Name: Pumpkin Nice Cream with Caramelized Pecan Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin puree; 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 Tablespoons date nectar; 1 large frozen banana; 1/4 cup chopped pecans; 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans; 1.5 Tablespoons date nectar; 1 Tablespoon chilled canned coconut milk (cream only); 1 teaspoon vanilla

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Pumpkin Nice Cream with Caramelized Pecan Sauce is the perfect fall dessert. The thick and creamy pumpkin flavored nice cream is topped with a caramel like pecan sauce that is to die for. It’s made with better for you ingredients but tastes like a real treat! This recipe is Paleo friendly, gluten free, grain free, dairy free and refined sugar free.

This Pumpkin Nice Cream with Caramelized Pecan Sauce gives off serious fall vibes. It’s made with a frozen banana giving it that ice cream texture and pumpkin puree for that one of a kind pumpkin taste. The caramelized pecan sauce adds just the right amount of sweetness and is the ultimate nice cream topping. This is the type of dessert that is made from real ingredients but you would never know because it tastes like a real dessert!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin puree
Pumpkin spice
Cinnamon
Vanilla extract
Date nectar
Frozen banana
Pecans
Canned coconut milk

Where to Find the Ingredients

Most of the ingredients used in this recipe can be found at your local grocery store. Below I have listed the ingredients that may be harder to find and where I tend to buy them.

Date nectar: I use Date Lady and it can be found on Amazon or Vitacost.
Vanilla extract: Simply Organic Vanilla Extract has an alcohol free version and is the only vanilla extract I’ll use…you can find it here.
Pumpkin spice: this can easily be found at your local grocery store but I buy mine at Vitacost because it’s cheaper!
Pecans: finding gluten free nuts can be a challenge sometimes due to cross contamination. That’s why I love buying mine from nuts.com…these are the pecans I use for this recipe.

What is Date Nectar?

This was my first recipe experimenting with date nectar and I am now obsessed. So, expect to see way more recipes that use it in the future! If you aren’t familiar with date nectar, it is made from unrefined fruit (dates). It’s not technically a sugar but is naturally sweet so it makes a great sugar substitute! Compared to honey or maple syrup, date nectar tends to have more potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. I find that it has a caramel-like tastes to it and, obviously, pairs perfectly with pumpkin!

Can I Refreeze the Nice Cream?

This recipe makes 1-2 servings so there is a chance you will have some left overs. You can absolutely place the extra in an air tight container in the freezer for later. You may need to let it defrost for a few minutes before eating it the next time as it will have spent more time in the freezer. It is still just as delicious the second time around! I would just recommend adding the caramelized sauce to only the portion you are eating, not to what you want to put back in the freezer.

What If I Have Left Over Sauce?

The sauce is what makes this recipe so delicious, so there is a good chance you won’t have any left overs. However, if you happen to have more self control than me, you can store it in the refrigerator. Just stir it together when you are ready to use it again.

How to Make Pumpkin Nice Cream

What I love most about this recipe is that it is so simple to make and doesn’t require any cooking! It only takes 5 minutes to prep and the freezer does the rest.

Step One: Make the Nice Cream

Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator. Add the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, vanilla extract, date nectar, and frozen banana to the blender or food processor and blend until it becomes a thick and creamy consistency. Add the pecans and pulse a few times to combine. Pour the nice cream into an air tight container and place in the freezer for 2 hours.

Step Two: Make the Caramelized Sauce

To make the caramelized pecan sauce, mix together the date nectar, canned coconut milk (cream only) and vanilla extract. Add the pecans and stir together. Remove the nice cream from the freezer, scoop it into a bowl and drizzle the sauce on top.

If you enjoy this nice cream recipe, check out my Chocolate Almond Butter Nice Cream! It’s the same concept just a different flavor. As always, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below or tagging me on Instagram @theglutenfreegrasses. Enjoy!

-Kelsey