No Churn Pumpkin Ice Cream
No Churn Pumpkin Ice Cream: Summer & Fall at Once
As we come to the end of August, I have been thinking about autumn quite a lot. And there are enough memes about people who are already decorating for Halloween, that I know I am not alone. I tackle a 3 hour round trip commute each day, a lot of it in the subway, and it is HOT. Thoughts of changing leaves and crisp fall air are definitely on my mind as I swelter on the platform. It is still summer, though, so how to deal with that and get a little head start on autumn. How about some no churn pumpkin ice cream?
Pumpkin Season is Upon Us!
I hate to break it to those people who love summer, but pumpkin season is upon us. If I’m correct, I believe that pumpkin spice latte will be on the menu at Starbucks later this week. The temperature and humidity indicate that we are still firmly in summer, so I decided to combine a summer favorite – ice cream – with the delicious fall flavor of pumpkin.
No Churn Pumpkin Ice Cream: Pumpkin & Spice & Everything Nice
Personally, I don’t find that pumpkin itself has too much of a flavor. It is the spices that provide the taste we all like so much. In this case, I used cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. A little pinch of nutmeg and allspice would probably be a nice addition. Since I was using very little pumpkin, I thought I would just keep it simple.
Same Base, Different Taste
The base of no churn ice cream is always the same: sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream. I’m sure you will be shocked to find that sweetened condensed milk is very…sweet. The pumpkin and spices definitely reduce that, but a bit of salt helps to even the taste out nicely. The flavor actually intensifies as the mixture chills, so I would probably stick to the recipe and not add a ton more cinnamon.
No Churn Pumpkin Ice Cream is…Ice Cream
My husband keeps telling me that “this isn’t ice cream.” To a certain extent that is true. Real ice cream has more ice crystals and is more dense. This version is smooth and creamy and cold. As far as I am concerned, that is ice cream enough.
Let’s enjoy these last days of summer then, even as we dream of chillier days to come. Remember that winter follows autumn and that is a whole struggle unto itself!
Farewell, August. Bring on September.
No Churn Pumpkin Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt to the sweetened condensed milk and mix thoroughly.
- Pour the heavy whipping cream into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Beat the cream on medium/high (I use #6) until stiff peaks form. That means it keeps the shape when you flip the whisk upside-down. Be careful not to mix for too long or you will have butter.
- Fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture. Keep folding from the bottom up until everything is thoroughly combined.
- Spread the mixture into a loaf pan and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let freeze for at least 8 hours.
