Pumpkin ice cream recipe with real pumpkin and warm fall spices for a creamy, flavorful dessert. Inspired by a visit to a pumpkin farm and made using the Master Pantry ice cream method.
This pumpkin ice cream recipe captures the warm, comforting flavors of autumn in a smooth, creamy dessert. Real pumpkin purée blends with fragrant spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove to create an ice cream that tastes like the essence of pumpkin pie. The result is rich and velvety with the familiar sweetness and gentle spice that make pumpkin desserts so beloved during the fall season.
To highlight those flavors, this recipe also uses exceptional spices sourced from specialty online spice merchants, where freshly ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices are far more aromatic than typical grocery-store blends. Their fragrance transforms the pumpkin base into something truly special.
Like many recipes on this site, this one follows The Master Pantry philosophy—begin with a reliable master technique and build variations using excellent ingredients and seasonal inspiration. By using the Master Ice Cream Method as the foundation, the pumpkin and spices come together in a smooth, balanced ice cream that celebrates the flavors of fall.
Updated:
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of contents
What it is
An easy, foolproof recipe for making pumpkin ice cream with all the richness and spice of pumpkin pie.
Ingredients
The key is to use the best possible ingredients. We didn’t want to make just a good pumpkin ice cream. We wanted to create the best. So, the most important thing is to start with the best ingredients. We made the ice cream using our master ice cream method, and added the pumpkin to it.
Canned Pumpkin
We visited a pumpkin patch, but ended up using canned pumpkin for this ice cream. The pumpkin, or squash used for canning has a lot of flavor, usually way more than pumpkins grown for decoration, so this is a case where the canned version was better. However, a really good squash may be available at the farmer’s market in your area. We also realized that there was so much fiber in the pumpkin that it needed to be strained and the spices increased and bloomed in order to increase the flavor without using too much pumpkin.
Cream
Horizon Organics Cream is a high quality product – Organic and produced sustainably from pasture raised cows. It has a rich, sweet, and fresh dairy flavor.
Sugar
Wholesome Regenerative Organic Certified Cane Sugar – produced from organic sugar cane fields that are green cut and are not burned or treated with herbicides or synthetic fertilizers.
Vanilla
Heilala Vanilla – Ethically sourced and harvested, produced using environmentally sustainably methods.
Crème Fraîche
We use crème fraîche in the recipe to keep the ice cream from freezing solid. And to make sure it’s the best, we made it ourselves from Horizon cream and a real crème fraîche starter. It’s actually very easy. See the link to our recipe below.
Pumpkin Pie Spices
High quality spices, bloomed in a frying pan before using, is the key to adding the best flavor. We buy spices online from World Spice in Seattle or from La Boîte in New York.
No Affiliates Statement
We call this our “no affiliates” statement because we accept no advertising, have no affiliates and accept no payment. We are not paid to mention brands – we just love buying the best, sharing that information and saving the planet at the same time. The effort put into writing and photographing the blog is solely based on our dedication to the cause.
Sustainability
True to The Master Pantry philosophy, every ingredient in this recipe is chosen with intention—favoring quality, seasonality, and sustainable production practices whenever possible.
With a background in agriculture and years of experience working alongside farmers, regulators, and researchers, I’ve seen firsthand how the way our food is grown affects not only flavor, but soil health, ecosystems, and long-term food security.
This recipe reflects that understanding. Above, you will notice that the description of each ingredient includes some mention of how it is sustainable and why it matters—so you can cook with both confidence and care.
Method for making the Homemade Ice Cream
This recipe uses an easy, foolproof method that requires only a few minutes of active time. Check out our Master Ice Cream Method for a more detailed explanation on how this works.
- Measure the ingredients by weight
- Simmer the syrup mixture while whipping the sugar and egg mixture
- Slowly add the syrup mixture to the egg mixture, then add the rest of the ingredients
- Chill the mixture
- Freeze in an Ice Cream Maker
- Chill in the Freezer
This recipe uses our Master Ice Cream Method. An easy, foolproof, updated way of making ice cream.
Why this Works
The cream and syrup are heated while the egg and sugar are whipped. Then the cream mixture is added to the egg mixture, which brings the egg to a high enough temperature that it is safe to use in ice cream without having to temper the mixture, which can be more difficult to do. The flavors are added afterward so they are not cooked, which might reduce the flavor.
The highest quality ingredients are used, and flavor is added at every opportunity – Horizon cream, brandy, Wholesome sugar, and spices.
This recipe is made with ingredients that help keep the ice crystals small while the ice cream is churning and afterwards while it is hardening. This keeps it smooth and creamy. The ingredients that are key to keeping the ice crystals small are:
- Cultured cream – the beneficial bacterial culture in Crème fraîche
- egg – the fat and protein in the egg, and cooking the egg denatures the protein
- invert sugar – the concentration of sugar in relation to water lowers the freezing point
- alcohol – the alcohol lowers the freezing point
- canned pumpkin – already cooked and contains very little water so it doesn’t increase ice formation
A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch
The inspiration for this recipe began with a visit to a local pumpkin farm, where rows of freshly harvested pumpkins revealed just how beautiful and flavorful this autumn crop can be. Seeing the pumpkins still in the field is a reminder that pumpkin desserts start with a real agricultural ingredient, one that brings both natural sweetness and earthy depth to recipes.
We started with a visit to the local pumpkin patch near Santa Cruz, California. We got pumpkins to carve, but didn’t use pumpkins from the patch for the ice cream, choosing the canned pumpkin instead. A visit to the pumpkin patch is still fun, and when you buy from local producers you are helping employ people in your neighborhood.
RECIPE
Equipment
CHOOSING BRANDS:
For certain products, the choice of brand will make a big difference in the outcome of the recipe and in your carbon footprint. So, for those products, we have listed the brand. We are not paid to mention a brand and have no affiliates.
Ingredients
- 450 grams Horizon cream
- 300 grams canned pumpkin strained through a strainer to remove some of the fiber
- 85 grams corn syrup or maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 100 grams Wholesome regenerative organic sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 50 grams crème fraîche homemade from Horizon cream
- 1 Tablespoon brandy or bourbon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice bloomed by frying on a low temperature in a teaspoon of butter for two minutes
Instructions
PREPARE THE STORAGE CONTAINER
- Put a glass storage container in the freezer.
MEASURE THE INGREDIENTS – Use a scale to measure the ingredients, zeroing the scale between measurements.
- Into a small saucepan, measure the cream, pumpkin and corn syrup.
- Into the mixing bowl of the stand mixer, measure the egg, sugar and salt.
- Into a small bowl, measure the crème fraîche, brandy or bourbon and spices.
MIX THE INGREDIENTS
- In the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk together the egg, sugar and salt for at least 2 minutes on medium speed.
- While the stand mixer is whisking the egg and sugar, put the saucepan on the stove and bring the cream, pumpkin and corn syrup to a simmer and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring to combine.
- Switch the mixer to low speed and very slowly add the cream and pumpkin mixture.
- Continue whisking on low and add the crème fraîche, alcohol and spice mixture. Whisk just until combined. The mixture should be 160 degrees F or more at this point.
- Refrigerate overnight, or you can use an ice bath to bring it down to 45° F, if you are in a hurry. Refrigerating overnight will improve the flavors.
FREEZE THE MIXTURE
- Pre-chill the ice cream maker by letting it run for 5 minutes before adding the mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze it according to the directions.
- When the ice cream maker is finished, quickly transfer the ice cream into the glass container that has been in the freezer, cover, and put it back in the freezer over night to harden.
- Store in the freezer for up to a week.
Nutrition
WHY THIS RECIPE IS A GAME CHANGER:
This recipe is a total game-changer — crafted with the finest [brand name] ingredients, simplified using a master recipe with pro-tested techniques from top chefs and bakers, and designed for deliciously sustainable cooking made easy.”
More Recipes from our Master Ice Cream Method
These recipes use our Master Ice Cream Method. An easy, foolproof, updated way of making ice cream.
True to The Master Pantry philosophy, this recipe combines the best seasonal ingredients and quality brands with homemade methods to maximize both flavor and sustainability. It was inspired by our travels and works well as a holiday recipe.
Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography
Recipes created by Lisa LeCoump — Food Photographer, Agricultural Expert, and Home Baker. Sharing master recipes, chef secrets, and sustainable baking for every kitchen.