Pumpkin Banana Ice Cream is just like your favorite fall dessert but blended not baked, sweetened with dates not sugar, cold, sweet, and scoopable. Not to mention healthy enough to be called breakfast!
I am walking a fine ice cream line with this recipe.
Pumpkin Pie Nicecream. Duh, it’s amazing! But it’s also confusing…is it a summer food or a fall food? It’s like a walking melting contradiction.
So I am trying really hard to squeeze right into that narrow window between ice cream season and pumpkin season. My hope is that today, September 5th, is the ideal balance of both.
My hope is that you too are still trying desperately to cling to summer and cram as much ice cream into yourself as possible before we finally have to admit it’s over. And simultaneously that you are incredibly excited about pumpkin season and ready to jump in spoon first even though it’s only the beginning of September.
So either I nailed it and this pumpkin banana ice cream will satisfy your every current craving. Or I completely totally didn’t nail it and you are both tired of ice cream and not ready for pumpkin.
As you can imagine I am sincerely hoping it’s the former. But if not, then let’s just pretend this never happened, okay? Good.
Until we have a verdict on the whole nailing it/not nailing it thing, let’s talk about this cold squash-filled sweet stuff…
Pumpkin Banana Ice Cream
Sure, sure, you’ve seen pumpkin nicecream before. Throw a spoonful or two of pumpkin puree in the blender with frozen bananas and a dash of spice, and you have pumpkin nicecream. But the word “pie” is in that title for a reason!
This version goes far beyond just bananas + pumpkin. A handful of dates add extra dessert-like sweetness, but they also serve another very important purpose–scoopability!
With most nicecream, you better eat it while it’s soft serve because with the low fat content the creaminess vanishes with too much time in the freezer. Finding that perfect balance between scoopable and frozen solid is tricky. However, the addition of dates keeps this pumpkin pie nicecream from freezing into an icy orange brick, so you can actually pop it in the freezer and come back for another scoop the next day.
Just like in any good pumpkin pie, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice are a given in this recipe too. And to keep that deep orange pumpkin color, I added in a very unexpected extra-orange ingredient–carrot juice! It preserves the toasty fall tint perfectly, and whats not to love about undetectable sneaky veggie nutrition too.
You know, if you really wanted to embrace the PIE part of this recipe, you could whip up a no-bake vegan pie crust (maybe even a chocolate one!), spread this creamy pumpkin banana ice cream in the middle, and freeze for a pumpkin ice cream pie! Just throwing that out there, do with it what you will.
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Pumpkin Pie Nicecream
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 720 minutes
- Total Time: 735 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz can organic pumpkin puree
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup carrot juice
- 6–8 pitted medjool dates
- 5–6 frozen bananas
Instructions
- Blend the pumpkin, spice, vanilla extract, carrot juice, and dates until smooth.
- Transfer to a shallow pan or ice cube tray. Freeze overnight.
- Break apart the pumpkin mixture. Add to a blender/food processor with the frozen bananas. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Eat immediately as soft serve or freezer for 2-3 hours for a scoopable ice cream. You can keep leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 days, just remove 5-10 minutes before scooping and eating.
Totally nailed it, Natalie! Pumpkin makes ice cream super creamy, plus I just love that autumn flavour and colour. I am definitely an autumn / winter girl but my taste buds love ice cream all year round 🙂
It really does! I wish all my nicecreams were this magically creamy. The more and more I hang around you the closer I get to just ordering an ice cream maker already, because having actual scoopable nicecream is so nice and so much better for pics 😀 Thanks girl!
Wow this looks heavenly! I’m in that limbo between summer and pumpkin, I mean fall… And I love it!! I need this ice cream!
Haha in the food blogging world we might as well just go ahead and officials rename this season from fall to PUMPKIN!? Thanks Larice!
It’s like Fall and Summer had a love child! And I… wait for it… LOVE it! 😉 Omigosh on those scoop topped with nuts… woah. Why is it that you do not live near me? Cuz if ya did… I’d be banging that door down for just one more scoop. And then another. 🙂
You definitely, most certainly, positively NAILED it. I feel like this pumpkin nice cream is the sweetest way to transition from summer to fall. So thank you for that. 😉 Now, may I have just one more scoop? xoxo
I know you are a pumpkin lover, but I didn’t know you were going to go all three little pigs on me in hunt of pumpkin ice cream!! Actually that was blow the house down not bang wasn’t it?? Oh well! And if we lived close by then I would’ve already barged right into your kitchen and stolen a slice of that perfectly texture pumpkin bread, because how amazing would they taste together? Melty ice cream dripping down and soaking into spiced soft pillowy pumpkin bread…heaven I tell you, absolute heaven! xoxo
This looks so deliciously yummy! I’m a fall/winter gal myself – but ice cream is season less. I also wait all year long for the short period of time when it’s socially acceptable to order pumpkin themed desserts and expect places to have them. Lol. That window seems to be getting shorter and shorter! I can’t wait to try these with brownies. And in dire emergencies, with a spoon!
Oooh I very much like where you are going with this brownie idea! Yes I am learning to love september and october more and more all thanks to pumpkin and especially pumpkin desserts 🙂 It’s so exiting isn’ it?! I have been known to go a little pumpkin pie crazy and just not stop all the way through till christmas? Happy pumpkin baking to you!
I have been feeling pumpkin season in my bones this past week, despite the Hawaii heat. This will meet my need for something (anything!) pumpkin, and keeping the house cool. Thanks for another fabulous recipe! I am heading to the blender now…
I never thought about the conundrum of living in the always warm tropics and still finding yourself swept up in the pumpkin season cravings–yes this would be perfect! Happy blending?
Yes to this creamy pumpkin pie nice cream! I love that you added dates for extra sweetness to make it more pie tasting! Pumpkin pie is EVERYTHING!
I just can’t leave sweet enough alone, not when it’s possible to squeeze some dates in there haha! Thanks Bethany?
YAS!! A fall treat that ditches the guilt! This looks too delish- cannot wait to share with the fam!
You got it! I hope your entire house loves it 🙂
Totally gorgeous! And I don’t think it’s strange at all! I wrote a pumpkin spice latte ice cream recently and I’ve tried pumpkin in my chocolate ice cream (in place of the sweet potato) and it works amazing! I’m in love with the gorgeous color too, of course! And like I’ve said before, food is not really seasonal to me, if I want ice cream year round or soup year round, which I do, I’m going to eat it! Rules are dumb, lol. Eat what you want, no matter the weather outside. I’m the most excited for Fall this year more than ever and am sooo excited for all things pumpkin. Seeing this beautiful ice cream just gets me that much more excited! I’ve seen that dates are wonderful for ice cream softness a lot but I’ve never tried it. Such a great simple recipe Natalie! I’m drooling. 🙂
Oooh I want a scoop of both of those ice cream flavors! Chocolate with pumpkin is so fantastic, and anything with the words “pumpkin spice latte” in it is going to be a hit, no doubt about it. There does come a time when it is actually physically too cold for ice cream (although maybe if I follow it up with a big bowl of warm soup I’ll be find :D), but I agree until then forget seasonal rules. Usually I am not so excited about the coming of fall, but all the warm cozy recipe ideas have me looking forward to it too!
Hurray for nice cream! Especially if it’s pumpkin flavored! This looks so good!
Thank you Eden!
I watched the video you made and had to stop myself from drooling over the keyboard. The shots of you scooping out the final product from the blender into the pan was pretty insane… I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a fluffy nice cream before!! 😀
It’s the dates I tell you, the dates! They keep everything creamy and dreamy and ward off all the icicles–like magic 🙂 Thanks for watching Sarah!
It’s kind of like Christmas for me when pumpkin starts making an appearance and I’m SO ready for it once September hits! What a fun dessert and I love that you used carrot juice in it!! This summer I tried creating an ice cream recipe and had no idea just how tricky it was to get that creamy, scoopable texture – looks like you nailed it here! Our weather is warming up to summer temps again, so this treat is perfect…ice cream with a fall twist. ❤️❤️❤️
It is like christmas isn’t it!? Plus it helps me get over the loss of summer fruit season and get into pie, muffin, all things cinnamon-spiced mode 🙂 Oh I know, I had no idea if this was going to scoop smoothly or just fall apart in icy chunks. Keeping the creamy is a struggle without an ice cream maker (I have been really wishing I had one of those lately), but dates make a huge difference I am realizing! Plus they make everything so yummy too, so win win! Enjoy the warmth while it lasts <3
Mmm, this looks so good! Thanks, Natalie, for the recipe, would love to make it soon!
It’s so tasty Natalia, I hope you do! Thanks for checking it out 🙂
This nice cream looks fabulous, Natalie!! So creamy. So bright!
Is there anything I could use in place of carrot juice? I want to make this but don’t have any. Could I omit it or use nondairy milk?
Hi Ellie! Yep, non-dairy milk is just fine. The carrot juice is just there for color and a little extra sweetness, not essential. I hope it comes out perfect 🙂
How would this be without the carrot juice–I don’t have a juicer. Can I just leave it out or sub with something else?
Hi Helen! It will be just fine without the carrot juice, feel free to us enonfairy milk instead?
Whoops, I see my question has been answered. Thanks.
I haven’t made this yet, but I CANNOT WAIT. i love all things pumpkin & dates. quick question, do the bananas have to be frozen before hand? can i just use all fresh and then freeze?
Thanks,
ash
Hi Ashlee! Yes the bananas do need to be frozen before hand, otherwise it will just be a giant icy block and not creamy at all. Sorry, I know that means extra waiting time before you can try it. But I do hope you love it!!
Your site is beautiful – I absolutely love your food photography. I have included this recipe in a kid-friendly fall recipe post 🙂 You can find it here: http://momenvy.co/2017/08/kid-friendly-fall-recipes.html
★★★★★
Thanks so much Laura for including my ice cream–mmm what a delicious roundup too! Will be sure to share this week🙂
It would probably change the color drastically, but could you add a little avocado for the fat to help the nice cream from freezing so hard if it’s been in freezer for 24 hours or more? Or do you think I could use avocado oil instead? At first I was gonna ask if I could use a little coconut oil to help the nice cream stay pliable for easy scooping but the I just remembered that coconut oil solidifies at cold temps so that wouldn’t work…..however, fractioned coconut oil would work but it usually isn’t organic virgin coconut oil and is probably highly processed and heated.
Avocado could help with creaminess, yes! You will taste the avocado a bit though since pumpkin spice isn’t a strong enough flavor to completely cover it. I don’t think avocado oil would have the same creaminess factor and yes coconut oil would just make it more firm. Coconut cream would also be a good option!
can i make this in my kitchenaid ice cream maker attachment
Nice cream doesn’t really work in an ice cream maker. This recipe might work better in an ice cream maker, but you would still need to blend the dates first: https://feastingonfruit.com/pumpkin-spice-ice-cream/#tasty-recipes-14962 Or you could try that second one with maple syrup or another sweetener and then churn it in the kitchenaid!