Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Nana sent me a very large list of ice cream recipes, 53 pages of ice cream recipes.  The first one that popped out at me was a recipe called "Great Pumpkin."  It is pumpkin season. I thought a pumpkin pie ice cream would be fun to try. The great pumpkin recipe was pretty simple, but not what I was looking for.  I studied the recipes for awhile and as most of them called for milk, eggs, condensed milk, and/or cream, I played around with the non-dairy substitutions and came up with this recipe.  I made my own dairy free version using a combination of the components of three of those recipes: Ultimate Vanilla, Butter Pecan, and Great Pumpkin.  I added the same spices I would add to a pumpkin pie: cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  It took me awhile playing on paper before I actually whipped it together, but I got what I was looking for, Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream.  It tastes like frozen pumpkin pie, with the whipped cream, and the pecans add a nice crunchy texture.  It got two thumbs up from my granddaughter and my husband.

Begin by making a substitute for condensed milk.

Condensed Milk Substitute

1/3 cup thick coconut milk (The cream at the top of the can)
1/3 cup maple syrup or agave
1 TB melted coconut butter

Whip all above ingredients together and place in the refridgerator until ready to use.

Vanilla base for ice cream

3 TB egg replacer
9 TB filtered water
3/4 cup date sugar (or brown sugar)
Remaining can of coconut milk from condensed milk substitute
Condensed milk substitute (above)
1 pint coconut milk coffee creamer
4 TB melted coconut oil (or non hydrogenated vegan margarine)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean

In a large mixing bowl whisk 3 TB egg replacer with 9 TB filtered water until thoroughly mixed and fluffy.  Add the condensed milk substitute, then 4 TB melted coconut oil. Add 3/4 cup date sugar (or brown sugar) and again mix thoroughly.  Add the rest of the can of coconut milk and 1 pint of coconut creamer, 1/2 tsp sea salt and the seeds of 1 vanilla bean. (2 TB vanilla extract can be used instead of the vanilla bean)

Pumpkin mixture

15 oz. pumpkin puree
2 TB egg replacer
6 TB filtered water
1/2 cup date sugar or brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves

In a separate bowl, whip an additional 2 TB egg replacer with 6 TB water until thoroughly mixed and fluffy.  Add an additional 1/2 cup date sugar to the egg replacer.  Add one cup of the prepared mixture and when blended thoroughly add 15 oz. canned or fresh pureed pumpkin.  Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Add this mixture to the vanilla ice cream base and chill for four hours or more.  Freeze in your ice cream freezer.

While the mixture is chilling, prepare some pecans.  To do this, mix 1 cup chopped pecans with 2 TB of melted coconut oil and 1/3 cup brown sugar or date sugar. I used maple syrup, but I think it was too moist.  I will try a granulated sugar next time.  Add the pecans about five minutes before ice cream is completely frozen.

Helpful tip:  Something I have learned about homemade ice cream is that it should be taken out of the freezer and left in the refridgerator about an hour before I want to serve it.  It is very hard right out of the freezer.  Thawing it slightly helps with that.