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My pumpkin nice cream recipe will satisfy your pumpkin spice cravings with no sugar added! This healthy ice cream alternative uses bananas for sweetness and creaminess, making it the perfect option for vegan and dairy-free diets. Learn how to make this easy pumpkin spice nice cream with canned pumpkin, plus tips to make it extra creamy. You’ll love this pumpkin soft serve frozen treat!
“Nice cream” generally refers to a non-dairy ice cream alternative made with a frozen banana base. Some nice cream recipes use a base of fruits other than bananas, such as dates.
This vegan pumpkin ice cream has no added sugar and can bump up your fruit and veggie intake, adding fiber and phytonutrients to your diet. It will make you a believer that healthy desserts don’t have to sacrifice flavor!
🎃 Pumpkin Nice Cream Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make my pumpkin nice cream recipe:
- 2 frozen ripe bananas (sliced, fresh bananas may also be used)
- 2/3 cup canned pumpkin (not canned pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon dried ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- Whipped cream, chocolate chips, nuts (for serving, optional)
Get a printable recipe card below!
You’ll also want to have a large-capacity food processor as well as a spatula to make nice cream. Most blenders won’t cut it for this recipe.
“Pumpkin spice” is typically a blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves. Sometimes other spices are in the mix as well, or certain spices may be omitted. Feel free to modify the spice mix I’m using here.
➕ How to Make Pumpkin Spice Nice Cream
All you need to do is put all of the ingredients (pumpkin, bananas, and spices) in a food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides with a spatula if ingredients are sticking to the processor’s sides.
After blending, the nice cream will have a pudding-like consistency. To get a firmer ice cream, pop it in the freezer for one hour before scooping. Don’t leave the nice cream in the freezer for more than 1-1.5 hours for the best consistency.
If you use fresh bananas, leave the nice cream in the freezer for at least 6-8 hours. Then follow the instructions in the next section.
How to Make Nice Cream Creamier
If you leave this nice cream recipe in the freezer for several hours, it gets rock hard and impossible to scoop. The secret to creamy nice cream is to allow the ice cream to soften for 60 minutes at room temperature, break up the ice crystals and stir the ice cream, then refreeze. I did this twice before scooping, topping, and serving, 
I learned this trick years ago from a friend who held an ice cream sundae party with all homemade ice creams. (Amazing, right?) She taught me that smashing the ice crystals in the ice cream, refreezing, and repeating the process is the secret to creamy vegan ice cream.
Watch How to Make It!
Pumpkin Nice Cream (Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream Alternative)
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup canned pumpkin
- 2 medium frozen ripe bananas, sliced (OR ripe fresh bananas)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ⅙ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- whipped cream, chocolate chips, nuts (for serving, optional)
Instructions
- All you need to do is put all of the ingredients (pumpkin, bananas, and spices) in a food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides with a spatula if ingredients are sticking to the processor’s sides.
- After blending, the nice cream will have a pudding-like consistency. To get a firmer ice cream, pop it in the freezer for one hour before scooping. Don’t leave the nice cream in the freezer for more than 1-1½ hours for the best consistency. If you use fresh bananas, leave the nice cream in the freezer for at least 6-8 hours.
- If you leave this nice cream recipe in the freezer for several hours, it gets rock hard and impossible to scoop. The secret to creamy nice cream is to allow the ice cream to soften for 60 minutes at room temperature, break up the ice crystals and stir the ice cream, then refreeze. Do this twice before scooping and serving with whipped cream, chocolate chips, nuts, or your favorite ice cream toppings.
Equipment
Notes
💭 Expert Tips from Dietitian Summer Yule
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). In terms of general nutrition, this pumpkin spice nice cream recipe is a healthy snack option because it has no added sugar and is packed with fruit. However, all nice cream is not created equal! I’ve seen recipes for nice cream that are loaded with added sugar, and those aren’t the best choice for many people. One thing to note is that, unlike dairy ice cream, most nice cream recipes are not providing important dairy group nutrients. The protein, calcium, and vitamin B12 in most nice cream recipes is not significant. However, this shouldn’t be an issue unless you are not getting these nutrients in adequate amounts during other parts of your day. Nutrition information is for one serving of the recipe without the optional toppings.
nutrition info disclaimer
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
“To taste” means to your preferences, which may have to be visual to follow food safety rules. Please don’t eat undercooked food x
Nutrition
🍨 More Vegan Dessert Recipes
If you’re looking for more plant-based dessert ideas, check these out:
- Sugar Free Mango Ice Cream
- Dehydrated Cinnamon Apples
- Watermelon Lime Smoothie
- Nut Free Trail Mix
- Roasted Garbanzo Beans Recipe
And if you’d like to add a little more pumpkin to your day, don’t miss my Pumpkin Spice Latte Overnight Oats!
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Hello! I’m Summer, a registered dietitian and home chef who loves to cook, eat, and create recipes for you! Every recipe on this site has been tested by me to help ensure your success in the kitchen. All eaters are welcome here 🙂
Mmm
Thanks, Falcon! x
Looks great, Summer!
I had much more extensive comments late last week, and I watched them post, but when I returned the next day, the remarks had disappeared.
Anyway, if these thoughts “stick” this time, I’ll try to recreate what I wrote last week. Fingers crossed, Summer, because your certainly is worth additional exploration.
I can see your kind comments from the 21st, is that what you’re referring to? I recently made a lot of changes to the site but everything appears to have transferred. (I think?)
Eh? Another miracle, Summer? Your artistry really shouldn’t surprise me any more, yet every week, it seems, you astound at least once or twice. Yet again, you did.
To create something of this caliber, and to do so while making it both dairy-free and sugar-free, well, that’s some impressive piloting. The kitchen gods smile upon you. Of course they smile; you are one, after all.
Anyway, I can attest to the issues in using fresh pumpkins for anything other than jack-o-lanterns. Back in my early blogging days, pumpkin soup was on the menu. A friend warned against using “real” pumpkins, but I ignored her. Only hours (and, truth be told, several curse words) later did I resolve, then and there…
Oh, and thanks for detailing pumpkin spice’s history. I always thought the concoction was a modern marketing contrivance. Little did I know its pedigree stretches back at least to the Fifties. Still, the stuff does crop up in some pretty ridiculous places. My favorite riff on this? A tongue-in-cheek sign in front of a local repair shop:
“Buy Three Tires and Get One Filled with Pumpkin-Spiced Air Free”
Thanks so much! Yes, preparing pumpkin from scratch can be a lot of extra trouble! I’m certain that’s why canned pumpkin is such a hot commodity at this time of year. I guess need to start stocking up in July. Haha