For all you boozy dessert lovers, this spiked pumpkin ice cream is for you! Every creamy bite is full of warm pumpkin spice flavors and just the right amount of bourbon. After one taste, you’ll agree that this rich, luscious bourbon-pumpkin ice cream is the perfect fall dessert, and you’ll want to serve it for every seasonal occasion.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Bourbon adds the best flavor to pumpkin desserts. The oak, vanilla and caramel notes of bourbon nicely complement pumpkin spice.
- Hands down — this is the best fall ice cream. Now we throw in that perfect flavor combination into a luscious custard base, and we’re bound to end up with the best fall dessert.
- Serve it for any fall gathering or holiday for a truly versatile recipe. Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party, Thanksgiving or just a random get-together during autumn, this boozy pumpkin ice cream makes for a crowd-pleasing dessert.
- Celebrate pumpkin spice season in all its glory. During the winter and fall months, we can’t get enough pumpkin in our lives. We wait all year for everything pumpkin, so let’s take full advantage with some pumpkin pie ice cream!
Bonus: Love bourbon in the fall? Try this apple cider old fashioned and cranberry-chai bourbon smash.
Ingredients
These pumpkin ice cream ingredients should seem straightforward, but please note that this recipe uses pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Both are sold in cans in the baking aisle, but pumpkin purée is just that.
Pumpkin pie filling, however, is literally a pre-made liquid you add directly to a pie crust to bake. The two are very different ingredients, so just make sure you pay attention to the label.
For the pumpkin spice, you’re welcome to use a store-bought mix, but I also included directions to make your own homemade pumpkin spice mix. I find a homemade pumpkin pie spice mix adds a richer, warmer, spicier flavor, but both will produce a delicious pumpkin-flavored ice cream.
Step-by-Step-Instructions
If you've never made homemade ice cream, I promise it's easier than you think. As long as you can simmer cream and stir, you have all the skills you need to make ice cream. Let's get to it.
Step 1: We start by bringing a mixture of heavy cream, milk and dark brown sugar to a simmer and stir every so often to help dissolve the dark brown sugar (photo 1). Now we turn off the heat.
Step 2: We whisk together egg yolks, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract (photo 2). I like to do this for about three minutes by hand to ensure it’s well-whisked.
Step 3: Once we whisk the egg yolks, we ladle in a small scoop — about one-fourth cup or so — of the cream mixture and whisk together (photo 3). We add another small scoop and repeat until we incorporate about half of the cream mixture (photo 4).
Step 4: Now we return the eggs and cream back to the stove, add the pumpkin purée (photo 5) and stir until it's thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon (photo 6). Again, we don't want the mixture to boil.
Step 5: From here, we cover the custard’s surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming (photo 7) and chill in the refrigerator.
Note: For this recipe, you'll need an ice cream maker. I’ve used this Cuisinart model for nearly 10 years and love it.
Step 6: Once chilled, we’re ready to churn the ice cream. Follow the ice cream churned manufacturer’s directions, but don’t add the bourbon until the last couple minutes of churning (photo 8). Alcohol can prevent the ice cream from properly setting up, so we want to make sure it’s mostly ready go before adding it.
Step 7: All that’s left is to pour the ice cream in and airtight container (photo 9) and place it in the freezer. In a few hours, we'll have a delicious fall ice cream.
Bonus: If you love this bourbon ice cream, I bet you'll also adore my chocolate-amaretto ice cream and Baileys ice cream!
How to Serve
Besides being delicious, I love this ice cream for how many different ways you can serve it. Of course, you could serve this bourbon-pumpkin ice cream in a cone or a bowl without any toppings. This ice cream is plenty flavorful to stand up on its own.
Or try topping with this praline sauce or bourbon caramel sauce — both are perfect on so many fall desserts. Warm up the sauce in the microwave and drizzle it all over the ice cream for an extra special treat. And good luck finding an ounce of self-control.
I also love to sandwich this bourbon-pumpkin ice cream between two homemade oatmeal scotchies, or after churning the custard base, you could pour it into a prepared graham cracker or gingersnap crust. Pop it in the freezer and you have an easy no-bake pumpkin ice cream pie that won't take up valuable oven space on Thanksgiving.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. Eggs add a wonderful richness and creaminess that you can't get with those no-churn ice cream recipes that skip the eggs. Some homemade recipes use only four eggs, but I typically go for seven eggs for the utmost decadence.
Yes, this step is critical, so don't try to cut corners and skip it. The ice cream base will not set up properly if it's not cold before churning. Because this does add some nonactive time, make sure you plan ahead.
While I love the flavor the bourbon adds, you’re more than welcome to leave it out. You’ll still have a delicious pumpkin pie ice cream on your hands if you skip the bourbon.
You're also welcome to substitute the bourbon. A dark rum is a delicious option.
A reader reached out with some healthy substitutions so yes! While I just talked about how much I love eggs in ice cream, this reader has an egg allergy and left them out. She also substituted the dark brown sugar for a combination of monk fruit sweetener and molasses, and she decreased the lactose content by switching whole milk for almond milk while still using the heavy cream. Because she didn't have to cook the eggs, she also got to skip the heating step entirely.
Expert Tips
- We don't ever want to let the cream mixture come to a boil. That has the potential to break the milk.
- Don't just dump the eggs into all the cream mixture and skip the ladling. This helps gently cook the eggs to prevent them from scrambling once you do add them to the rest of the mixture.
- Make sure you add the bourbon toward the end of the churning process. Alcohol can make the ice cream more difficult to set, so we want it just about done churning before adding.
- For the bourbon, use something that you would happily drink. I suggest a mid-range bourbon like your standard Markers Mark, Buffalo Trace, Four Roses or Elijah Craig. You don't want to use something too cheap, or it will taste harsh.
- Like a little crunch to your ice cream? Feel free to add 1 cup of crushed ginger snaps or graham crackers toward the end of the churn process.
Perfect Pairing
A big, bold imperial stout is just what you need with this bourbon-pumpkin spice ice cream. With the high alcohol content, imperial stouts make for great dessert beers because of their residual sweetness.
Craft brewers often age imperial stouts in bourbon barrels, and the barrel char play off the roasted malt while adding vanilla and coconut undertones, which enhance the sweetness of the beer. The pumpkin pie spice then comes in to add a nice kick to those sweet, roasted notes.
If you'd like to pour yourself a glass of wine with this ice cream, reach for a sweet dessert sherry. Sweetened sherry typically shows off rich flavors, such as caramel, toffee and fig, which go so well with warm spices. I wouldn't be disappointed if you enjoyed a tawny port with this fall ice cream, either.
I've made this bourbon-pumpkin ice cream every year for a long time now, and it's one of my favorite fall traditions. I have no doubt you'll love it as much as I do!
Cheers!
Love Your Fall Desserts?
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Bourbon-Pumpkin Ice Cream
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Ice cream maker
- Mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
Bourbon-Pumpkin Ice Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 7 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup pure pumpkin purée not the pie filling
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
For Pumpkin Spice
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg preferably freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon all spice
- ½ teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- If making your own pumpkin spice, mix together the spices in a small bowl and measure out 1 teaspoon. Store the rest in an airtight container.
- Whisk together the heavy cream, milk and dark brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to whisk periodically to help dissolve the dark brown sugar. Once it simmers, turn off heat. Do not bring to a boil as this can cause the milk to separate.
- Whisk egg yolks, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice until pale, about three minutes. Temper about ¼ to ½ cup of cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Repeat this step a few times until you incorporate about half of the cream mixture. Stir in the pumpkin purée.
- Add the egg and cream mixture back to the saucepan with the rest of cream. Whisk constantly over medium heat and bring back to a simmer. Again, do not boil. Cook until mixture thickens and covers the back of a wooden spoon, about six to 10 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Directly cover the top of the custard's surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least four hours but preferably overnight to ensure proper churning.
- Pour custard in an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer’s directions. During the last two minutes of churning, pour bourbon into the ice cream and allow the ice cream maker to incorporate the bourbon. Do not do this earlier in the process, or the alcohol could interfere with freezing.
- Pour the churned ice cream into an airtight container and freeze for several hours before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Most of the pumpkin purée will incorporate into the mixture while stirring, but straining through a fine-mesh sieve helps catch any bits that didn't fully mix.
- We don't ever want to let the cream mixture come to a boil. That has the potential to break the milk.
- Don't just dump the eggs into all the cream mixture and skip the ladling. This helps gently cook the eggs to prevent them from scrambling once you do add them to the rest of the mixture.
- Make sure you add the bourbon toward the end of the churning process. Alcohol can make the ice cream more difficult to set, so we want it just about done churning before adding.
- For the bourbon, use something that you would happily drink. I suggest a mid-range bourbon like your standard Markers Mark, Buffalo Trace, Four Roses or Elijah Craig. You don't want to use something too cheap, or it will taste harsh.
- Like a little crunch to your ice cream? Feel free to add 1 cup of crushed ginger snaps or graham crackers toward the end of the churn process.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
Recipe originally published in October 2018 and republished in September 2021.
Google Web Story: Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Diane says
I am really excited to put it in my Whynter ice cream maker, once fully chilled over night. Made the custard with my Anova Sous Vide.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Ohhh, that’s awesome! I’ve never made ice cream with a sous vide but what a great idea.
nancy says
what a lovely ice cream recipe! It is perfect for PSL lovers!!
Gail Montero says
What a delicious adult treat for fall! Hubby and I would totally enjoy this!
Julie says
You had me at bourbon and pumpkin! This is such a dreamy combination for fall. Such a great easy-to-follow recipe too. Love the flavor and texture.
Amanda McGrory-Dixon says
Thanks, Julie! I'm definitely a sucker for the two together!