This vegan pumpkin ice cream tastes like pumpkin pie filling turned cool and creamy: canned coconut milk, pumpkin puree, and maple syrup blended with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. It takes about 10 minutes of hands-on work, and you can make it with an ice cream maker or without one.
Recipe by Cathe Olson from Lick It! Creamy Dreamy Vegan Ice Creams Your Mouth Will Love* (Book Publishing Company; reprinted by permission). You can check out Cathe's blog here. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
*This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through this review, VegKitchen receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Full-fat coconut milk. Use canned coconut milk, not the thin carton kind sold for drinking. Its fat is what keeps the ice cream smooth and creamy instead of icy, so light coconut milk isn't a good swap here. The cream separates in the can, so shake it well or stir it smooth before measuring. For an even richer scoop, replace some of it with canned coconut cream.
- Pumpkin puree. Plain canned pumpkin is the easiest choice. Make sure it's pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. Homemade roasted pumpkin puree works too; if it looks watery, let it drain in a fine-mesh strainer for 20 minutes first. Pureed sweet potato or butternut squash can stand in for the pumpkin.
- Maple syrup. Pure maple syrup sweetens the base and adds a warm, autumnal note that suits the pumpkin and spices. The sugar also helps keep the ice cream scoopable, so cutting it back too far will make it freeze harder. Agave or date syrup can be used instead.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. This trio gives the ice cream its classic pumpkin-pie character. If you'd rather use one jar, about 2 ¼ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice can replace all three.
- Vanilla extract. A teaspoon rounds out the spices and makes the ice cream taste more like dessert and less like plain pumpkin.
- Unsweetened nondairy milk. Almond, soy, or oat milk all work to thin the base to the right consistency for churning. If you only have a vanilla or sweetened variety, it's fine to use; just taste the base and ease back on the maple syrup a little.
Helpful Tips
Blend until completely smooth. Run the blender for a full 30 to 60 seconds so the pumpkin, coconut milk, and spices come together into one silky base. Any streaks or specks of spice left now will stay in the finished ice cream.
Chill the base thoroughly. Give it at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, or overnight if you can. A cold base freezes faster, and faster freezing means smaller ice crystals and a creamier texture, whichever method you use.
If you're using an ice cream maker. For a bowl-style machine like the Cuisinart 1.5-quart ice cream maker, freeze the bowl for at least 24 hours; if you hear liquid sloshing when you shake it, it isn't ready. Pour in the chilled base with the machine running and churn for about 20 to 25 minutes, until it's thick and holds soft peaks like soft-serve. This recipe makes a generous quart, which fits a 1.5-quart machine without overflowing. Add any mix-ins during the last minute or two of churning.
If you don't have an ice cream maker. You can still make this no-churn. Pour the chilled base into a metal loaf pan or shallow freezer-safe container and freeze it, stirring hard with a fork or whisk every 30 to 45 minutes for 3 to 4 hours to break up the ice crystals as they form. For a quicker route, freeze the base in ice cube trays until solid, then blend the cubes in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth and serve it as soft-serve, or firm it up in the freezer for an hour. The no-churn version is a little denser than churned ice cream, but the coconut fat keeps it creamy.
Let it firm up, then soften before scooping. Freshly churned ice cream is soft; 2 to 3 hours in the freezer gives it a firmer, more scoopable texture. Because it's dairy-free, it freezes harder than store-bought ice cream after a day or two, so let it sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before you scoop.
Variations
- Add a swirl. Drizzle in a ribbon of dairy-free caramel or extra maple syrup as you transfer the ice cream to its container for pockets of extra sweetness.
- Add crunch. Fold in chopped toasted pecans or walnuts after churning for texture that plays well against the creamy base.
- Make it cookie crumble. Stir in crushed vegan gingersnaps or graham crackers for a pumpkin-pie-with-crust effect. Check labels, since many brands contain honey.
- Add chocolate. Mini dairy-free chocolate chips folded in at the end make it taste like a frozen pumpkin chocolate chip cookie.
- Adjust the spice blend. A pinch of ground cloves, allspice, or cardamom alongside the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger deepens the flavor even further.
- Try a sweet potato version. Swap the pumpkin for an equal amount of smooth sweet potato puree for a slightly sweeter, earthier scoop.
Serving Ideas
The classic move is pie à la mode. Set a scoop on a warm slice of vegan pumpkin pie for a double dose of pumpkin, or on a bowl of skillet berry-apple crumble, where the spices echo the fruit. Let the pie or crumble cool for about 10 minutes first, so the ice cream melts slowly into a sauce instead of disappearing on contact.
For ice cream sandwiches, let the ice cream soften for a few minutes, then press a scoop between two vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Wrap each sandwich and freeze for 30 minutes so it holds together when you bite in.
It's also a fun addition to a fall brunch or holiday table. Spoon it over warm vegan pumpkin waffles, float a scoop in a mug of homemade vegan pumpkin spice latte, or scoop it into small glasses ahead of time for an easy make-ahead Thanksgiving dessert.
Storing & Freezing
The unchurned base keeps in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, so you can blend it well ahead and churn or freeze it when you're ready. Stir or shake it well before using, since the coconut fat can firm up and separate as it chills. Once the ice cream is churned, it belongs in the freezer, not the fridge.
Store the finished ice cream in an airtight, freezer-safe container with a piece of parchment or plastic wrap pressed right onto the surface to prevent ice crystals. It has the best texture within 2 weeks and keeps for up to a month. If it becomes icy or rock-hard after a longer stay, let it soften, then blend it briefly or re-churn it and refreeze for an hour to bring back the creamy texture.
More Vegan Ice Cream & Pumpkin Treats
If you love this vegan pumpkin ice cream, browse our full collection of delicious vegan ice cream recipes, or try one of these:
- Vegan Mango Ice Cream
- Vegan Vanilla Banana Ice Cream
- Pumpkin Protein Balls
- Best Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts
Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 ounces coconut milk canned, full-fat (about one 13.5-ounce can), shaken well
- 1 cup pumpkin puree canned or homemade, not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup unsweetened nondairy milk such as almond, soy, or oat milk
- ½ cup maple syrup pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Add the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, nondairy milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and ginger to a blender. Blend on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until completely smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to a covered container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.
- Pour the chilled base into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's directions, usually 20 to 25 minutes, until it's thick and looks like soft-serve. (No ice cream maker? See the no-churn method in the notes.)
- Serve right away for soft-serve texture, or transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 2 to 3 hours for firmer scoops. If it has been frozen longer, let it sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before scooping.
