I haven’t had Pumpkin Ice Cream for quite a few years but this dairy free version tastes pretty close to what I remember. I always waited anxiously for that flavor to come into our supermarket in October when I was growing up.
I actually hit it right on the first time I experimented with this recipe. I wasn’t sure so I made it a two more times with a couple of tweaks.
This recipe uses a whole 29 oz can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix with spices). It is spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.
This ice cream is thickened with egg yolks, cornstarch, guar gum and Marshmallow Fluff. It has a very nice creamy consistency.
I get my guar gum from Authentic Foods. You want to make sure to buy it from a reputable supplier who doesn’t source it from China. The same is true with xanthan gum when you use it in baking.
There is 3/4 of a cup of brown sugar plus the Marshmallow Fluff in this ice cream, so that’s not too bad for a quart and a half.
When you take it out of your freezer to serve, let it warm up just a little bit so you do not get any icy texture- that smooths out when the temperature comes up a little.
Now that I have the basic chemistry and quantities down for making these dairy free ice creams, it is pretty simple. I aim for 6- 1/4 cups of ingredients not including the Marshmallow Fluff. You also have to factor in the sweetness of the Fluff so you do not over sweeten your mixture.
I always try to make these ice cream recipes yield 1-1/2 quarts because that’s what my ice cream machine makes.
This recipe makes a few tablespoons over what will fit in the cannister of the ice cream maker. I tried to scale it back a little but didn’t want to mess up the flavor. The ingredient quantities are dictated by the 29 oz can of pumpkin puree.
While the pumpkin mixture is heating and thickening, make sure to keep stirring it because it builds up little pockets of air that will pop and splatter.
This ice cream has one extra step after you make up the heated pumpkin mixture. For some reason the cornstarch and guar gum form lots of little balls that you can’t break up with a spoon. I solved this by using my immersion blender in the mixture after it was all done. If you blend the mixture methodically and very thoroughly, you will get rid of the lumps and it will be smooth like it is supposed to be!
When you remove the frozen Pumpkin Ice Cream from your ice cream maker it will not be totally frozen into a firm mass. It will be thick and creamy when it comes out and it finishes firming up in your freezer after a few hours.
I shared the link to this recipe with Meatless Mondays at My Sweet And Savory, Foodie Friday at Designs By Gollum, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar And Gluten Free
Dairy Free Pumpkin Ice Cream
Place the following ingredients in a large saucepan and heat on low heat, stirring constantly:
1 29 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix with spices)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1- 1/2 cups rice milk
Stir together until hot
In the meantime place 4 egg yolks in a small bowl and beat lightly. Remove any membrane.
In another small bowl place 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch and
1 teaspoon guar gum
Stir cornstarch and guar gum together then add
1/2 cup rice milk and stir thoroughly to try to minimize lumps. There will still be some but don’t worry because you need to blend the mixture after it is all done anyway. If you don’t, then lumps of cornstarch will remain in the ice cream.
When pumpkin mixture is hot, stir some into the bowl with the cornstarch. Stir thoroughly then add to the hot pumpkin mixture. Keep stirring until mixed then add some of the hot mixture to the egg yolks and stir thoroughly. Add egg mixture to hot mixture and keep stirring. The mixture will form air pockets that pop, so keep stirring.
The mixture will thicken after about 5 minutes. I just make sure I have given it enough time for the egg yolks to get cooked in the mixture so they are safe.
Remove saucepan from the stove and very carefully use an immersion mixer right in the pan to get the little lumps of cornstarch blended into the pumpkin. The more thorough you are about this, the better. It will end up nice and smooth if you take a couple of minutes to do this.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, just transfer the hot mixture in batches to your blender. Be very careful of the hot mixture (make sure your lid is on tight).
After the pumpkin mixture is nice and smooth, transfer it to a large bowl and let it cool.
When the pumpkin mixture is cool then fold in one 7- 1/2 oz jar of Marshmallow Fluff.
Cover bowl with a piece of plastic wrap that is right on top of the mixture so it does not form a skin. I wrap with one more piece of plastic over that.
Chill ice cream mixture in your refrigerator overnight if possible. I try to let it chill at least 8-10 hours.
Place mixture in your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. You will have several tablespoons of the mixture that don’t fit- sorry about that! I didn’t want to mess with the perfect flavor combo by reducing something a by few tablespoons. If you overfill the cannister it can make a huge mess (I know!).
I froze my ice cream for 30 minutes and it was as cold and firm as it was going to get. It comes out thick and creamy- it will finish firming up in your freezer.
Transfer the finished ice cream into a covered 1- 1/2 quart freezer container and freeze in your freezer for several hours before serving.
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That sounds delicious Andrea! Love the use of egg yolks to emulsify and make it creamier.
Thanks for your comment Alisa! I am just thankful that Eating Well Magazine published the original recipe for a vanilla ice cream that gave me this idea! The only real change to their concept was my addition of guar gum which makes it creamier and less icy.
Sounds YUMMY! Can the pumpkin ice cream be made with a substitute to the guar gum? That stuff gives me headaches and makes my ears ring.
Hi Kerry! Thanks for your comment! I have not tried this with any other gums, but you might try xanthan gum. If you leave the gum out altogether, it will just be a little less creamy and maybe a little icier. It will not affect the flavor though.