Pumpkin Ice Cream is the perfect treat to make for fall. It doesn’t get better than this pumpkin pie ice cream for Thanksgiving! It’s like a creamy frozen version of pumpkin pie… what could be better?
What’s in this Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe?
Homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream is the perfect cool treat to make during the fall season. We love ice cream, we love pumpkin pie, so why not just turn it into one delicious dessert?
- Heavy Cream: Provides a rich and creamy texture and a luxurious mouthfeel.
- Whole Milk: Balances the richness of the heavy cream so that the ice cream isn’t too fatty.
- Nonfat Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sweetens the ice cream and helps keep it smooth, silky, and free from ice crystals.
- Pumpkin Puree: Adds natural pumpkin color and flavor.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Infuses the ice cream with a classic warm and spicy pumpkin pie flavor.
- Biscoff Cookies: Adds a delightful crunch to the ice cream that is reminiscent of pie crust.
Pro Tip: Make sure to use nonfat/fat-free sweetened condensed milk. Adding too much fat to the recipe will make the ice cream oily.
Variations on Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
While I don’t recommend tweaking the ice cream base recipe, you can certainly get creative with your mix-ins. Try stirring in some chunks of edible chocolate chip cookie dough, pumpkin gooey butter cake, snickerdoodles, molasses cookies, shortbread cookies, ginger cookies, or cooked pie crust pieces.
You could also layer in a swirl of caramel sauce or chocolate sauce as you pour the churned ice cream into the storage container.
At many ice cream shops, pumpkin is a seasonal flavor. But once you learn to make this at home, you can enjoy it any time of year!
This ice cream tastes just like pumpkin pie in ice cream form! It’s creamy and chock-full of pumpkin pie flavor!
Condensed milk adds sweetness to the ice cream, which helps to lower the freezing point so that your ice cream doesn’t turn out too hard. It also helps to make the ice cream super smooth and prevents ice crystals from forming.
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can use the ingredients I listed, then follow this tutorial to make ice cream without a machine. But if you’re someone who enjoys making homemade ice cream regularly, you’ll find that buying an ice cream maker can really come in handy over the years. It’s one of my favorite kitchen appliances!
Too much water could cause your ice cream to turn out hard. Make sure to use heavy cream (not half-and-half) and whole milk (not 2%, 1%, or skim) to ensure the mix has enough fat to keep it scoopable.
Once the mixture has been churned, it should have a soft-serve consistency. You can serve it that way if you like it soft, or scoop it into a container and allow it to freeze solid for at least 2-4 hours (preferably overnight) to firm it up!
How to Store
Store leftover pumpkin ice cream in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let thaw at room temperature for about 10 minutes if it’s too hard to scoop.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this pumpkin pie ice cream with a slice of pumpkin pie, pumpkin gooey butter cake, pumpkin brownies, pumpkin bars, pumpkin crisp, or pumpkin pie cheesecake. For a beverage, whip up pumpkin cream cold brew, a pumpkin spice latte, a pumpkin spice white Russian, or some pumpkin pie punch!
5-Star Review
“I made this ice cream for Thanksgiving and it turned out GREAT, thanks for sharing! For people who had problem getting it to harden I just followed the instructions with my churn – put canister and paddle in freezer for 30 mins and mixture in refrigerator for 30 mins and had not problems.” – Ally S.
Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups heavy cream 454 grams
- 1 cup whole milk 227 grams
- 14 ounces nonfat sweetened condensed milk 396 grams (1 can)
- 8 ounces pumpkin puree 227 grams (about ½ can)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 9 grams
- 4-6 Biscoff cookies 50-75 grams, crumbled
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Ice Cream Maker
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together all of the ingredients except the cookie crumbles. Stir until well combined.2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 14 ounces nonfat sweetened condensed milk, 8 ounces pumpkin puree, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- Pour into your frozen ice cream maker bowl and turn on. Add the cookie crumbles and allow the machine to stir in the crumbles.4-6 Biscoff cookies
- Allow to freeze within the machine for 30-45 minutes, or until the ice cream is a soft-serve consistency.
- Pour into a freezer-safe container and cover. Chill for at least 2-4 hours (or preferably overnight) for a firmer texture. Keep frozen until ready to eat.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Use heavy cream (not half-and-half) and whole milk (not 2%, 1%, or skim)!
- Make sure to use nonfat/fat-free sweetened condensed milk. Adding too much fat to the recipe will make the ice cream oily.
- Chill the ice cream paddle, container (if applicable), and storage container well to help the ice cream firm up more quickly.
- Chill the ice cream for less time for a softer consistency or more time for a more solid consistency.
Nutrition Information
More Ice Cream Recipes We Love
- Red Velvet Ice Cream
- Snickers Ice Cream Cake
- Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Pie
- Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Pie
- Dog Ice Cream
Good recipe – I made a second batch with a cup of sugar instead of the sweetened condensed milk – texture was better
Thanks so much for sharing what worked for you, Maria!
I tried this because my wife loves everything pumpkin. I make my own pumpkin puree so I used that instead of canned plus my wife makes her pumpkin pie with a graham cracker crust so I used crumbled graham crackers. Turned out perfect my wife and her friends loved it only problem now is I will have to be making it more often
We’re so happy to hear your wife loved this ice cream, Michael!
Didn’t work for me either sadly. Ran for an hour and it was completely liquid still
We’re so sorry to hear that, Sara! You may have more success if you chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 4 hours (or up to overnight) before churning it!
I made this ice cream just as it says. I tripled it and it was too much for my 4 quart make so I made 2 batches! How big of an ice cream maker is this recipe intended for? It was amazing and everyone loved it. It cured very nicely overnight. One of the best ice creams I have made. Sorry no pic, we ate it too fast!
This recipe is designed for a 1½-quart capacity ice cream maker, so tripling it would require at least 4½-quart capacity. We’re so glad it was a hit!
I made this ice cream for Thanksgiving and it turned out GREAT, thanks for sharing! For people who had problem getting it to harden I just followed the instructions with my churn – put canister and paddle in freezer for 30 mins and mixture in refrigerator for 30 mins and had not problems.
Thanks for sharing what worked for you, Ally!
The recipe worked perfectly. It was not runny at all. I did weigh the pumpkin puree to ensure I had exactly 8oz. Best ice cream ever.
Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth!
Great idea; but the ice cream unfortunately doesn’t thicken. There’s just too much liquid. I used a cuisinart to churn and froze the bowl 2 days prior so it wasn’t a machine malfunction.
I am sorry to hear it wasn’t working for you.
Hahaha…. how do you use less liquid to make ice cream?
I also have a cuisinart and it didn’t work for me either
I have a Kitchen Aid and the bowl and paddle were frozen for days, the mixture was chilled for hours and it was still liquid after 40 minutes of churning. I poured the mixture into plastic container and put in freezer for an hour and it’s still liquid. I’m so bummed. Hopefully tomorrow it’ll be edible.
Hi, there are a few reasons why your ice cream may remain liquid. Firstly, there may be a fault with the freezer bowl causing it not to freeze properly. They do have a limited lifespan, and they can also be negatively impacted by washing in the dishwasher rather than by hand. Second, there is also a risk of overchurning the mixture, which can also cause it to turn out soft.
You can try placing the mixture in the freezer and stirring it once every hour or so until it begins to firm up, then letting it freeze completely overnight. The texture will likely be icier, but it should firm up eventually!
What kind of ice cream maker do you have?
Most are great options!
Would it be possible to use cooked pieces of pie crust instead of biscoff cookies do you think?
Yes, definitely
Dear Lord, this looks incredible. SIGN ME UP!!!!
Ha thanks Michelle!