Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream is a healthy fall dessert that’s easy to make. Made with 5 simple ingredients, this dairy free ice cream is delicious & creamy. Serve over a warm Paleo Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie or enjoy on its own, either way, everyone will love this frozen fall treat!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy and more about affiliate links.
If you are dairy free but still want to enjoy fun fall flavors – this Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream is for you.
I never knew dairy free ice cream could be SO creamy and delicious until making this! It’s ridiculously simple to make (only 5 real ingredients and a few spices!), doesn’t require much time or effort, and is just SO good. You need to try it!
Do you ever make something and think ‘Oh my god that was SO EASY! why didn’t I try this sooner?!!’ That’s how I feel about making homemade dairy free ice cream and specifically this Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream which is basically like heaven in a bowl.
For years I’ve toyed with the idea of getting an ice cream maker and trying to make healthier ice cream. I always told myself you don’t really need an ice cream maker you just want an ice cream maker and there is a difference.
Let me tell you.. I now think everyone NEEDS an ice cream maker in their kitchen (and this is coming from someone who really doesn’t like a bunch of gadgets in the kitchen!)
After making this Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream and another flavor (coming in a few weeks!) I can tell you that I am seriously hooked on making homemade healthy ice cream and getting an ice cream maker is absolutely worth the investment!
Now.. let’s get into how to make this delicious Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream!
Ingredients we used to make Paleo Pumpkin Ice Cream
- full fat coconut milk (I have also tried this with Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods full fat coconut milk and both worked)
- pumpkin puree
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves
How to make Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream
1)Get an ice cream maker and Freeze the bowl for 24 hours
If you don’t have an ice cream maker, get one! It is totally worth the investment. You also need to freeze the bowl or center of your ice cream maker (check the instruction manual) for at least 24 hours.
I tried to only freeze it for 6 hours and the ice cream wouldn’t churn and I was left with a soupy mess! Definitely put the bowl in the freezer ahead of time!
2) Blend your ingredients.
I love my Vitamix blender, but any blender will work. Just make sure that once you have blended everything it is completely mixed. The ice cream mixture should be completely smooth like in the photo, with no clumps of coconut milk fat.
3) Turn on the ice cream maker + churn away!
I churned this recipe for 30 minutes for one batch and 45 minutes for another. I found no real difference in the times. For the sake of your tastebuds and lack of patience (Everyone’s impatient when dessert is on the line!), you can churn the ice cream for 30 minutes.
At that point, it should be a soft-serve like consistency.
4) Freeze the ice cream
You can eat the ice cream straight out of the ice cream maker but if you want it to be harder/scoopable you will need to freeze it. I put mine in an 8×4 loaf pan and placed it in the freezer for about 2.5 hours and found that was a perfect consistency.
You can freeze it for longer, but it will likely get too hard and then you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a while before you can scoop it.
5) Scoop and enjoy ALL the ice cream!
This is the best part of making your own ice cream: getting to eat it! I prefer mine straight up in a bowl, but I also scooped some of this in between some crispy chocolate chip cookies and it was amazing!
There’s really no wrong way to eat ice cream 🙂
Can I make this ice cream without an ice cream maker?
No, I’m sorry but you can’t make this ice cream without an ice cream maker. It will not come out the same! Instead of creamy, soft ice cream, you’ll be left with an icy, almost watery pumpkin mess. Just don’t do it.
If you want to make this ice cream, you need an ice cream maker.
What ice cream maker did you use?
I tested this recipe in two different ice cream makers. It worked great in both the Bimonk ($32) and Cuisinart ($43) ice cream makers! I would recommend either one.
If you love pumpkin as much as we do, you have to check out these 30 Healthy Pumpkin Recipes
Storing paleo ice cream:
You can keep this paleo ice cream in the freezer for up to a month
Paleo Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 2 14 oz cans full fat coconut milk
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- Freeze ice cream base for 24 hours minimum prior to making ice cream. Do NOT skip this step, it will not work!
- In a blender, combine all ingredients.
- Pour ice cream mixture into frozen base and turn on ice cream maker per ice cream maker directions.
- Churn for 30 minutes until the ice cream starts to look like thick soft serve.
- The ice cream can be eaten at this point if you prefer soft ice cream. If you prefer harder ice cream, scoop mixture into a freezer safe pan (I used an 8×4 loaf pan), cover and freeze for 2.5 hours.
- Note: lf you keep this in the freezer for more than 2.5 hours, it will become very hard. Allow the ice cream to sit out for about 20 minutes or microwave for 20 seconds in a microwave safe dish before enjoying for best texture.
Andy Bishop says
I’ve got some leftover pumpkin from making soup the other night. I’m going to try your recipe. Wish me luck and thanks for sharing!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hope you love it!!
Laura Icardi says
It was so good! I have recently discovered that I do well with low-FODMAP eating, and I really wanted some pumpkin ice cream, but I could not find any dairy-free pumpkin ice cream at any store. I really liked this, but I also felt a little bit like it was slightly bland… I wonder if I could add more spices? Or would that make it too grainy? Or a dash of salt?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Laura – I’m sorry that you thought it was bland! I tested this a few times to make sure it had the right amount of spice, but you could definitely add more if you’d prefer! I wouldn’t add salt!
Laura Icardi says
Thanks! It may also be that some of my spices were old. I think I’ll try it with fresher stuff and see if that helps.
Diane Harris says
Hi,
One question,one comment.
You say there are only 5 ingredients but I go to the recipe and I count 8.?
In the first step, you say to freeze the base for 24 hours, but you don’t specify what you are talking about? Is this the ice cream base (ingredients) or the base of the machine?
I’m assuming the machine but my first thought was to freeze the base ingredients of the ice cream which of course was confusing.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I didn’t count the spices 🙂 You have to freeze the base of the ice cream maker