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Dad’s Secret (& Most Yummy) Pumpkin Ice Cream

Dad’s Secret (& Most Yummy) Pumpkin Ice Cream

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 6 large egg yolks
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • The day before you plan to make your ice cream, put the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer. It’s best to churn your ice cream in a chilled bowl.
    The base of the ice cream needs time to chill as well and will benefit from a long period in the freezer, so you may want to make this the day before finishing the ice cream as well.
  • Add your pumpkin puree, whole milk, and heavy cream to a saucepan. Whisk them together and place over medium heat.
    Continue to whisk all of the ingredients together but when the mixture begins to boil, remove it from the heat. Set the saucepan aside.
  • Take your large bowl and add the brown sugar and egg yolks. Whisk the ingredients together until the mixture becomes pale and thick ribbons begin to form. This should take around three to four minutes. If you have a hand mixer, you can use this instead of doing it manually.
  • After the ribbons have begun to form, start adding your pumpkin mixture from Step Two. You only need to add around half of the pumpkin mixture and add it at a rate of a ladle at a time. Continue to whisk the mixture as you add the pumpkin.
    The sugar and egg mixture should slowly warm up as you spoon more of the pumpkin mix. When you’ve mixed in half of the pumpkin mix, you can pour everyone back into your saucepan and add it to the remaining pumpkin mix.
  • Place the pan with both the combined mixture of ingredients over low heat. Stir it frequently with a wooden spoon as you allow it to warm. As you stir, the mixture should start to thicken as well.
    Don’t allow the mixture to boil or even begin to simmer and turn the heat down further if necessary. It should take around four to five minutes for the mixture to thicken.
    There are two ways to check when your mixture has become thick and warm enough. If you have a candy thermometer, this will happen when it hits around 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
    You can also check if the mixture is thick enough by testing it with your finger. Coat the back of your wooden spoon with the mixture and swipe your finger through it. If the action leaves a clean line on the spoon, your mixture should be ready.
  • With the custard mixture thickened correctly, you should now mix in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Stir the mixture thoroughly so that the spices are well-distributed. 
  • Strain the new custard mixture into a clean, large bowl. Place the bowl over an ice bath and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
    Once it has thoroughly cooled, cover the bowl and chill for at least three hours, but preferably longer. It doesn’t need to be chilled overnight, however.
  • Pour your chilled custard mixture into your frozen ice cream maker bowl and churn. It should take around 15 minutes with occasional scrapes of the side of the bowl, but follow the instructions of your ice cream maker for exact details.
  • After your ice cream has been churned and has reached the consistency of soft serve ice cream, transfer it to a freezer-safe container.
    Place in the freezer and freeze until the ice cream becomes hardened. This will take at least two to three hours.
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