Best Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream

Name: Best Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients: 1 13.5-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk; 1 cup of organic, unsweetened dairy-free milk (I used almond milk); 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla bean powder OR vanilla extract; 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice; 1/3 cup of real maple syrup; 1 cup of pumpkin puree

August 11, 2018 / By Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition / 29 Comments

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This creamy Pumpkin Ice Cream uses coconut milk as the base, so it’s completely dairy-free, vegan, and paleo-friendly. Enjoy it as a fall treat, or at anytime of the year.

Dreaming of Cooler Fall Weather & Pumpkin Spice

Are you still sweating out this summer and starting to dream of cooler fall days? We’ve had such a warm summer here at the coast in California and very few of the foggy, cool days that we have had in the past. In fact, it was 102 degrees for one day last week, and two people on my street have already ordered air-conditioners to be installed in their homes.

Well it’s almost mid-August, so we don’t have long to wait for fall. I’m sharing this Vegan and Dairy-Free Pumpkin Ice Cream recipe to help bridge that gap between sweating in the heat but dreaming of pumpkin pie, pumpkin lattes, and pumpkin-everything! Note: I originally shared this recipe in 2016, but wanted to re-share it since it’s a reader- and husband-favorite! 🙂

As mentioned, this recipe uses full-fat coconut milk as the base, plus a cup of dairy-free milk (I used unsweetened almond milk). This recipe has a total of 6 ingredients including the coconut milk, dairy-free milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree. How easy is that?!

Vegan & Dairy-Free Pumpkin Ice Cream Steps

In addition to only needing six ingredients, you can make this Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream in just a few steps.

Freeze your ice cream bowl overnight.
Gather your ingredients: coconut milk, dairy-free milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree.
Blend the ingredients and chill for 30 minutes.
Churn the mixture in your ice cream making for 30 minutes.
Eat!!!

Step-by-Step Photos for this Vegan & Dairy-Free Pumpkin Ice Cream Recipe

I used a high-speed blender to mix the ingredients, but you can also use a food processor. Here’s what it looks like when the ingredients get blended together and chilled.

Then, you just pour the mixture into an ice cream churner. Thirty minutes later, you have a creamy and delicious pumpkin pie flavored ice cream with no preservatives or additives.

When I make homemade ice cream, I usually transfer the mixture from the machine to the freezer to firm it up a bit. I actually left it in too long and it got harder than I wanted for this picture, but the flavor and texture tasted perfect. See all my other dairy-free ice cream recipes here!

If you want to make it even more special, you could use about 1/4 of a teaspoon of vanilla bean powder (this is the vanilla bean powder that I like). By the way, I also get a lot of questions about how to make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker. It can be done! It’s a little bit more time-consuming, but here’s an article that explains how to do it using what’s called the freezer method.

Questions about Making Dairy-Free Ice Cream

Do I need an ice cream maker to make homemade ice cream? It will make your life easier, but you don’t have to have one! They’re less than $50 on Amazon, but I totally get it if you don’t want another appliance or you don’t want to spend the money. Feel free to make homemade dairy-free ice cream by freezing your mixture and stirring it every 30 minutes or so to help incorporate air and create a creamy texture.

Can I use lite coconut milk for this recipe? Yes, but I only tested it using full-fat milk.

Can I use real pumpkin in this recipe? Yes, but you’ll need to cut back on the other liquid you use. I would recommend using only 1/2 cup of almond milk instead of 1 cup.

Here’s the printable recipe for this Vegan & Dairy-Free Pumpkin Ice Cream: