Pumpkin Ice Cream
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You don’t need to wait for sweater weather to satisfy your pumpkin spice craving with this great Homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream. Bring a little fall flavor early with this delicious and creamy pumpkin spice ice cream. And you won’t believe how easy it is to make your own with just a handful of simple ingredients.
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Everyone always looks forward to that time of the year when pumpkin spice lattes return and Trader Joe’s has unleashed everything pumpkin on the shelves. But what do you do the rest of the year? Or if you’re like me in New England, it’s still 90 degrees F in September?
This homemade pumpkin ice cream is the perfect answer. It’s a cool and creamy, delicious dessert packed with the pumpkin flavor you wait all year for.
This pumpkin pie ice cream recipe is also easy to make with just a few simple steps and fresh, wholesome ingredients. You’ll want to keep your freezer stocked with this pumpkin spiced ice cream to enjoy any time of year.
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe
- It’s a tasty fall treat available all year long.
- Fun spin on a Thanksgiving dessert.
- Perfect for satisfying a pumpkin spice craving while the weather is still hot.
- Make it with the kids as a super fun afternoon activity with tasty results.
- Can be made well in advance before serving.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
This creamy pumpkin ice cream is made with simple, basic ingredients you may even already have.
- Pumpkin Puree – use plain canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Heavy Cream – use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream for the perfect creamy texture.
- Half and Half
- Maple Syrup – use real maple syrup for the best flavor, not pancake syrup.
- Coarse Kosher Salt – this is not plain table salt.
- Brown Sugar
- Egg Yolks – Just the yolks. These help give the ice cream a super velvety, custardy texture.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – use fresh storebought or homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Vanilla Extract
Hint: You won’t use a whole can of pumpkin in this recipe, but the leftover pumpkin puree can be used for Pumpkin Cold Foam, No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, or Easy Pumpkin Pancakes!
Step by Step Instructions
Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for the best results every time.
Step 1
Place an 8″x8” baking dish into a 13″x9” pan filled with ice.
Tip: This will cool down the ice cream mixture super fast and prevent ice crystals from forming. Preventing ice crystals means creamier ice cream!
Step 2
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, half and half, salt, and maple syrup.
Heat this pumpkin mixture over medium to medium-high heat until steaming and the temperature reaches around 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Turn off the heat.
Step 3
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and egg yolks until smooth.
Whisk in the pumpkin pie spice. Temper the yolks by slowly adding ½ a cup of the hot cream into the yolks while whisking constantly.
Once warmed, pour the tempered egg mixture back into the pot with the cream.
Step 4
Turn the heat back on to medium and whisk the custard mixture until thick and the temperature reaches 185-190 degrees F on a thermometer. The mixture will just start to bubble.
Step 5
Remove from heat, and whisk in the vanilla. Strain the ice cream base through a fine mesh sieve or strainer into the pan over ice to cool fast. Once cooled, transfer to the refrigerator.
Tip: I found that putting the ice cream base in a wide metal pan over ice cooled the base super fast. This means the base only needed to chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours before churning.
Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight, until the mixture is very cold, about 40-50 degrees F on a thermometer.
Step 6
Tip
If you have a canister style ice cream maker machine, freeze the canister 24-48 hours before churning.
Pour the chilled ice cream mixture into the canister of the ice cream maker and churn per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Serve immediately for soft serve ice cream or freeze for two hours to firm up.
Substitutions & Alterations
- Corn syrup can be swapped for maple syrup, but it will change the flavor slightly.
- Whole milk can be used in place of ½ and ½.
- Swap the pumpkin pie spice for 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon and a ¼-½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg (to taste).
- Do not use pumpkin pie filling in place of real pumpkin puree.
Tips & Tricks
These are a few of my time-tested tips and tricks to achieve the best results from your ice cream.
- Tempering the egg yolks is a must for to prevent making scrambled eggs in your ice cream. Whisk a little hot cream in slowly to allow the egg yolks to come up to temperature before pouring into a hot pot. Whisking the brown sugar into the egg yolks helps prevent scrambling the eggs too!
- Keep in the fat and sugar. Cutting down the sugar and fat content will make the ice cream taste “icy” and lose that creamy texture.
- Cool the ice cream base down quickly. For two reasons: you’ll prevent ice crystals from forming and you’ll get to churn the ice cream faster!
What to Serve with Pumpkin Ice Cream
There are so many ways to serve this delicious ice cream. These are just a few of my favorite things to go with it.
- Pair it with this classic Pumpkin Pie with a Graham Cracker Crust or this Decadent Chocolate Cream Pie for an extra special holiday and Thanksgiving dessert.
- Add a couple of ice cream scoops in the middle of Mini Chocolate Bundt Cakes or as the filling in my pumpkin whoopie pies.
- Serve it on top of some warm Fudgy Brownie Bites with some whipped cream.
- Make ice cream sandwiches with these White Chocolate Chip Cookies or Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers.
- In a waffle cone of course!
- Turn it into a pumpkin spice ice cream cake or pie.
- Drop a scoop of pumpkin ice cream in your morning coffee or in this delicious Maple Latte.
Toppings Suggestions for Pumpkin Spiced Ice Cream
These are just a few of my top suggestions. I’d love to hear how you top your pumpkin ice cream! You can leave a comment and rating below the recipe card.
- Chocolate syrup or caramel syrup
- Graham cracker crumbs or pie crust crumbles
- Cookie crumbs like biscoff, gingersnaps or molasses cookies, chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies
- Whipped cream
- Toasted walnuts or pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- A drizzle of maple syrup or salted caramel.
Equipment Needed
- Ice cream maker – My recommended ice cream machine is the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. For basic homemade ice cream, Cuisinart holds a good amount of ingredients and churns the ice cream very evenly.
How to Store
Store the ice cream in an airtight container with a lid. Place a piece of plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the ice cream and cover it with the lid.
When stored properly, the pumpkin ice cream will last a week in the freezer
Hint: If the ice cream is too hard to scoop at first, let it sit out for 5 minutes to soften.
FAQs
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions, but for my Cuisinart and Kitchenaid attachment, it takes about 15-20 minutes. The consistency will look like soft serve ice cream at first, and the base will have doubled inside the ice cream maker. It will sit on a spoon without turning to soup.
Pumpkin ice cream tastes just like creamy and spicy pumpkin pie filling. I suggest adding pie crust bits or graham cracker crust for the total experience!
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Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup of half and half
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon of coarse kosher salt
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar packed
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place an 8″x 8” baking dish into a 13″ x9” pan filled with ice–this will cool down the ice cream base super fast and prevent ice crystals from forming.
- In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, half and half, salt, and maple syrup.
- Heat over medium to medium-high heat until steaming and the temperature reaches 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Turn off the heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and egg yolks until smooth. Whisk in the pumpkin pie spice. Temper the yolks by slowly adding ½ a cup of the hot cream to the yolks whisking constantly. Tempering the yolks will keep them from scrambling.
- Once warmed, pour the tempered yolks back into the pot of cream. Turn the heat back to medium and whisk the custard until thick and reaches 185-190 degrees F on a thermometer. The mixture will just start to bubble.
- Remove the base from the heat, and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Strain the ice cream base through a fine mesh strainer into the pan over ice to cool fast. Cool to room temperature and transfer the mixture to the fridge. Chill until very cold, at least to hours. You can chill this over night as well.
- Once the mixture is super cold, around 40-50 degrees F. Pour the base into your ice cream maker and churn per the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Serve immediately for soft serve ice cream, or freeze for 2 hours for hard serve.
Notes
- The ice cream base can be made 1-2 days in advance.
- Tempering the yolks will help to keep the eggs from scrambling when added back to the hot cream mixture.
- Cooling the ice cream base fast before popping it into the fridge will prevent ice crystals from forming. This means a super creamy and less "icy" texture. It's an extra step, but totally worth it!
