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Join the fall craze with a cold creamy twist! This healthy Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream is vegan + paleo made with 4 simple ingredients and no refined sugar.
Seasonal confusion at it’s finest.
Warm fall spices + cool summer feels – when does that make sense?
You could say never…or you could say always. Glass half full with me here, friends.
I could blame this premature pumpkin-ing on the need to get this chilly treat to you before the warm weather leaves us. But truthfully ice cream and pumpkin spice things are two of my deepest dessert loves, and I just couldn’t wait any longer to combine them. I’m proud I didn’t post this in July to be totally honest.
Although wait until after you taste it, because then you too may be wishing I had posted this two five all of the months ago so you could have been eating it ever since. I would even be so bold as to declare it my favorite flavor of the year so far, which is saying a lot considering the very tough peanut, pistachio, and purple competition.
It’s perfectly pumpkin-y. Scrumptiously spiced. Crazy creamy. And much more pleasant than sweating your way through sipping a hot pumpkin spice latte already. Silly Starbucks releasing pumpkin items the first week of September. Wait…
Fun fact: I used to hate pumpkin and therefore all pumpkin spice things. They still haven’t figured out what was wrong with me, but thank goodness I outgrew that madness. I blame all over pumpkin-ing that may or may not occur around here very soon on making up for those precious formative pumpkin years lost. Because I already have a list longer than I can count on one hand of pumpkin recipe plans, and I haven’t even consulted last year’s list of things I never got around to.
Fun fact 2: I never delete my idea lists, even if/when I should. Like now.
So let’s dive into the details. Thankfully the ingredient list here is easily one hand count-able…
Pumpkin puree. A whole can of the stuff. Because if we’re going to do this we may as well just turn ourselves orange already and do it right. I’m usually not one to pay extra for organic, but pumpkin puree is actually one place I will splurge (if buying canned goods ever even qualify as splurging?) Not because it’s organic, but because it is thicker, more orange, and actually tastes considerably sweeter and brighter than the conventional stuff. Up to you though, those are just my observations after going through many many cans of pumpkin.
Coconut milk. Now this is where you have some deciding to do. Full-fat coconut milk will make for the creamiest darn stuff pumpkin spice dreams are made of. Light coconut milk (or other kinds of non-dairy milk) will make for an icy texture and I do not recommend it. But you could do a combo of both (1 cup light + 1 cup full-fat) for a compromise between creaminess and fat content.
Personally I still suggest the full-fat version, but the half/half is another option to experiment with. Or if a low-fat pumpkin ice cream is what you are after, perhaps this recipe is more your cup of tea → Pumpkin Pie Nice Cream
Medjool dates. Oh yes, this recipe is fruit-sweetened too. Does this make it an appropriate fall breakfast food yet? Breakfast, dinner, snack, dessert–regardless of when, Medjool dates do make it naturally so sweet and creamier too.
Spices. It wouldn’t be pumpkin SPICE ice cream without ’em. I used a heaping tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, but you can use more or less to your liking. And if you want to mix up your own, pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
Also, can anyone tell me why they only sell pumpkin pie spice in those mini jars when I for one go through way more of that stuff than anything else in my spice cabinet?
Happy summer-meets-pumpkin dessert making to you!
Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream
- Yield: 4 people 1x
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Description
Join the fall craze with a cold creamy twist! This healthy Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream is vegan + paleo made with 4 simple ingredients and no refined sugar.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 15oz. can pumpkin puree
- 2 cups coconut milk ((*see notes))
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates ((about 12))
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into a shallow pan or dish.
- Freeze overnight.
- Remove from the freezer 10-15 minutes to soften before scooping. Alternatively, break apart the pan of ice cream into chunks and re-blend for an even creamier texture.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*Full-fat coconut milk (from a can) will make for the best texture. If you use a lighter fat milk I recommend breaking the ice cream into chunks and re-blending it the next day before serving.
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