Satisfy your pumpkin cravings all year round with this easy and delicious recipe for keto pumpkin ice cream! It's always a good time for ice cream! Enjoy this fall-themed flavor all year long. This recipe can be part of a low-carb, ketogenic, Atkins, gluten-free, grain-free, diabetic, and Banting diets.
Why Keto Pumpkin Ice Cream?
I’m addicted to Pumpkin Spice and I am not afraid to admit it. The best part is that it’s really so easy to take those pumpkin spice flavors and add them to just about any delicious keto dish.As kids go back to school and leaves begin to turn up north, it’s still hot here in North Carolina. Seriously, it’s still in the 80’s and 90’s almost every day. The extended heat doesn’t keep me from avoiding pumpkin recipes, however. No way! I love pumpkin spices too much! Autumn treats make me feel like it’s fall, no matter what the weather is like outside. I may still enjoy pumpkin spice, but I change the way I enjoy it to match the weather outside.
For those following a ketogenic or low-carb lifestyle, traditional ice cream is often off-limits due to its high sugar content. This keto pumpkin ice cream recipe offers a delicious alternative, allowing you to indulge in the flavors of fall without derailing your dietary goals.
Ingredients You'll Need
Here’s the list of ingredients (and step by step pictures) that you’ll need to make this keto pumpkin ice cream recipe. There are just six simple ingredients in this ice cream recipe.
- Pumpkin Puree: Make sure to use 1 cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar.
- Cashew Milk: I like to use cashew milk because I find that it is the creamiest of all the low carb milk varieties. However, any milk or milk alternative will work fine. You'll need 2 cups unsweetened almond milk quantity divided for the recipe.
- Sweetener: I find that powdered sweetener works best in ice cream as it doesn't have the grainy texture that ea granular sweetener can have. With that said any sweetener that you like will work. You'll need 3/4 cup granulated stevia/erythritol blend for the recipe.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: To keep things easy, I use premade pumpkin pie spice. If you don't have any or prefer to make your own you can check out this recipe for an easy DIY pumpkin pie spice. You'll need 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice for the recipe. Pumpkin pie spice is a combination of the following spices; ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and ground cloves. Use less cloves since it’s very strong and more cinnamon.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy whipping cream is your friend. The higher the fat content, the creamier the ice cream. You'll need 1 cups heavy whipping cream for the recipe.
- Unflavored Gelatin: You'll need 1 packet unflavored gelatin for the recipe.
- Eggs: You'll need 2 large eggs for the recipe.
- Candied Pecans: This Low-Carb Candied Pecan Pumpkin Ice-Cream uses a half batch of my candied pecan recipe. You'll need 3/4 cup candied pecans (1/2 of the amount the recipe makes) for the recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: Whisk in the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract.
Optional Add-Ins:
Read also: Cream cheese adds a delightful twist to this keto pumpkin pie.
- Replace ¼ to ½ cup of the cashew milk with brewed espresso or strong coffee to make this a pumpkin spice latte ice cream!
- Stir about 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup of Kentucky Straight Bourbon into the pot with the pumpkin and milk. Not only will it add a lot of delicious flavors, but the alcohol in the bourbon will help to minimize crystallization when the ice cream freezes.
- Add chopped pecans 20 minutes into the churning process, then churn an additional 5 minutes.
- Add crumbles of keto ginger snaps or cinnamon cookies into the ice cream 20 minutes into the churning process, then churn an additional 5 minutes.
- You can mix in some sugar-free white or chocolate chips or add unsweetened coconut flakes.
- And let’s not forget a topping of our keto graham crackers. Alternatively, you can whip up a batch of lazy (i.e. no-bake!) graham cracker crumbs.
Essential Equipment
- Ice Cream Maker: There are two basic types of ice cream makers. The benefit to these types of ice cream makers is that they are more affordable and they generally can make more ice cream at once. Also, they don’t require as much planning ahead as the other variety. The other kind of ice cream maker comes with an aluminum bucket that is pre-frozen before making ice cream. The benefit here is that they don’t require any extra supplies, while the cons are that they do require some pre-planning as the aluminum base needs to freeze for about 9-12 hours between ice cream batches. I went with the second type and chose the Cuisinart ICE-30BC. It has been so easy to use and the ice cream is ready in under 30 minutes.
- Large Heavy-Bottomed Pot: This is needed for cooking the pumpkin puree with the milk and spices.
- Freezer-Safe Container: To store the ice cream after churning.
- Electric Mixer: All you need is an electric mixer and a mixing bowl.
- Mixing Bowl: All you need is an electric mixer and a mixing bowl.
- Small Bowl: Pour one cup almond milk into a small bowl.
- Medium Saucepan: in a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated stevia/erythritol blend and the eggs.
- Blender: Add all ingredients into a blender and blend on low until just combined. Place all the ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth.
- Loaf Pan: I froze my ice cream in a parchment paper-lined loaf pan.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This recipe uses eggs, cream, and real pumpkin puree for clean, real food taste.
- Bloom the Gelatin: Pour one cup almond milk into a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top. Allow to sit, undisturbed for about 5 minutes to allow gelatin to bloom.
- Cook the Base: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated stevia/erythritol blend and the eggs. Whisk in pumpkin and pumpkin spice. After gelatin has bloomed, whisk in gelatin. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, then remove from heat. Allow to cool about 5 minutes at room temperature, then cool in the refrigerator, uncovered for 45 minutes. stirring occasionally. Do not cool too long or the mixture will set.
- Combine and Churn: Remove pumpkin mixture from the refrigerator and whisk in heavy cream and remaining cup of almond milk. Pour mixture into an ice-cream freezer and freeze according to manufactures instructions.
- Freeze to Firm: Transfer the churned ice cream to a freezer safe container with a tight-fitting lid and freeze until firm. When ice-cream reaches the desired consistency, transfer to a freezer-safe container with a lid.
Tips for the Perfect Keto Pumpkin Ice Cream
Texture Matters
Like most homemade ice creams, this one does get pretty hard after it has been in the freezer overnight. From this point, it's best to allow it to sit at room temp for 10-15 minutes before scooping. To shorten this time, I like to store the ice cream in single-serving portions using these Rubbermaid takealong containers. They hold just about 1 cup which is a serving, and the lids twist on so you don't have to worry about leaking.
Sweetener Choice
A brown sugar substitute gives this pumpkin ice cream a real pumpkin pie kind of flavor. Yes, you really DO need another sweetener. I get asked this constantly. Let me tell you straight up that using just erythritol based sweeteners (which includes Lakanto, by the way), will make your ice cream freeze rock hard. It’s just the nature of the beast. The Yacon syrup is optional. It simply improves the color and the deep, almost caramel-like flavor.
Cooking the Base
You may be wondering why it's necessary to cook the ice cream base since there are no eggs. I found that when the pumpkin puree wasn't cooked with the milk, it had a raw and almost bitter taste that was far from the sweet and creamy texture that I was aiming for. For the pumpkin cheesecake ice creamAdd pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes until cooked, fragrant, and deeper orange in color (but not brown!). Pour in coconut milk, xylitol, salt, and mix thoroughly. Cook until the xylitol dissolves and everything is well incorporated.
No-Churn Option
Making this no-churn keto chocolate ice cream is a breeze. You see, by whipping up the heavy (or coconut) cream you’re incorporating quite a bit of air. And if you plan on making a larger batch and letting it hang in your freezer, it’s generally a good idea to incorporate a couple of tablespoons of booze into your ice cream. Remember that high alcoholic beverages do not freeze, so they will help your ice cream stay creamy smooth rather than rock-solid.
Read also: Healthy Fall Baking
Xylitol is, without a doubt, the best sweetener for keto ice cream. It helps to retain the creamy texture (i.e. And I’ve recently found out that allulose has the same properties in ice cream as xylitol. So feel free to use it too for ultra-scoopable ice cream, just keep in mind that it’s about 70% the sweetness of sugar and xylitol (i.e. Having said that, this no-churn vanilla ice cream is sooo luscious, that you can get away with using erythritol with relatively good results too.
Serving Suggestions
This pumpkin ice cream goes with almost any dessert that you make!
Health and Nutritional Information
The nutrition information listed here is only an estimate and is simply provided as a courtesy. It nor any other information within this post should constitute medical or nutritional advice. Be sure to read all packaging and ingredient labels for potential allergens.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers