This creamy Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream uses coconut milk as the base, so it’s completely dairy-free and delicious! You’ll love this nice cream recipe at any time of the year. Make it with an ice cream maker or using the blend and freeze method.

two bowls of pumpkin ice cream with cinnamon sticks.

If you’re looking for another way to add pumpkin spice into your life, then you’ve got to try this recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream!

This recipe uses both real pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice for a super delicious dairy-free pumpkin dessert. You don’t have to wait for the autumn season to make this recipe. It’s perfect for both warm and cold weather seasons.

Why You Need This Recipe

  • This vegan ice cream recipe uses full-fat coconut milk as the base with maple syrup to sweeten. There’s no need for cream or dairy milk. This recipe has a total of five ingredients which makes it just so easy to make.
  • Even if you’ve never made homemade ice cream before, this recipe is quite easy. You essentially just blend the ingredients and then freeze (or churn in an ice cream machine).
  • Make this pumpkin ice cream around the holidays or at any time of year. If you like the flavor of pumpkin spice, then you’ll love this pumpkin dessert. You may also want to check out my recipes for Vegan Pumpkin Pudding, Pumpkin Energy Bites, or Vegan Pumpkin Fluff.

Key Ingredients

ingredients for pumpkin ice cream

Full-fat canned coconut milk replaces heavy cream in this dairy-free ice cream recipe. I like the Natural Value coconut milk that is BPA-free.

Pure pumpkin puree adds a nice pumpkin flavor to the nice cream, plus beta carotene and fiber! Don’t use pumpkin pie filling for this recipe, use 100% pumpkin puree.

Real maple syrup adds sweetness and helps make this pumpkin ice cream taste like fall.

Vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice add that characteristic pumpkin pie flavor. I like the Frontier brand of pumpkin pie spice.

Recipe Steps

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

Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Step One

Freeze your ice cream bowl overnight. Gather your ingredients: coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin puree.

Step Two

Blend the ingredients and chill for 30 minutes.

chilled pumpkin ice cream mixture.

Step Three

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.

pumpkin ice cream inside ice cream maker.

Step Four

When I make homemade ice cream, I usually transfer the mixture from the machine to the freezer to firm it up a bit before serving.

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 I wrote a blog post about how to make ice cream without an ice cream maker.

pumpkin ice cream ready to be scooped.

Recipes Tips & Substitutions

  • If your ice cream is in the freezer for longer than 12 hours, you may need to defrost it on the countertop for 10-20 minutes to let is soften before scooping. 
  • If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use ground cinnamon instead.
  • If you don’t have an ice cream maker, be sure to read my post on how to make homemade ice cream without a machine.

Recipe FAQs

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 $60 on Amazon, but I totally get it if you don’t want another appliance or you don’t want to spend the money. I have the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker.

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. Read my whole tutorial on making homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker.

Can I use light coconut milk for this recipe?

Yes, but I only tested it using full-fat milk. It will probably taste more like ice milk than ice cream.

Can I use real pumpkin that I cook at home in this pumpkin ice cream recipe?

Yes, but I have not tested it that way. I have only made this recipe using canned pumpkin puree.

two parfait glasses with pumpkin ice cream.

More Vegan Ice Cream Recipes You Might Like

Don’t miss my round-up of the 25+ best vegan and dairy-free ice cream recipes!!!

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

And, consider following me on social media so we can stay connected. I’m on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!

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bowl of ice cream with a gold spoon

Best Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream

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.

  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 13.5ounce can of full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/3 cup of real maple syrup
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree from a can

Instructions

  1. Combine the coconut milk, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, and pumpkin puree into a high-speed blender or food processor and process until smooth.
  2. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and refrigerate until chilled (at least 2 hours).
  3. Pour the chilled mixture into an ice-cream make and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
  4. You may need to freeze the ice cream an additional hour or so to harden.

Notes

  1. If your ice cream is in the freezer for longer than 12 hours, you may need to defrost it on the countertop for 10-20 minutes to let is soften before scooping. 
  2. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use ground cinnamon instead.
  3. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, be sure to read my post on how to make homemade ice cream without a machine.

Keywords: vegan pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin ice cream, coconut ice cream

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with more than 7 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.