Ah, it’s the end of summer — that special time when the weather is still really hot, but you’re craving all the goodies that come along with fall, including pumpkin spice everything. And then you remember that you still have some pumpkin puree in the freezer, and there’s this recipe for pumpkin pie ice cream you’ve never gotten around to making since sometime in the 2000s, and then some friends bestow you with an ice cream maker and suddenly all the stars align.

The flavor of this ice cream is reminiscent of all that wonderful pumpkin spice flavoring, and it actually has pumpkin in it, too! I’ve always loved the rare ice cream that has cinnamon, so getting other warm spices in a frozen treat is another level of autumnal joy on a hot August day. This would also be good at Thanksgiving as an alternative to more traditional pies and desserts.

Many thanks to the Ehlschlaeger family for the gift of the ice cream maker, and for my old friend Steph Wise Boyle for finding the original recipe. I have no idea how to credit the original creator, whose identity has been lost to the sands of time.

The original version makes 2 quarts. I have two version of the ingredients list so the smaller version can be better suited to smaller ice cream makers. You can also use lactose-free milk with this recipe if you want a dairy-free alternative!

Smaller version (makes ~1 quart)
8 oz. pumpkin puree
24 oz. whole milk
2 eggs
1c sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. cloves

15 oz. pumpkin puree
48 oz. whole milk
4 eggs
2c sugar
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves

Set aside half of the milk and then add everything else to a large saucepan.

Stir and warm up the mix but be careful not to boil it. Use a whisk to break up the eggs and the pumpkin. Whisk occasionally while warming up.

While that’s happening, clear out a space in your freezer/fridge for a larger container with a sealable lid. This needs to be large enough to hold all of the ice cream mixture without touching the other contents of your freezer, as it will be really warm.

Once you see steam, add the rest of the milk and stir to combine. Once the the mix coats the back of the spoon, it is done.

Pour the mix into your container and set in the freezer/fridge to cool quickly. Now, you will need to wait until it’s cool before you can put it into the ice cream maker. (Ideally, you’ll have better luck with the ice cream maker if you start with cold liquid, but be sure not to wait so long that it freezes solid.)

Prepare your ice cream maker according to the machine’s instructions.

Pour in the cold liquid ice cream and let ‘er rip!

The ice cream will be closer to soft serve in consistency when it’s finished. You can eat it immediately, or save it in the freezer. It will harden up quite a bit then. If it’s too hard to scoop, you can try microwaving it for 10-20 seconds to melt the sides.

Enjoy!