Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Pumpkin pie ice cream! Think fall, think spiced pumpkin latte ... except deeper, creamier, spicier. Full bodied pumpkin flavor and an explosion of frosty sweet and spice on the palate. Enjoy.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Freezing time5 hours hrs
Total Time5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Keyword: Ice Cream, No Churn, Pumpkin
Servings: 2 pints of ice cream
Author: Kai
- 250 ml heavy cream
- 1/2 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/2 cup low fat condensed milk
- 1 tbsp light corn syrup
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Peel 300g fresh pumpkin and cut into large chunks. Note: this makes ~ 1 cup pumpkin purée which can make 2 batches of this recipe.
Steam for 10 minutes until soft and mash into a smooth purée. Set aside to cool completely.
Freeze mixing bowl and beaters for 15 minutes. Then whisk 250ml cold heavy cream on medium until soft peaks.
Add pumpkin purée, spices, low fat condensed milk and corn syrup. Switch to a spatula and gently mix until just combined.
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 5 hours or overnight. Just before serving, take out from the freezer and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then scoop and enjoy.
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#1 Spice and all things nice
DO NOT SKIP the spice in this Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. The woody punchy cinnamon, the warm piney, fruity cardamom and the hit of sea salt. It’s what makes the pumpkin flavour pop.
#2 Ice Cream Tips
No churn ice cream tends to be more icy as the lack of churning does not break up the structure of the ice cream as much resulting in larger ice crystals which creates ici-ness. The following are some tips which I find helps to produce a smoother and softer ice cream texture.
- Keep everything Cold Cold Cold!
The biggest key to good ice cream is keeping everything very cold. I like to freeze my bowl and beaters for ~ 30 minutes before I start whipping my cream as the coldness helps the cream to whip up quickly. I also like to keep all the ingredients chilled so that the whipped cream is kept cold when combined and then popped back immediately to freeze in the refrigerator.
- Do not over-whip the cream
For all no churn ice cream, use heavy cream with at least 35% fat content and always whisk the cream only till soft peaks. The high fat content reduces ici-ness and makes a fuller, creamier dessert. When all the pumpkin purée and spices have been added and combined, you want the batter to have the texture of melted ice cream at room temperature and this is more easily achieved with soft peaks whipped cream. I find the ice cream batter with this sort of consistency produces a smoother, softer and creamier texture.
- Condensed Milk and Corn Syrup
Icy ice cream is the result of the water content in the mixture forming large ice crystals which creates ici-ness. Using high viscosity liquid sweeteners like condensed milk and light corn syrup reduces the crystallization process and produces a less icy and softer ice cream texture.
Some say using full fat condensed milk produces a creamier ice cream but I beg to defer. I used the low fat version (96.5% less fat to be exact) and the texture came out perfectly creamy. In my book, that means less guilt, more scoops and greater ice cream indulgence 😊 !
I generally like my desserts less sweet so this Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream only uses half a cup of low fat condensed milk for two pints of ice cream. Different types of pumpkin also have different sweetness so do experiment switching up or down the levels to find your perfect sweet spot depending on preference and the variety of pumpkin used.
- Keep them airtight and small
To keep the ice cream as air tight as possible, a good way is to flatten a piece of cling wrap, wax paper or parchment, sealing the surface of the ice cream to prevent contact with air. This helps to reduce ici-ness and prevent freezer burn.
I actually found these pint sized airtight containers online which came with an additional airtight seal that was perfect for keeping and freezing the ice cream. They are definitely recyclable too.
The pint size was also ideal as I like to store the ice cream in smaller containers which can be preferably served and consumed at a single sitting. With larger-sized containers, taking the ice cream out & letting it soften for a serving, before freezing it again causes the ice crystals to expand and therefore ici-ness. That is also typically the reason why even with commercial ice cream, the more it is refrozen after scooping, it still tends to harden and become icy.
#3 Storage
This Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream tastes best eaten in the first 2 days and can be kept for 3 to 5 days stored airtight (note tips in #2 above) in the freezer. Again, homemade ice cream is never designed for longevity, therefore enjoy and eat yours fresh!
