While scrolling through Instagram during the first week of August, I noticed a picture posted by my sweet friend, Hilari. She had made a pumpkin roll cake: a thin, single layer of pumpkin cake slathered in cream cheese frosting and rolled up on itself into a tight spiral.
It looked absolutely incredible… And although she lives thousands of miles away, I wished I could’ve had a taste!
A few days later, she posted another dessert recipe picture, this time of chewy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Combined with all of the pumpkin images I’ve been seeing on Pinterest and the mounting anticipation I’ve been hearing about the return of the classic Starbucks pumpkin spice latte…
I started craving pumpkin sweets too! But with temperatures still above 80°F here in sunny California, making it feel like summer from now until the end of September, it seemed a little silly to bake my favorite pumpkin muffins… or cookies… or cinnamon rolls…
So I compromised and whipped up this Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream instead! It has the same cozy flavors as the iconic Starbucks drink—plenty of pumpkin, lots of spices, and the perfect kiss of coffee flavor—but it’s cool and creamy and refreshing. Even better? It contains no eggs, heavy cream or sugar and requires just 2 minutes of prep!
To make this healthy ice cream, you’ll need an ice cream maker. It’s possible to make it without one, but the texture will turn out gritty or grainy. Using an ice cream maker ensures that your treat turns out perfectly smooth and creamy, just like the indulgent ice cream you’d get from a fancy ice cream parlor! This is the inexpensive one that I own, and it’s totally worth every penny!
For the ice cream base, you’ll need pumpkin purée (like this… not pumpkin pie mix!) and 2% milk. For the richest, creamiest ice cream, I highly recommend using 2% milk or a higher percentage of fat (or coconut milk, for a non-dairy option!). For the science and reasoning behind that, see my explanation in this blog post!
To add the classic latte flavor, you’ll add instant coffee into the mixture, along with a sprinkling of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. I do not recommend using regular brewed coffee! Brewed coffee would water down your ice cream base and make it icy. The instant coffee provides the same flavor, but since it dissolves into the milk and pumpkin, it doesn’t dilute your mixture! This is the kind I use (or this for the decaf version!), and it’s shelf-stable and keeps for ages.
Two more key ingredients! Xanthan gum (like this) helps hold together the rest of the ingredients, and it also creates the same creamy texture as full-fat versions. Do not omit or substitute for the xanthan gum! The texture depends on it!
And finally, you’ll sweeten your ice cream with liquid stevia, one of my favorite ingredients! Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean-eating friendly!), and it’s highly concentrated. You just need 1 teaspoon to sweeten your entire batch of ice cream! This is the kind I use because I love its sweet flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste, like with some other stevia products. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I always buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Did you watch my video? How easy was that?? 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy pumpkin spice latte ice cream!
Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix!)
- 1 cup (24mL) 2% milk (see Notes!)
- 1 ½ tsp instant coffee granules
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp liquid stevia
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- generous ¾ tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice (see Notes!)
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- The night before you plan on making your ice cream, place the bowl of an electric ice cream maker in the freezer. Freeze for at least 12-16 hours.
- Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute or until frothy and the instant coffee has fully dissolved.
- Working quickly, remove the ice cream maker bowl from the freezer. Place it on the ice cream maker base, attach the paddle and the lid, and turn it on. With the ice cream maker turning, pour in the milk mixture. Let the ice cream maker churn for 15-20 minutes or until the ice cream is frozen and has reached your desired consistency. For the best texture and taste, serve your ice cream immediately.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Overnight Oats
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Bites
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Soft & Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy ice cream recipes!
Can I use 2% lactose free Milk? Can’t use coconut milk too many points.
Yes, that’s fine! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this ice cream Mary! 🙂
This is such a novel idea, Amy! Even though pumpkin is usually associated with October & November, I can imagine that this tastes brilliant as ice-cream!
Thanks so much Katie! 🙂 I’ve missed your comments, sweet friend!
I love everything pumpkin so this is totally going on my fall recipes list. Yum!
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this ice cream Sammy! 🙂
I don’t drink coffee and am not familiar with the differences between the various kinds of coffees, powders, etc. Is instant espresso powder an acceptable substitute for instant coffee granules?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Diana! Check the label of your instant espresso jar. If the instructions say something about dissolving in water to prepare, then it should work! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this ice cream if you try it!
I dont have cans of pumpkin puree in my country, can i used cooked mashed pumpkin instead?
Yes, that should be fine! I recommend using baking pumpkins (also called sugar pumpkins) for the best results. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of this ice cream Laisa!
Can I use regular stevia in stead of vanilla stevia?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Olivia! What’s the exact stevia brand and product that you’d like to use? 🙂
I know it says not to omit xantham gum but I’m allergic to it. Will the ice cream just not work without it?
Oh no!! Xanthan gum is hiding in so many things… That must be difficult to be allergic to it! Your ice cream will still have the same flavors without the xanthan gum, but it may not be quite as creamy, especially if it’s put in the freezer for a long period of time. (The texture should be fine straight out of the ice cream machine though!)
I don’t have experience with guar gum (it’s not easy to find where I live!), but I think other readers have been able to substitute guar gum for the xanthan gum in this recipe! From what they’ve shared, it seems like guar gum tends to be a 1-for-1 substitute for xanthan gum in many cases, although sometimes a little extra is required. I just thought I’d mention it, in case you weren’t allergic to guar gum and wanted to give it a try too!
I’d love to hear what you think of this ice cream if you end up making it, Hanna!
Just FYI, this is spectacular with Oat Milk. 10/10
I’m so glad you enjoyed this ice cream! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with oat milk too. I always love to hear what recipe tweaks work! 🙂
I just made this ice cream….yummy !! I did make a couple of adjustments that worked very well. I thought I would share them so if someone else was curious, It works!!!
I ground up chia seeds and used double the amount in this recipe (1 tsp), to replace the xanthan gum (1/2 tsp). It turned out creamy and smooth! I also used 3 tsp of truvia. Which is basically stevia and a small amount of cane sugar. It is 10 calories per tsp. So, keep that in mind, adding 30 more calories. That is in addition to the liquid stevia that you recommended. Which I ordered before making this. Guess I haven’t squished my sweet tooth as yet.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this ice cream, Leslie! Thank you for sharing your tweaks too. I always love hearing what recipe modifications work! 🙂 That’s a fun idea to try ground chia seeds. I’ve used them in baked goods and overnight oats, but I haven’t yet tried incorporating them into homemade ice cream. It’s amazing how absorbent they are and how well they can thicken things — it blows me away!