Summer and fall collide perfectly in this delicious gluten-free, primal, and GAPS-friendly No-Churn Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream!
Ice cream weather.
It might be almost fall out, but you’d never know by stepping outside. It’s still so stinkin’ hot down here in the south that fall could be months away for all I know! Hot end of summer days like this mean only one thing is in order:
Ice cream.
It really is the perfect meal. I mean, dessert. Well… I actually do mean meal. I regularly serve it up to my family for breakfast and/or lunch. It’s easy to make and easy to make healthy.
Keepin’ it healthy.
Conventional – and even some homemade – ice creams will all be loaded with unhealthy dairy and sugars. But I prefer to keep my ice cream a health food, thank you very much.
Instead of whipping cream or sweetened condensed milk, I use milk kefir for my ice cream base. It’s a naturally fermented milk product that has a tangy taste (think plain yogurt) and is full of probiotics! It’s not usually sold in grocery stores, but it’s super easy to make at home.
Instead of sugar, I like to use honey. For everything.Â
You might think I’m joking, but I’m really not. Honey is pretty much the only sweetener I use. Any other kind of sweetener (save the occasional maple syrup or molasses) and my body crashes. Fast.
Yep, nothing destroys the immune system like a good dose of sugar! Honey, on the other hand, is anti-fungal and probiotic. It’s also full of phenolic acids and flavoniods (antioxidants) that help boost your immune system, instead of tearing it down.
Pumpkin everything.
Though it’s normal for all the pumpkin things to be coming out this time of year, I’ve been on the pumpkin bandwagon since about April. And there are two reasons for that.
First, I love pumpkin. Really. I have no problem eating it year ’round like my kids eat apples. I also happen to be on the GAPS diet, which uses a lot of squash. And pumpkin happens to be one of the cheapest squashes for me to get my hands on.Â
Ergo, pumpkin everything all year.Â
muffins with pumpkin
gummies made out of pumpkin
banana bread with pumpkin
pumpkin pie (of course)
eggnog with pumpkin in it (SO good)
pumpkin to dip my fruit in
pancakes made out of pumpkin
The list could go on and on (seriously), but I think you get the idea. Pumpkin makes me a happy camper!
Easy for the win.
You know what else makes me happy? Easy. And this pumpkin cheesecake ice cream is 100% easy! All you need (besides the ingredients) are a blender and a freezer-safe container.
Simply dump everything in the blender, puree, pour it into your container, and freeze! No fancy ice cream maker attachment, no time spent heating, then cooling the ingredients. Make this in the morning and it’s ready for lunch! I mean… dessert. 😉
Want more ice cream deliciousness? Here are some of my favorites!
- 2-Ingredient Mango Nice Cream
- Homemade Mint Ice Cream with Fudge Swirl
- Honey Kiwi Soft Serve
- Probiotic Apple Pie Ice Cream
- 4-Ingredient Avocado Mint Nice Cream
- Mint Chocolate Chip Blender Ice Cream
- Chocolate Avocado Mint Nice Cream
- Creamy Lemon Ice Cream
In the recipe card I’ve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks!
No-Churn Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream
Free of grain, gluten, eggs, and refined sugar.
Ingredients
- 2 c. milk kefir, whey strained out
- 1 c. pumpkin puree
- 1 t. vanilla (I like to make my own!)
- 1/4 c. coconut oil
- 1/4 c. honey (local is best)
- 2 t. cinnamon
- 1/4 t. ginger
- 1/4 t. cardamom or nutmeg
- 1/8 t. cloves
Instructions
Dump the ingredients into a blender (I use this blender) and pulse until smooth.
Pour into freezer-safe container – a loaf pan works well – and freeze for a few hours, until almost completely frozen through.
Remove from freezer about 10 minutes before serving so it can soften up a bit.
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OMG this is genius! I drink a kefir a day and how amazing would that kefir be if it was in ice cream form! I need this now!!
Haha! I hope you get a chance to enjoy it!
I love the idea of using kefir to make ice cream! Such a great way to add more probiotics and enjoy pumpkin (my favorite!).
Yes! I love that it’s actually a healthy treat. 🙂
Yesss! It was so hot and muggy here today but I also just picked up my first pumpkin of the season! This might be my “yay it’s back to school” treat tomorrow!
Haha! I hope you get to enjoy it! It’s the perfect back to school treat. 😉
I REALLY want some of this right now. It’s been SO hot here, insanely hot for weeks. This sounds so delicious!
Thank you, Emily! I hope you get to cool of with some of it, soon!
Raia, I LOVE it!!! Your photo and video plus the ingredient list all had me want some right now. It’s such a perfect late summer recipe when weather is still warm but we have begun to long for the autumn flavours. I am completely with you on the choice of sweeteners – honey, maple syrup and molasses too are the ones we use here at my house, well, except for the sugar I feed my water kefir and kombucha 🙂
Thank you so much, Yang! I hope you get a chance to enjoy some of the ice cream. 🙂
TThis ice cream looks like so good Raia! I love the spices that you have used, this would be a hit in my household! It sounds so easy to make too which is always a bonus 🙂
Thank you so much, Hope! I hope you and your family enjoy it!
They look so creamy delicious! I love how simple it is to make them, too!
Thanks! 🙂
Wow! I love that you made a delicious Fall ice cream! I could eat ice cream all year long! Cannot wait to try this flavor!
I hope you enjoy it, Haley! I could eat it all year long, too. Haha.
This ice cream is so delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re so welcome! 🙂
Wow, pumpkin cheesecake, what an awesome idea for ice cream! Totally trying this on the weekend.
I hope you enjoy it, Chris!
I really loved that it is so easy to make!!
I’m so glad, Toni! It is sooo easy! 🙂
I love pumpkin cheesecake, and I can bet I will love this ice cream version. If I don’t have kefir and not planning to make it, what would be a good substitute?
You could use heavy cream instead of the kefir. Or yogurt, to keep the probiotics. You might want to up the sweetener if you opt for the yogurt, though. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it, Anita!
Oh! These pictures are amazing!! Give me all the pumpkin ice cream you got!!
Haha! Thanks, Beth!
I always have kefir on hand so this is a perfect recipe for me. I will be making this ice cream often.
I hope you enjoy it, Edyta! It’s such a delicious way to use kefir. 🙂
This is like all of my favorite things in one dessert – pumpkin, cheesecake, ice cream and minimal effort!
Haha! It’s a definite winner. Especially with the minimal effort part… 😉
I love everything about this ice cream! So creamy & delicious! Perfect for Fall!
Thanks, ChihYu!