No-Churn Gluten Free & Keto Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream
Suuuper creamy, perfectly tangy and with killer fall flavors through and through, this no-churn gluten free and keto pumpkin cheesecake ice cream is an absolute must!
Oh, and if baking with cups rather than grams is your thing, just click on US Cups for an instant conversion.
Ingredients
For the keto pumpkin cheesecake ice cream:
- 225 g pumpkin puree *
- 1 1/2 teaspoons homemade pumpkin pie spice
- 1 13.5-ounce can full fat coconut milk **
- 135-150 g xylitol ***
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 225 g cream cheese softened
- 240 g sour cream whipped
For the keto graham cracker topping (optional)
- 1/2 batch keto graham crackers optional
For the lazy (no-bake!) graham cracker crumbs (optional)
- 96 g almond flour or meal
- 2-4 tablespoons powdered xylitol or sweetener of choice, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 28 g unsalted grass-fed butter
Instructions
For the pumpkin cheesecake ice cream
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Add pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-5 minutes until cooked, fragrant, and deeper orange in color (but not brown!).
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Pour in coconut milk, xylitol, salt, and mix thoroughly. Cook until the xylitol dissolves and everything is well incorporated.
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Sprinkle xanthan gum little by little and whisk (or blend with an immersion blender) until fully combined. You will likely have some air bubbles, but be sure to check there are no lumps. Any lumps will be resolved by mixing with an immersion blender (or in an actual blender).
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Sieve the mixture to a bowl, stir in vanilla extract, cover with a layer of cling film (saran wrap) laid directly over the mixture (to avoid a 'skin' forming), and allow the mixture to cool completely. The texture will be thick and jelly-like (don't worry, your ice cream won't have this texture!).
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Place cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and pour in the pumpkin mixture. Whisk until the cream cheese is (absolutely!) fully blended. This is faster with an electric whisk (or mixer/immersion blender), but also doable by hand.
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Fold in whipped sour and transfer to a sealable container. Freeze for 5-6 hours (or overnight). Take out your ice cream 10-15 minutes prior to serving (depending on your room temp!) and scoop away.
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Or churn in an ice cream maker following manufacture's instructions (about 15 minutes). If you like your ice cream firmer, freeze in the covered container for one to two hours.
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If you're adding in graham crackers or crumbs, fold them in once the ice cream is semi-hard (either right after churning or about 2-3 hours after freezing).
For the graham cracker crumbs (optional)
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Lightly toast almond flour in a skillet or pan over medium heat, until fully golden and fragrant (2-4 minutes). This is very important taste-wise, so don't skip!
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Transfer toasted almond flour to a medium bowl, and mix in sweetener, cinnamon and salt. Add in butter and mix until thoroughly combined. Form into clumps using your fingertips, transfer to a plate and allow to come to room temperature and freeze for 15-20 minutes before folding into the ice cream.
Recipe Notes
*Canned pumpkin is a must here, as it has much less water content than your usual homemade batch.
**You absolutely NEED to use full fat coconut milk here! As lighter versions are simply diluted in water, and they'll make your ice cream more icy.
***Xylitol is, without a doubt, THE BEST sweetener for keto ice cream. It helps to retain the creamy texture (i.e. just like the alcohol, it prevents it from freezing rock solid), and allows you to skip the churning if need be. Please see section on sweeteners for more tips and subs.
And if using xylitol, make sure to be careful if you have a pup around the house, as it’s highly toxic to the little guys! 🐕
Please note that nutrition facts were estimated per scoop (about 1/2 cup).