Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)

This 7-ingredient Ninja Creami vegan pumpkin ice cream is creamy, warmly spiced, and loaded with pumpkin flavor, perfect for fall and the holiday season!

What Makes This Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream So Good

Pumpkin spice latte season has officially arrived, which means it's time to break out the pumpkin puree, even when summer isn't quite over. And what better way to celebrate the change from summer to fall than with this Ninja Creami pumpkin ice cream? It's like pumpkin pie filling in frozen form!

• Just 7 simple ingredients, with no eggs and no cooking.
• About 10 minutes of hands-on prep. The freezer and the Creami do the rest.
• Creamy and scoopable thanks to silken tofu and blended cashews, without tasting like either one.
• Warmly spiced with pumpkin pie spice and vanilla.
• Easy to customize with mix-ins like crushed cookies, caramel, or candied pecans.
• Made with canned pumpkin, so you can enjoy it all year round.

Got leftover pumpkin puree? Use it in my gluten-free pumpkin cookies, chocolate pumpkin whoopie pies, or pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream Ingredients

You'll find the exact amounts in the recipe card below.

• Pumpkin puree: Use canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling, which already has sugar and spices), or make your own with my Instant Pot pumpkin puree. Homemade puree should be as thick as canned, so strain it if it's watery.
• Silken tofu: The secret to a smooth, creamy base. Use the shelf-stable boxed kind.
• Raw cashews: Blend into a rich cashew cream. Soak them first if you don't have a high-speed blender.
• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the base and helps keep it soft and scoopable.
• Vanilla extract: Rounds out the pumpkin flavor.
• Pumpkin spice: Store-bought pumpkin pie spice works great, or use your own mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
• Salt: Just a pinch makes the pumpkin and spices taste even better.

Why Silken Tofu Works in Ninja Creami Ice Cream

Silken tofu blends completely smooth, so it gives this Ninja Creami ice cream a thick, creamy body without any dairy or eggs. Paired with cashew cream, it makes the base rich enough to spin into scoopable ice cream instead of an icy sorbet. And with all that pumpkin and spice, you won't taste the tofu at all. Make sure the base is blended until there are no specks left, since any bits of tofu or cashew will show up in the finished texture.

Recipe Add-Ins

• Spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, black pepper, etc.
• Espresso: Add a shot of espresso for pumpkin spice latte ice cream.
• Ribbons: Swirl in salted caramel, cranberry sauce (like my cranberry pear sauce), sweetened vegan cream cheese (for cheesecake flavor), vegan chocolate spread, pumpkin butter, etc.
• Mix-ins: Crushed vegan cookies (graham crackers, gingerbread, Oreos, Biscoff, etc.), brownie bits, candied nuts, vegan chocolate chips, coconut flakes, etc.
• High-protein version: Blend one serving of vanilla protein powder into the base before freezing. I've made it this way many times and it's delicious!

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream (Ninja Creami)

If you're not using a high-speed blender, soak the cashews in cold water overnight, or boil them for 15 to 20 minutes to soften, then drain.

Step 1: Add everything to the blender. Add the pumpkin puree, silken tofu, cashews, sugar, vanilla, pumpkin spice, and salt to a high-speed blender.

Step 2: Blend until smooth. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, with no specks of cashew.

Step 3: Freeze for 24 hours. Pour the base into a Ninja Creami pint container (no higher than the max fill line), add the lid, and freeze it upright on a flat surface for 24 hours, until fully solid. If you have a little base left over, freeze it in a second pint.

Step 4: Spin it. Let the pint sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Lock it into the Ninja Creami and process on the "Ice Cream" setting. Serve right away, or freeze for 30 to 60 minutes for a firmer scoop.

If crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons plant-based milk or cream and "RE-SPIN" until creamy. Repeat if needed.

Toni's Recipe Tips

• Taste before freezing: Freezing dulls sweetness, so the base should taste a little sweeter than you want the ice cream to be.
• Don't overfill: Stay under the max fill line. Overfilling can affect the spin and strain the machine.
• Freeze level: A flat spot in the freezer keeps the top even, which helps the blade process the whole pint.
• Add mix-ins last: After spinning, make a well in the center all the way to the bottom, add your mix-ins, and press "MIX-IN."

How to Serve Pumpkin Ice Cream

• Sauces: Like caramel sauce (vegan peanut butter caramel), maple syrup, Biscoff, berry compote, etc.
• Toppings: Try toasted or candied nuts (pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, etc.), coconut flakes, crushed vegan cookies (graham crackers, Biscoff, Oreos, etc.), granola, oat crumble topping, fresh berries, vegan chocolate chips or chunks, candied ginger, and/or vegan whipped cream.
• Enjoy a scoop over: A slice of vegan pumpkin pie or vegan apple pie, vegan brownies, crumbles and crisps, vegan pumpkin pancakes, with apple pie cookies, or waffles.
• Use it in: A vegan ice cream sundae, a plant-based milkshake (like this banana milkshake), vegan ice cream sandwiches, etc.

Storage Instructions

Level the surface, add the lid, and freeze for 3 to 4 weeks (it gets icier after that).

Before serving, let the vegan pumpkin spice ice cream sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then re-process on the "ICE CREAM" setting.

Vegan Pumpkin Ice Cream FAQs

If you tried this vegan pumpkin ice cream (Ninja Creami) recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!