Holy (vegan) cow, friends!
This healthy pumpkin spice ice cream is even better than regular ice cream. Who would have thought that six-ingredient vegan ice cream could be SO good?! It’s vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and free of refined sugars, but shhh….. no one has to know that it’s much healthier than the store-bought stuff.
This recipe is:
Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free,
Plant-based, No-bake, Mostly Raw,
Naturally Sweetened & Delicious
This healthy pumpkin spice ice cream tastes like pumpkin pie filling, so I debated naming this—you guessed it—pumpkin pie ice cream. But when I polled ya’ll on Instagram stories, Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream won out. My super-smart screenwriter friend Jamie Jensen suggested I call it Pumpkin Sp’Ice Cream, which is brilliant! But that wouldn’t turn up in a Google search and bloggers gotta be smart about Google finding blog titles, so I went with Healthy Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream on the blog. However, this recipe shall be known as Pumpkin Sp’Ice Cream at home and amongst friends, and I suggest you use that name too and take credit for it, as people will think you’re brilliant.
Even though this recipe is free of refined sugars, it is still a dessert and does contain (natural) sugar, so one serving is perfectly healthy. The entire batch in one sitting? Not so much.
The best way to make vegan ice cream is in an ice cream maker. They’ve really come down in price over the years, and if you love ice cream, then investing in one is probably a good idea. I got this Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker for about $40 five years ago and use it often. I also included the recipe for the best vegan chocolate ice cream ever below if you buy it and need more ideas on how to use it. If you don’t want to get an ice cream maker, no worries. One option is to freeze the mixtures in a 2-quart stainless steel bowl, but it becomes very hard and is more difficult to scoop. The ice cream maker will create the best texture, but do what works best for you.
When using an ice cream maker, the freezer bowl must be in the freezer for at least 24 hours before using it. Do not try to skimp on time here! The ice cream will not freeze if the freezer bowl isn’t completely frozen, and you’ll waste your time and ingredients. Instead, remove the bowl from the freezer immediately before use—do not let it sit out. Also, remove the ice cream immediately when done (after about 25 minutes), because if you let it sit in the bowl, it will continue to freeze and get stuck in the bowl. We’ve had sad hosts and party goers from doing this. So trust me, do not let it sit—transfer it to a double-walled ice cream container immediately and serve or store in the freezer. I use this one.
Let’s talk Healthy Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream ingredients:
- Pumpkin spice actually doesn’t have any pumpkin in it; it’s a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove that is premixed to flavor pumpkin pie. When buying pumpkin spice, read the label just like anything else, and don’t buy spices that contain fillers or preservatives. The only ingredients in pumpkin spice should be cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove.
- Use only 100% real maple syrup (none of that pancake syrup, it’s mostly corn syrup) and real organic pumpkin puree—not pumpkin pie filling, which is loaded with sugar. The only ingredient in pumpkin puree, on the other hand, is pumpkin (whadya know?!).
- And finally, use full-fat coconut milk, as the reduced fat won’t freeze well (plus, the healthy fats are good for you).
- 2 14-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup real maple syrup
- 1 cup (about ½ of a 14-ounce can) organic pumpkin puree
- 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons high-quality vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (I use Real Salt)
- Suggested topping: chopped pecans and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon
- Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. I use a blender, but you could whisk this by hand if desired. Make in your ice cream maker according to the appliance instructions. In mine, I pull the freezer bowl out right before I use it. Turn on the assembled ice cream maker, and pour the mixture in. Roughly 20–25 minutes later, you've got ice cream! It will be more of a soft-serve texture at this point, and if you prefer that, it’s ready to eat. For a scoop-able ice cream texture, freeze it in a double-walled ice cream container overnight. Keeps in the freezer about a week.
- Pumpkin spice actually doesn't have any pumpkin in it, it's a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove that is premixed to flavor pumpkin pie. When buying pumpkin spice, read the label just like anything else and don't buy spices that contain fillers or preservatives. The only ingredients in pumpkin spice should be cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove.
- Use only 100% real maple syrup (none of that pancake syrup, it's mostly corn syrup), and real organic pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which is loaded with sugar; whereas the only ingredient in pumpkin puree is pumpkin.
- Use full-fat coconut milk, as the reduced fat won’t freeze well (plus, the healthy fats are good for you.)
Vegan Ice Cream Tips:
- When using an ice cream maker, the freezer bowl must be in the freezer for at least 24 hours before using it. Do not try to skimp on time here—the ice cream will not freeze if the freezer bowl isn't completely frozen, and you’ll end up wasting your time and ingredients.
- Remove the bowl from the freezer immediately before use; do not let it sit out.
- Remove the ice cream immediately when done (after about 25 minutes), because if you let it sit in the bowl, it will continue to freeze and get stuck in the bowl. Do not let it sit—transfer it to a double-walled ice cream container immediately and serve or store in the freezer.
If you make it, let us know how it turns out in the comments below.
Cheers!
