Pumpkin N’ice Cream Recipe
This vegan pumpkin n’ice cream is dairy-free and satisfies your pumpkin cravings for Fall!
I love pumpkin. It’s just so versatile. There aren’t many other veggies that are so full of potential. Pumpkins can be anything from breakfast to dinner or dessert! You just can’t lose with pumpkin. And it’s so good for you! In fact, I would go so far as to say that this may be one of the most nutrient-dense ice creams on the planet! How’s that for being humble?
Many of you know that a lot of my recipes for ice cream are banana-based. Bananas offer a creamy texture that we are so used to in regular ice cream but allow us to avoid unhealthy fat (for those who want lower-fat eating plans) and even dairy for those who are sensitive. But the best part is that you can significantly reduce the amount of sugar you have to add to get the level of sweetness you would expect from ice cream. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather get my sugar intake from fruit than from a bag of sugar, even if it’s a bag of clean sugar. And while this does contain some maple syrup, it’s much less than you would have to add to regular ice cream. So that, in a nutshell, is why I keep doing these banana ice cream recipes. I will say that if you want to reduce the amount of maple syrup, I recommend switching to honey instead and using maybe a 1/4 cup or so. The great thing is you can adjust to taste after blending and before freezing!
I have, however, gotten emails and Facebook postings from people who dislike or are allergic to bananas. For those people, I highly recommend substituting the bananas with frozen mango. The flavor will be slightly different, but not so much so that it won’t still taste like pumpkin ice cream. Enjoy!
Is Pumpkin Ice Cream Gluten Free?
While some pumpkin ice creams might not be, this one certainly is. It’s dairy-free and egg-free, too!
How Do You Freeze Bananas?
At least a day before you want to make your ice cream, peel and slice a bunch of bananas. Cut them into chunks -usually about ½-1 inch thick- and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Freeze them overnight. To store the frozen bananas, simply transfer them to a freezer-safe bag and return the bag to the freezer. Then, proceed with the recipe below.
What Is Pumpkin Spice Made Of?
While everyone’s recipe is slightly different, a good pumpkin spice will typically include a blend of ground cinnamon cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
RECIPE NOTES:
This does freeze pretty hard. When removing it from the freezer, let it sit on the counter for a bit before trying to dig into it. Also, I went a little light on the spices, so if you prefer a stronger flavor, feel free to add more. That’s what is great about this recipe. You can taste it before you freeze it to adjust it to your own taste! Also, just because this has already been asked, yes… you can taste the bananas. There is no way around that. But again, adjust the flavor before freezing to something you enjoy.
That being said if you want to minimize the banana flavor, make sure you use just barely ripe bananas. Avoid bananas with any brown spots at all. If they have just finished turning from green to yellow, they are probably perfect for limiting the amount of banana flavor in this healthy pumpkin ice cream recipe.
More Healthy Ice Cream Recipes
Pumpkin N’ice Cream Recipe Card
Vegan Pumpkin Banana Ice Cream Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium bananas, sliced and frozen overnight
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ tsp. pumpkin spice, no sugar added if purchased
Instructions
- Using a food processor, blend the bananas, pumpkin, maple syrup, and pumpkin spice thoroughly.
- Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 24 hours.
Made this yesterday and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing.
MiniSon – Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This sounds so good, and I was wondering if agave nectar can be substituted for the maple syrup?
Letty – Yes it can, but then it wouldn’t be clean.
Don’t be shy with maple syrup. Because it is from just under the bark of the tree it absorbs nutrients from the sun and is very high in anti-oxidants! Love the banana peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream. Can’t wait to make this pumpkin ice cream!
Gail – Awesome! I hope you enjoy it! 😀
I’m sorry, but you can’t call something ice cream if dairy cream isn’t part of the ingredients. It’s deceiving. This is actually a sorbet. That being said, I might actually try This.
Jfabz – Well, you are entitled to your opinion. But when I create a recipe, I name it what I want. To me this is ice cream. Let me know what you think of it. 🙂
I am going to be trying this tomorrow. Unfortunately I don’t have a blender or processer, i wonder how well a mixer would work??
Shannon – It wouldn’t work. The frozen bananas need to be blended. Sorry. :/
I also do not have a blender and use my mixer w/banana “ice cream” I have made before. Might have to let bananas soften like maybe 5 mins first and add 1-2 Tbls almond milk if you want to speed up process and make it creamy. Love, love, love it!
Just made this as directed and yum!! Thanks for the recipe. It was super easy!
Sabrina – Fantastic! So happy you enjoyed it! 😀
Oh my gosh, you live up to your name, your answers ARE gracious!
I seriously wanted to put a collender over some of the people’s heads and whap it with my wooden spoon!
Thanks for sharing for free what brings you mirth and clean living.
Katylin – Haha! Why thank you! 😀
I was thinking about cutting out the added sugar all together to save calories. Has anyone tried this without using additional sweeteners? I have some very ripe bananas and usually the sweetness from that is enough in smoothies, however because of the pumpkin I don’t know if the bananas alone, no matter how ripe, will be enough. If anyone has done this without adding Maple Syrup or Honey can you let me know how it turned out? Thanks for sharing this recipe! I’m new to your blog and love what I have seen.
Stephanie – That’s a good question. I have not tried it. Maybe make a half batch to give it a try?
I can’t wait to try this! I know it says 6 servings but how big are the servings? I am trying to figure out how many batches I need to make for a family reunion this weekend.
Sarah – I actually didn’t measure it that way. I just cut it into equal slices. Sorry.
Can I get pumpkin spice in NZ
Katherine – I wouldn’t know. I’m in California. But here’s a recipe for it: https://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating-pumpkin-spice-mix/
I wonder if using an avocado banana base would cut down the banana flavour? Anyone willing to give it a whirl?
Connie – You could try it, or just use mango and make it more of a sorbet.
I just wanted to say I think that if it doesn’t taste “Pumpkinny” enough you could try to swirl or top it off with some homemade pumpkin butter. This recipe sounds amazing… can’t wait to try it!
Sherri – Absolutely! That would be delish!
Followed the recipe as closely as I could remember it, but didn’t freeze the bananas. Tasted it before it went into the freezer, but I put it into a graham cracker crust for a frozen pumpkin ‘ice cream’ pie! SOOOOO GOOOOD!
Pal – That’s so awesome!!! Wow!
Hello yummy recipe am going to try. Was wondering if I could use pumpkin puree I made from fresh pumpkins last year. It has No added anything
Stella – Sure! As long as there isn’t a ton of water in it, it should be fine.
This sounds amazing! My husband and soon are allergic to fresh bananas. They’re fine if the bananas are cooked. Would cooking the bananas first ruin the texture?
Stacey – Yes, because they need to be frozen. Unless you mean to cook them before freezing. But I have never cooked bananas like that before so it’s hard for me to say. Maybe try 1 banana and see how it holds up?
Is there a way to lessen the sugar? 23gm is a lot for me. I have recently lost a good amount of weight by cutting my sugar intake. I love pumpkin and would love some low or no sugar ways to eat it.
Tammi – You could try using stevia, but I’m not sure how it would turn out.
Read about your devine ice-cream over at Life’s Hidden Treasures fb post. Sending some love your way as this ice-cream looks so yummy! Pinning!
Susen – Thank you so much! Welcome!
For those who don’t have a blender, cut up the bananas into slices. Put into large ziplock bag or glass bowl and only partially freeze. You can then easily mash with a fork or even by squishing the bag. My older son loves pumpkin pie….I bet he would live this!
Amelia – Cool tip! I’ll have to try that! Thank you! 😀
(Oops, had a misspelling earlier.)
For those who don’t have a blender, cut up the bananas into slices. Put into large ziplock bag or glass bowl and only partially freeze. You can then easily mash with a fork or even by squishing the bag. My older son loves pumpkin pie….I bet he would love this!
well i made it and was not impressed…. i added another 1/2 cup of syrup.. plus sugar.. and it was really bitter and very banana flavored.. i did not use over ripe bananas… just turned yellow… nope.. didnt like it at all
Lori – Do you typically eat clean? If not, clean foods may take some getting used to. Sorry you didn’t care for it.