pumpkin spice ice cream (vegan/gluten free)

 I confess I am a sucker for anything pumpkin flavored. The second good old Starbucks announces the pumpkin spice latte is back on the menu I am in line with baited breath waiting for that first yummy sip of fall. I love pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin donuts, you get the picture.

One of my very favorite ways to enjoy pumpkin is in ice cream form. I remember the first time I tried it years and years ago with graham crackers and whip cream on top it was love at first bite and I look forward to seeing it pop up in our grocery store when the season is right.

But as of late I have moved to a plant based animal free diet and sadly vegan pumpkin ice cream is not as readily available as the milk based version so I decided it was high time I tried my hand at making it at home. Honestly I didn't know what to expect I have made coconut milk ice cream before but mainly vanilla nothing to fancy. For this recipe I experimented a bit with a base recipe I like and added some spices and pumpkin puree and a little bit of rum too to round it out. What I got was honestly the yummiest, creamiest pumpkin ice cream, seriously so good - the kids went crazy for it!

 Ingredients:

• 15 ounce can of full fat coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups of organic plain soy or almond milk
• 1/3 + 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
• 1/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum
• 3 Tablespoons of canola oil
• 3/4 cup of canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 teaspoons of bourbon or rum (optional)

In a large pot place the coconut milk, nut milk, sugar and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt and gently warm over low heat with a whisk until all of the sugar melts. Remove from heat and whisk in the xanthan gum and oil.

Pour the contents of the pot into a blender or food processor and add the pumpkin puree, vanilla and rum if you are using it. Blend on high until everything is smooth and Incorporated.

Pour the cream mixture through a fine sieve to make it as smooth as possible and then place it into a container and freeze for at least two to three hours. Process mixture through an ice cream maker according to the manufactures directions and enjoy!

I served mine with a little bit of honey maple cream that we picked up recently at the fair but I could see sprinkling on some graham crackers or ginger cookies too. Either way this is a super delicious, seasonal treat that I think you will love!

I originally wrote this post for the super sweet girls over at Eighteen25 and their month long Spooktacular September event! There are some really fun projects going on over there so I highly recommend taking a peek to get the creative juices flowing for all those October festivities coming up!!