Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream is an indulgent, sweet dessert you never knew you needed! Loaded with all your favorite fall flavors, this pumpkin ice cream recipe has a velvety ice cream base blended with pumpkin puree and spices. If you’re looking for a sweet, seasonal treat, this recipe is for you!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy as Pie – This ice cream recipe only takes 30 minutes to make.
Fall Fanatic – This is the perfect recipe if you want to switch up the usual pumpkin desserts and try something new!
Oh So Creamy – The base for this pumpkin pie ice cream is so decadent and rich, you’ll need a few more scoops.
Beginner Recipe – If this is your first time working with ice cream, this is a great beginner recipe to start with!
All Things Pumpkin – Again, the word pumpkin is in the title… enough said.
Caramel Sauce – Along with this delicious pumpkin pie ice cream recipe, there’s an easy and delicious caramel sauce recipe that pairs perfectly with the festive ice cream.
Pumpkin season is among us, and if you aren’t making pumpkin everything right now, you’re missing out. This pumpkin spice ice cream is a great way to satisfy those pumpkin cravings, especially if the weather is still warm where you are. (Sorry AZ folks!)
Because pumpkin and caramel make the perfect pair, I’m also sharing one of my favorite homemade caramel sauces you can pair with this pumpkin ice cream recipe!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Heavy Cream – The main ingredient for the whole recipe! You’ll need heavy cream for the ice cream base and caramel sauce as well.
Whole Milk – I highly recommend using whole milk.
Granulated Sugar – White granulated sugar is preferred for this recipe, and the caramel sauce as well, I wouldn’t recommend substituting for a different sugar
Unsweetened Pumpkin Puree – Since there’s a bunch of sugar in the ice cream base already, you’ll only need unsweetened pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling.
Crumbled Graham Crackers – This adds a little crunch to the ice cream and resembles the ‘pie crust’ in the pumpkin pie ice cream.
Unsalted Butter – This is for the caramel sauce, use unsalted butter since you’ll be adding salt to the caramel and you don’t want it overly salty.
Sea Salt – Pro tip: sea salt tends to work better in desserts to bring out all the different flavors. I am a HUGE fan of Jacobsen Sea Salt, and I also highly recommend Maldon Salt.
How To Make Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
- For the base recipe, grab a large bowl and whisk together the whole milk, heavy cream, sugar, pumpkin puree, cinnamon and salt. Whisk this well, until the sugar is fully dissolved. Don’t over mix.
- For the best results, prepare your ice cream maker according to the instruction manual. Some ice cream makers require you to freeze the bowl 24 hours before use. Pour the ice cream base into the ice cream maker and allow it to churn for however long according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Once the ice cream is ready, transfer it to a lidded container and freeze until you’re ready to scoop and serve. Garnish with some optional toppings like caramel sauce, or whipped cream!
How To Make Salted Caramel Sauce
- To a heavy bottomed pot, add the white sugar and water and let it sit over a low heat until the sugar melts.
- Bring the heat up to a medium heat and let the sugar mixture cook until it reaches a golden brown color. Make sure to watch the sugar closely so it doesn’t burn.
- To the golden brown caramel, add the heavy cream and stir. The mixture will start to bubble up, but if sugar pieces clump up, continue to mix on a low heat until it dissolves completely. Add in the butter and sea salt, and stir until combined. Serve on top of the ice cream and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and Advice
Storage – You can keep the homemade ice cream in the freezer in a lidded container for up to 2 weeks. It may last for a week or two after that, but it will start to form ice crystals and freeze over after 2 weeks.
Materials – You’ll need an ice cream maker, a large bowl, whisk, and a heavy bottomed pot if you chose to make the caramel. The ice cream machine used in this recipe was the Cuisinart 1.5 quart ice cream maker; it took about 10 minutes for the ice cream to form. I’m a big fan of this ice cream maker, I’ve been using mine since 2014. You can find the adorable Staub Mini Pumpkin Cocottes here.
Customizable – This recipe is a great base for additional add-ins besides the graham crackers. Things like pecans, walnuts, biscoff cookies, or butterscotch chips make a great addition along with toppings like whipped cream, pumpkin pie spice, or maple syrup.
Serve Now… Or Later – My family loves the soft serve consistency that you get right after making homemade ice cream. If you too enjoy that, then feel free to serve up this ice cream when it’s done. If you want a more traditional ice cream consistency, go ahead and pop it in the freezer for a few hours prior to serving.
This pumpkin pie ice cream tastes like if a vanilla ice cream base was blended with a slice of pumpkin pie … so, very delicious!
As long as the heavy whipping cream has a fat content of 38% or higher, the cream will work in the ice cream base.
More Pumpkin Recipes To Try
Pumpkin fans, serve this pumpkin spice ice cream on top of some pumpkin pie or with some pumpkin cake! If that’s not your thing, here are a few more pumpkin recipes to try out:
- Pumpkin Dip
- Pumpkin Caramel Cookies
- No Bake Pumpkin Dessert
- Pumpkin Poke Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Graham Cracker Crust Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
Make sure to grab a copy of my free Fall Favorite Recipes eCookbook!
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree*
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup crumbled graham crackers
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- sea salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
- If your ice cream maker requires you to freeze the bowl, do so at least 24 hours in advance. A less than thoroughly frozen bowl will impact the ice cream setting.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar,unsweetened pumpkin puree (do not use pumpkin pie mix), ground cinnamon and salt. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer instructions.
- During the last 3 minutes of the churn, pour the crumbled graham crackers into the ice cream maker.
- When the ice cream is ready, transfer to a lidded container and store in the freezer until ready to serve.
Salted Caramel Sauce
- Add the granulated sugar and water to a heavy bottomed pot on low heat and allow the sugar to melt.
- Raise the heat to medium and cook until it begins to color. Do not walk away because it can burn quickly.
- Pour in the heavy cream (the mixture will bubble up) and stir. If pieces of sugar clump up, continue stirring, on low heat, until they dissolve.
- Stir in the butter and sea salt to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
I always wanted an ice cream machine, ever since I was a little girl and my mom would make all sorts of ice cream with her old fashioned ice salt machine with the crank. This was my first time making ice cream and it turned out absolutely amazing!!! Thanks so much for a tasty, wonderful, easy treat!