Healthy Paleo Pumpkin Ice Cream is made with only 6 ingredients! It’s thick and creamy from cashews, lightly sweetened with maple syrup, and packed with warming pumpkin spices. Paleo, dairy-free, gluten-free, and protein-packed!
This post is sponsored in partnership with Vital Proteins. All opinions expressed (as always) are my own. I only partner with brands I trust and personally recommend – thank you for your support in helping make Eat the Gains possible!
Check out the video to see how easy it comes together!
It’s mid September and I asked you guys the other day on Instagram if it’s too early for pumpkin recipes and 80% of you said no. So here we are with our first pumpkin recipe of the season and it’s a good one – paleo pumpkin ice cream!! Y’all know I got my ice cream maker this summer and fell in love with it. I made a zucchini bread ice cream and after that all I could think about about was how good a pumpkin ice cream would be! And boy did it deliver!
The best part is, this protein packed pumpkin ice cream has a pretty great nutrition breakdown. I’m all about adding collagen wherever I can since it dissolves in just about anything, so I figured let’s pump up this pumpkin ice cream with some collagen. It adds a nice boost of protein, along with all the health benefits you get with collagen (great for healthy nails, hair, and skin, bone and joint health, and digestion). You guys know Vital Proteins is my favorite as it’s the highest quality and sourced from pasture raised and grass fed cows.
Paleo Pumpkin Ice Cream (Protein Packed!)
You might be surprised, but you only need 6 ingredients to make to make a creamy dairy free pumpkin ice cream. Instead of going the usual coconut milk ice cream direction, I used cashews instead – they make it so rich and creamy, while adding some protein as well. This pumpkin ice cream is only lightly sweetened with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup too! To make it, this is what you need:
- cashews
- cashew milk (or any non dairy milk)
- canned pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin puree)
- collagen
- maple syrup
- pumpkin pie spice
Making homemade ice cream at home is really simple a lot easier than I thought. To make this dairy free ice cream, first you soak the cashews in water overnight. If you don’t have time or you forget, you can microwave them with water for about 2 minutes to soften. Then you blend it with the rest of the ingredients to make a smooth and creamy consistency. Make sure to turn on your ice cream maker (I use this one) and add the mixture to a frozen bowl (make sure you freeze your bowl for at least 8 hours before you want to make ice cream).
Let it churn for 15 minutes and then you can either eat as is (it’s like a soft serve consistency) or you can freeze it for a harder ice cream consistency. I find that freezing it for 4-5 hours works, but you can also freeze overnight, you will just have to let it defrost a decent amount before serving.
This dairy free and paleo pumpkin ice cream makes the absolute perfect dessert for fall – a healthy dessert packed with protein, healthy fats, and only lightly sweetened. It’s thick and creamy, but still light and won’t weigh you down. Made with simple ingredients you can whip together in 20 minutes, as long as you have a frozen ice cream bowl.
PS – pro tip – keep an ice cream bowl in the freezer at all times 😜
Make sure to check out the video at the top of the page to see how easy this recipe comes together!
Paleo Pumpkin Ice Cream (Protein Packed!)
ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened cashew milk (or non dairy milk of choice)
- 1 cup pumpkin
- 2 servings (4 scoops) Vital Protein Collagen Peptides*
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
instructions
- Soak cashews by placing in a jar and cover with water. Cover with a lid and soak overnight. If you are short on time, place cashews in a bowl, cover with water, and microwave for 2 minutes until softened. Drain and rinse.
- Add soaked and drained cashews, cashew milk, pumpkin, collagen peptides, maple syrup, and pumpkin pie spice in a Vitamix or high powered blender. Blend until smooth, about a minute.
- Turn on ice cream maker and pour mixture in while it is running. Churn for 15 minutes until mixture is thick and creamy. Eat as is or transfer mixture into a small loaf pan. Cover the top with plastic and freeze for 3-4 hours or overnight. Allow ice cream to sit at room temperature or place in the fridge to soften before serving. Enjoy!
video
notes
nutrition
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melissa babin says
Question: Is 1 serving a whole 3 and 1/2 cups? Or is that how much the recipe yields?
Thanks!
Kelly says
Hey Melissa! The whole recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups. The nutrition breakdown is for 1/2 cup. I will update that now to make it more clear! Thanks!
Emily Swanson says
OH MAN! Wow; this looks incredibly creamy; I wouldn’t ever imagine it was paleo.
Kelly says
The cashews are a game changer! It makes it so creamy!! Hope you give it a try Emily!