Bourbon-Pumpkin Ice Cream

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.

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Chilling Time 4

Total Time 4 35

Servings people

Calories 424kcal

Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

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!

Video

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