Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream

This vegan ice cream will make all your pumpkin spice dreams come true! It's the perfect no churn ice cream that is creamy and bursting with fall spices. Plus, only 6 ingredients and so easy! Who says ice cream can't be enjoyed year-round?

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I don't know about you, but for me, ice cream season definitely doesn't end after the summer. I live in one of the coldest places on earth (the temperature regularly drops to -20, -30 degrees Celcius here and the winters last for like, 6-7 months). BUT that doesn't stop me from eating ice cream throughout every season!

However, once September and October come around, I'm making pumpkin spice everything. So I'm telling you right now, this dairy free pumpkin ice cream is one of the only fall ice cream recipes you'll need. And because it's no churn, anyone can make it! It's also naturally wheat/gluten free!

Ingredients needed to make vegan pumpkin ice cream

This ice cream is so easy - it only requires 5 ingredients (6 if you include the little bit of salt!).

Here's what you'll need:

• Canned Coconut milk - Note: this is NOT the kind in a carton that you'd find next to the almond milk and oat milk in the grocery store. The canned version is different! Learn how to pick out the best canned coconut milk here.
• Condensed Milk* (Vegan or Regular) - *if you can't find any, you can substitute this for powdered sugar (read more below)
• Canned Pumpkin Puree - Note: NOT pumpkin pie filling. You can read more about the difference between the two here
• Vanilla Extract
• Pumpkin Pie Spice - (see recipe notes for substitutions)
• Salt

I typically like to use coconut cream as the base of my dairy free ice cream recipes instead of cashews mostly because it requires a little more work and I find cashews to be a bit pricey where I live. Even though this ice cream is made with canned coconut milk, it actually has absolutely no coconut flavour at all!

How to make dairy free pumpkin ice cream

The first thing you'll need to do is make coconut whipped cream. You can find a full "how-to" on this here.

The most important thing is to make sure that your canned coconut milk has been chilled in the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight so that the thick coconut cream has time to harden and separate from the coconut water.

Once the coconut milk has been chilled for the full amount of time, you can make the ice cream! 10 minutes before you start, place the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer into the freezer to get it nice and cold. After 10 minutes, remove the bowl from the freezer and the coconut cream from the fridge (be careful not to tip or shake the can!).

Scoop the thick coconut cream out of the can and place it in the chilled bowl, leaving the liquid behind. Begin whipping the cream on medium to high speed until stiff peaks start to form. This could take a 3-6 minutes or so, and it should be the consistency of whipped cream.

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Next, add in the vegan condensed milk (or icing sugar if not using condensed milk) and mix again until incorporated. Now add in the pumpkin puree, vanilla, salt, and spice and continue mixing, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Pour the mixture into an airtight container, spreading it out with a spatula, then place it the freezer for 6-8 hours.

The ice cream will be quite hard if you try to eat it straight out of the freezer, so before serving, it should be transferred to the fridge or the counter for about 15-25 minutes to soften.

What if I can't find vegan condensed milk?

I was recently able to get my hands on vegan condensed milk for the first time. My family and friends have all heard me rave about it because it is a total game changer. It tastes just like regular condensed milk, and I buy it on Amazon! I know a lot of places also sell it in store, but depending where in the world you live, it could be harder to find.

If you can't get your hands on vegan condensed milk, you can make your own, or you can substitute it with ½-2/3 cup powdered sugar (to taste). I tested this recipe both ways and the difference was very, VERY hard to detect. Just make sure to add the powdered sugar in small increments until the sweetness is where you want it to be.

Can I replace the canned coconut milk with store-bought whipped cream?

Definitely! You can replace the homemade whipping cream at a 1 to 1 ratio with store-bought coconut whipped cream in a tub (but not canned whipped cream).

How to store the ice cream

To store dairy free pumpkin ice cream, cover it with parchment paper and keep in an ice cream container or airtight container. It can be stored in the freezer for up to two months without freezer burn. It could last longer if stored properly!

How to serve vegan pumpkin ice cream

As mentioned above, the ice cream will need to soften for about 15-25 minutes before you eat it. But it's worth it, I promise 😉

This ice cream tastes delicious on it's own, but also tastes divine with brownies. If you are a super pumpkin fan, you could also serve it on top of pumpkin sheet cake instead of using the cream cheese icing.

My personal favourite way to eat it is to put the ice cream in between two sugar cookies for a pumpkin ice cream sandwich. Simply scoop the softened ice cream onto one sugar cookie, then top it with another. If the ice cream has become too soft, you can pop the prepared ice cream sandwiches into the freezer for 15-25 minutes before you eat them!

MORE PUMPKIN RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

• Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
• Pumpkin Sheet Cake
• Pumpkin Banana Muffins

If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram @cookiedoughdiaries so I can check it out! If you want to save this recipe for later, you can pin it using the Pinterest button below.