Pumpkin Ice Cream

I’ve been going a little crazy with the pumpkin lately. You haven’t seen the recipes yet, but they are coming…

So yesterday, when my husband asked me to make him some homemade ice cream to bring a work party (an “iron chef” themed party, no less), I figured why stop now? Why not do pumpkin ice cream? The catch was that the iron chef ingredient was cheese…so I came up with this pumpkin ice cream recipe that includes ricotta cheese and cream cheese.

cool and creamy pumpkin ice cream

There is actually no cream in here, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste creamy…it absolutely does…creamy and dreamy, like a cool pumpkin pie. I bet it would be fabulous on top of pumpkin pie, as well.

This recipe for pumpkin ice cream is perfect for Halloween weekend, and I’m planning to work it in to my Thanksgiving dessert menu too. It’s that good. Enjoy.

Ricotta Pumpkin Ice Cream

Ingredients:

3 cups pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin, preferably organic, though good old Libby’s canned pumpkin will do, as well
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese, preferably organic (Greek yogurt could be substituted here, I think)
1 cup raw or organic whole milk
3/4 cup sucanat, organic or “natural” sugar (I used “sugar in the raw”)
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Directions:

In a high speed blender or large capacity food processor, process all the ingredients until smooth. Taste and add a little more spices, if you like. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours, if possible, and them pour into your ice cream maker (this is the one I use and I love it!). Freeze according to your manufacturer’s instructions. The ice cream will be finished, though on the soft side, after 30-40 minutes; you can enjoy it like this, or for a firmer consistency, transfer to a container and store overnight in the freezer.