Pumpkin Cinnamon Ice Cream is the perfect dessert bridge from Summer through Fall all the way to the Winter holidays. This creamy, rich, brown-sugar-crumble-laced Pumpkin Ice Cream is packed with fall flavors.

Low angle shot of a ramekin filled with pumpkin cinnamon ice cream

This Pumpkin Cinnamon Ice Cream the perfect topper for an ice cream cone, apple pie, chocolate cake, gingerbread, pumpkin bread, gingersnaps, graham crackers, biscoff cookies, oatmeal cookies, or anything else you can think of to put ice cream on.

Ice Cream Time

Today is one of those perfect California fall days. The crisp, sepia-colored light is clear and slanty now that the sun has dipped lower in the sky.

The air has the autumn smell that urges us towards the promise of new beginnings, but the weather is still warm and dry beckoning us back to the lazy days of summer.

It’s the kind of day I look forward to all year, Indian summer. Some people call it earthquake weather. But because I prefer to look on the bright side (and plug my ears—lalalalalala—when anyone brings up the imminent “big one”), I call it ice cream weather!

low angle shot of pumpkin ice cream with cinnamon sticks

What’s so great about Pumpkin Cinnamon Ice Cream?

I love the flavors of fall, and what could be better than cold, creamy ice cream with fall flavors like pumpkin and cinnamon? This no-churn Pumpkin Ice Cream will satisfy all your pumpkin cravings.

It has the flavors we all love in fall desserts , so it’s ideal for a day like today, and it’s also going to be a perfect pick for my holiday dessert spreads

I love to make my own ice cream and even wrote a book about it, The Homemade Ice Cream Recipe Book. The book includes custard-based ice creams made with an egg-based custard and churned in an ice cream maker.

This recipe isn’t in that book because it is an easy recipe that doesn’t require a custard base OR an ice cream maker. Just mix the ingredients together, pop it in the freezer, and wait for it to set.

Pumpkin pie ingredients blended with pumpkin ice cream on a wooden table.

What ingredients do you need to make Pumpkin Cinnamon Ice Cream?

This no-churn ice cream is made from a simple mix of cream and condensed milk. There are no eggs that need to be tempered, making this ice

cream quick and simple to make. (Note that the complete recipe, with ingredient measurements and detailed step-by-step directions, is located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

Heavy cream
Sweetened condensed milk
Pumpkin purée (just the 100% pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
Vanilla extract
Cinnamon
Light brown sugar
Butter
Pumpkin pie spice

Whipping pumpkin ice cream in a bowl with a whisk.

A white bowl with ingredients for a pumpkin ice cream.

How do you make it?

This is a simple, no-churn ice cream without eggs. You don’t need to make a custard ice cream base, which eliminates the need for tempering the eggs. (Note that the complete recipe, with ingredient measurements and detailed step-by-step directions, is located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Stir together the sweetened condensed milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and cinnamon. Fold the pumpkin mixture gently into the whipped cream.
Stir together the brown sugar brown sugar crumble ingredients (brown sugar, melted butter, and pumpkin pie spice) in a small bowl.
Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and then layer the ice cream mixture and the brown sugar crumble mixture together.
Freeze for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight), until the mixture is frozen and scoopable. Scoop it onto pie or cake, between cookies for an ice cream sandwich, or into an ice cream cone or bowl.

What do you serve with Pumpkin Ice Cream?

This Pumpkin Cinnamon Ice Cream is delicious on its own, just eaten with a spoon. But it’s also a great topper for Thanksgiving apple pie (or try it on my Mini Blueberry Pies!)

That Rosh Hashana Honey Cake will be even sweeter with a scoop of Pumpkin Cinnamon Ice Cream.

For Hanukkah, it will go nicely with wedges of apple cake. At Christmas, I’ll scoop it onto slabs of moist, cakey gingerbread or sandwich it between crisp gingersnaps or oatmeal cookies. It’s also great dolloped onto dark chocolate cake.

Pumpkin ice cream in a bowl with cinnamon sticks.

What are some variations?

If you’re looking for variations that still incorporate these fall flavors, you might want to try switching the cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in the recipe. Put 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice in the ice cream mixture and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in the brown sugar crumble. This turns it into Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream.

Add some crumbled graham crackers for Homemade Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream.

You can also make it more gingery by substituting 2 teaspoons of ground ginger for the cinnamon in the ice cream mixture. Or leave out the spices altogether to make more of a Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream.

If you want to use real pumpkin, you can absolutely do that. The flavor of the pumpkin will really shine through. Cook the pumpkin and then puree it in a food processor until it is smooth.

Do you need an ice cream maker to make it?

You don’t need an ice cream machine to make this no-churn ice cream. You don’t need any fancy equipment, at all. An electric mixer or stand mixer is super helpful for whipping the cream, but you can absolutely do it by hand with a whisk.

That said, you absolutely could put this homemade Pumpkin Ice Cream recipe in an ice cream maker if you wanted. Freeze the ice cream mixture in the ice cream maker, using the freezer bowl, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and then swirl in the brown sugar crumble in the last minute of churning.

After churning, the ice cream will probably be more of a soft serve consistency. If you want a classic firm ice cream rather than soft-serve ice cream, you can make it firmer by popping it in the freezer. Transfer ice cream to a loaf pan or other container and freeze for an additional few hours.

Pumpkin ice cream served in a bowl with cinnamon sticks.

More Dessert recipes you’ll love

If you love this easy no-churn ice cream, try my no-churn Rocky Road Ice Cream or S’mores Ice Cream.

You can use this flavorful ice cream in my crazy good Air Fryer Fried Ice Cream, too!

If you love the flavor of pumpkin, you won’t want to miss these Paula Deen Pumpkin Bars.