I adore fall and everything that comes with it — the crisp air, cozy movies, and of course the food. When the temperature dropped a few days ago, I raced to the store and grabbed the remaining cans of pumpkin. Back home I lined them up on the counter so I’d see them first thing in the morning and dreamed about pumpkin rolls, breads, cookies, and treats of all kinds.
The next morning the weather had swung back to a humid 87 degrees. I sulked for a minute, then decided I wasn’t going to turn on the oven but I was going to enjoy pumpkin anyway. Enter: silky Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream.
How to get rich, smooth ice cream without making a custard first
You can achieve a velvety, indulgent ice cream without the fuss of an egg-based custard by using two simple tools: cream cheese and a blender. Cream cheese gives the finished ice cream that unmistakable cheesecake flavor while adding body and a luxuriously smooth texture. The blender makes quick work of combining the pumpkin, spices, sweetener and dairy into a uniform mixture.
Once blended, the mixture is churned in your ice cream maker until it reaches a soft-serve consistency. You can serve it immediately as soft serve or transfer it to a freezer-safe container and let it firm up for a few hours. Either way, the result is a dessert that tastes like pumpkin cheesecake in spoonable form.
To elevate the presentation and flavor, I like to top the ice cream with Salted Pepita Brittle and a lightly salted caramel sauce. Both are optional, but they add crunchy texture and a rich, salty-sweet contrast that pairs perfectly with the spiced pumpkin base.
A Word about Raw Sugar in Caramel Sauce:
I strongly recommend using raw sugar for the caramel. It gives the sauce deeper color and a richer, more complex flavor than standard white sugar. If raw sugar is hard to find, you can combine packets of sugar-in-the-raw, but using proper raw sugar yields the best results.
Make the ice cream first — you don’t have to add the salted caramel or the pepita brittle, but try at least one. The combination of spiced pumpkin, tangy cream cheese, and a salty-sweet topping captures everything that feels like autumn without turning on the oven.
What’s your favorite part of fall — the weather, the food, football, or simply the cozy routine? If you’re a pumpkin fan, you might also enjoy related recipes like pumpkin cheesecake milkshakes, pumpkin spice chai lattes made with real pumpkin, pumpkin cinnamon swirl bread, pumpkin spice granola, or pumpkin spice cake with maple frosting and apple cider caramel.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream
Homemade ice cream is denser than commercial varieties because it isn’t whipped with extra air. For best texture, enjoy it within a couple of days, or use leftovers for rich milkshakes.
If you can’t find unsalted butter for the caramel, you can use salted butter but reduce the added sea salt by half. Unsalted butter gives better control over the final flavor, so it’s preferred. Leftover salted caramel is delicious stirred into coffee, drizzled over pancakes or waffles, or spooned over ice cream.
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Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream | Mix and Freeze Recipe (No cooking needed!) Bonus: Salted Caramel Sauce
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
To Make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream:
- 1 can pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie filling) 15 ounce
- 1 can evaporated milk well shaken
- 1 brick cream cheese (8 oz), softened 1/3 less fat or regular
- 1 1/2 cups raw sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Optional:
- Garnish with salted caramel sauce and/or salted pepita brittle see ingredients below
Bonus Salted Caramel Ingredients:
- Note: you will need a candy thermometer or a thermometer-safe to 350°F
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
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Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk, cream cheese, raw sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and clove to a blender or food processor. Process on high until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. When uniform, add the heavy cream and pulse just until combined — do not over-process or you may churn the cream.
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Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The finished texture in the machine will resemble soft serve. Serve immediately or transfer to a freezer-safe container with a tight lid and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.
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Serve plain or garnish with salted caramel sauce and/or Salted Pepita Brittle.
To Make the Salted Caramel Sauce:
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Place the raw sugar in a clean, dry, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly with a whisk as the sugar begins to melt. Continue until all sugar melts and reaches about 350°F on a candy thermometer.
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Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the cold butter cubes until fully incorporated. The sugar may clump at first but will smooth out. Carefully drizzle in the heavy cream while whisking; the mixture will bubble vigorously. Use a sufficiently large pan to prevent overflow.
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Stir in flaky sea salt, then transfer to a clean jar and refrigerate until thickened. The caramel keeps well for up to two weeks.
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Calculate nutrition using the actual ingredients you use and your preferred nutrition tool.
did you make this recipe?
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This was originally published September 11, 2013.