Turn Vanilla Ice Cream Into A Frozen Pumpkin Treat With Just A Few Ingredients

In welcoming the fall season with open arms, besides breaking out the flannel shirts and spooky decor, you're likely ready to make all of your favorite apple and pumpkin-based recipes. While many people look forward to that first bite of pumpkin pie made from scratch on Thanksgiving, there are a number of different pumpkin-based desserts out there to help spark your seasonal interest way before the November holiday.

If you're fond of pumpkin-flavored foods, there's a solid chance you've had your fair share of pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, and even a delicious twist on traditional pumpkin pie. Yet there's an easy way to make a tasty pumpkin-based treat without even turning on your oven. Sure enough, you can transform a quart or two of vanilla ice cream into a delicious pumpkin-based dessert with just a few additional components. All you need to do is secure a can of pureed pumpkin from the grocery store and gather your favorite fall spices.

By adding a semi-solid ingredient like mashed pumpkin to softened vanilla ice cream, once frozen, this mixture turns into a perfectly sliceable treat. Before uncovering creative variations of this simple frozen confection, how exactly do you combine vanilla ice cream and pureed pumpkin to make a tasty and shareable festive dessert?

Even if you follow the right way to make homemade pumpkin spice ice cream, the resulting mixture isn't necessarily considered a one-of-a-kind treat, is it? While you can certainly enjoy it as is, you can easily make a stand-out autumnal dessert with vanilla ice cream and mashed pumpkin that is easily portioned, making it perfect for sharing.

Before preparing your concoction, place a couple of quarts of vanilla ice cream in your refrigerator for around 30 minutes. While your ice cream softens, you can grab a mixing bowl for your pumpkin, some sugar, vanilla extract, and your preferred spices. An easy solution is to follow the spice recommendations for your favorite pumpkin pie or keep it simple with a warming blend of cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg. Once you've added your softened ice cream to the pumpkin mixture, you can combine them and then spread the concoction into a greased or lined 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish. Decorate the top with a sprinkling of walnuts (if you like), and just pop it in the freezer until firm. When you're ready to enjoy, remove the pan from your freezer for five to 10 minutes before you cut and serve. Now that you know how simple it is to create a delicious frozen pumpkin dessert, there are a number of ways to make this seasonal treat even more satisfying.

This frozen pumpkin treat is ideal for those who love to add crunchy or texturally opposing foods to your ice cream. Even though many foodies might believe the seasonal confection already has the perfect flavor and texture, if you want a dessert with a satisfying crunch akin to pumpkin cheesecake, why not add a crust to make a kind of ice cream pie?

All it takes is a box of your favorite gingersnap cookies crushed and mixed with a good amount of melted butter. Before you prepare your frozen pumpkin dessert, press this crumbly mixture into a pan and bake in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for at least 10 minutes. Once cooled, you can add your pumpkin filling and freeze as directed. If you don't want to use gingersnaps, you can also make a graham cracker crust by combining crushed graham crackers, a bit of sugar, and melted butter.

If you want to make this dessert more visually appealing, feel free to add a layer of homemade whipped cream to the top and add some extra cookie or graham cracker crumbs. For even more flair, adorn your dessert with crushed nuts, mini pumpkin candies, or candy corn. Whichever way you decide to enhance your seasonal frozen treat, remember that all you need to get started is a simple can of pureed pumpkin and a few quarts of classic vanilla ice cream.