 minutes until a skin forms. Now whisk in and turn on the stove to medium heat.
Add all other ingredients to your saucepan EXCEPT the graham cracker crumbs and whisk until mixed. Wait until your mixture is at a slow boil, and then turn off heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Taste your mix, if you want it to be sweeter, add 1-2 more tablespoons of maple syrup.
Transfer to an airtight container and put in fridge until completely cold. Overnight is best. It will become gelatinous and a pudding-like texture. When ready, put your mix into your ice cream maker and churn for about 15 minutes. Just before you turn off your ice cream machine, add in your graham cracker crumbs and pieces. It’s perfect soft serve out of the machine or you can put in freezer for harder serve. It’ll have to thaw for 30+ mins when completely frozen (depending on the size of the container you store it in)
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can try to blend this in blender or with a hand mixer and freeze, it just won’t be as creamy or have that same ice cream-like texture. Still tasty though!
Sprinkle extra graham cracker crumbs on top and enjoy!
Recipe notes:
-Make sure your pumpkin is pure with no added ingredients
-If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can mix cinnamon, all spice, ginger and nutmeg to make your own
-Coconut milk should be full fat in the can. Other heavy milks will work as well but the higher the fat content, the more creamy your ice cream will be
-Technically you don’t need an ice cream maker, but it probably won’t be ice cream if you don’t. You can stick this mix into your blender, mix with a hand mixer, whip it up with a whisk and freeze it. It just won’t be the same texture as if you were to churn it. It’ll still be tasty though!
If you make this recipe, please let me know below! I love your comments and remakes.
xo Stephanie