All you need is a bowl to make this No-Churn Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream! It's plant-based and completely banana-free. Enjoy the pure pumpkin and pecan flavors!
Why I love this Vegan No-Churn Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream
- It's no-churn - I don't know about you but I have plenty of kitchen gadgets. I do not need an ice cream maker. It's just going to take up space and, honestly, be a waste of money. I'm not making ice cream every week, so there's no need to have an expensive ice cream maker for the couple times I'll actually use it.
- It's plant-based and dairy-free - All my recipes are vegan-friendly, of course, but I have to celebrate what a treat it is to eat ice cream that is actually healthy. Just whole food ingredients.
- It's banana-free - I LOVE bananas, but sometimes you don't want your ice cream tasting like banana. This Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream is much more decadent than banana ice cream - I used pecan butter to create rich flavor.
- It's fall-themed - Pumpkins. Pecans. What's not to love?
- Dietary needs - this recipe is plant-based, oil-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free
- Perfect anytime dessert - this dessert is super easy to whip up and also great to make ahead of time and keep in the freezer for whenever you want it
What's the secret to Vegan No-Churn Ice Cream?
Two things make a good ice cream: texture and flavor. Without hours of churning in an ice cream machine, you have to make sure your no-churn ice cream has plenty of both.
Texture. For the perfect texture we need something creamy. I started with a base of non-dairy milk. But on it's own, non-dairy milk isn't super creamy. So I added pecan butter (you could use any nut butter, but since this is Pumpkin Pecan ice cream it just makes sense to use pecan butter). Adding a thick nut butter to the milk gives a creamy, luscious texture.
Flavor. The pecan butter is really the star of this show, because it isn't just helping the texture, it's also creating a deliciously rich flavor. Fat = flavor, and nut butter has quite a bit of fat. Pumpkin and maple syrup add depth and sweetness to the flavor, but the fat from the nut butter is what really brings out the rich flavor.
After you nail the texture and flavor, all you have to do is mix and freeze.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Non-Dairy Milk: I used soy milk in this recipe. I would recommend using either soy milk or oat milk, since they tend to be creamier than almond or coconut milk.
- Pecan Butter: I highly recommend using pecan butter for this recipe since you'll want all that tasty pecan flavor. And pecans are high in fat compared to other nut butters, so you'll get even more flavor. It's super easy to make pecan butter (see instructions below) but you can also look for it at the store. If you can't find it I recommend cashew butter as a substitute.
- Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin is perfect for this recipe. Make sure to use pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Maple Syrup: If you want to make this recipe completely fruit-sweetened you can use date syrup or blend up a few medjool dates when pureeing the mixture.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: pumpkin by itself doesn't have a lot of flavor, what really makes it taste like the classic pie flavor is the spice. You can either buy pumpkin pie spice or mix up come cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves.
- Salt
- Pecans: To avoid added oils buy raw pecans. For extra flavor, toast your pecans before adding them to the recipe. Or just reserve some of the pecans you use when making your pecan butter
How to make this No-Churn Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream
Step 1. Add the non-dairy milk, pecan butter, pumpkin, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to a bowl or blender. Mix or blend until smooth.
Step 2. Transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for 30 minutes or until the mixture is semi-solid.
Step 3. Stir in the pecans. Then freeze for an additional 1-2 hours, or overnight.
Step 4. When ready to eat, let the ice cream thaw several minutes before scooping. Top with extra pecans and enjoy!
FAQ & Expert Tips
Toast 2 cups of pecans at 350 for 5-10 minutes until fragrant. Add them to a food processor and blend until smooth.
I recommend subbing the pecans and pecan butter for sunflower seeds and sunflower seed butter. Though this will change the flavor.
This ice cream IS scoopable, just like regular ice cream. But it will be pretty solid if you take it out of the freezer and try to scoop immediately.
To get the perfect consistency, thaw for 5-10 minutes at room temperature. You'll know it's the perfect consistency when the edges of the container start to get melty.
Store this ice cream in the freezer.
You can store it in the container you made it in. Be sure to add some type of lid or plastic wrap to avoid the ice cream picking up any other flavors in your freezer.
I typically transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe zip top bag, which keeps it sealed and saves space.
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for delicious desserts like this ice cream. Help us to enjoy this treat. Amen.
Related Recipes
Love this no-churn ice cream? Check out my other vegan & no-churn ice cream recipes:
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📖 Recipe
No-Churn Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cup Non Dairy Milk
- 1 Cup Pecan Butter
- ½ Cup Pumpkin
- ¼ Cup Maple Syrup
- ½ Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Pinch Salt
- ¼ Cup Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Add the non-dairy milk, pecan butter, pumpkin, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, and salt to a bowl or blender. Mix or blend until smooth.
- Transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for 30 minutes or until the mixture is semi-solid.
- Stir in the pecans. Then freeze for an additional 1-2 hours, or overnight.
- When ready to eat, let the ice cream thaw several minutes before scooping. Top with extra pecans and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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