Sugar Free Pumpkin Ice Cream

Sugar Free ice cream recipes are difficult to find and a lot of them have many chemicals in them, but this Sugar Free Pumpkin Ice Cream has the same great taste with no chemical sugar substitutes or sugar alcohols! This recipe is an ongoing experiment, so suggestions for improvements will be mentioned at the end.

1. Vita Mix
2. Kitchen Aid Artisan Mixer
3. Ice Cream Maker Attachment (Freeze for 16 hours in the freezer)
4. Whole Milk: 2 Cups
5. Heavy Cream: 240ml
6. Vanilla Extract: 1 Tablespoon
7. Pumpkin Pie Filling: 1 small can
8. Pumpkin Pie Spice: 2 Tablespoons
9. Salt: Pinch
10. Stevia Powder: 3/8 Teaspoon
11. Monk Fruit Powder: 3/8 Teaspoon
12. Inulin Chicory Root Fiber Powder: 6-1/2 Tablespoon
13. Guar Gum Powder: 1/4 Teaspoon
14. Locust Bean Gum Powder: 1/4 Teaspoon
15. Xanthan Gum Powder: 1/4 Teaspoon
16. Flat Pan Container

Mix the Inulin, Stevia, Monk Fruit, Guar Gum, Locust Bean Gum, and Xanthan gum powders together and set it aside. You can shake it up in a plastic bag or just use whisk or fork in a bowl.

If the heavy cream is cold, put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. This raises the temperature a little to help activate the powdered gums, which help with creaminess and scoopability.

Pour the heavy cream in the Kitchen Aid mixer bowl and use the whisk attachment to whisk the heavy cream. Lock the mixer and turn on the power at a slower speed, then slowly add the mixed powder.

Once the liquid turns into a thick condensed milk type of consistency, stop the mixer, remove the mixing bowl and whisk, then set it aside.

NOTE: The Stevia and Monk Fruit powder replaces sugar for sweetness. Stevia is a stronger sweetener, but the Monk Fruit powder sweetener seems to cancel out the slight bitterness of Stevia. Both Stevia and Monk Fruit have a glycemic index of zero.

In the Vitamix pitcher, pour the heavy cream mixture first, then the whole milk, and then the pumpkin pie filling. Add the pumpkin spice, salt, and vanilla extract last. For an extra spice boost, you can add 1/4 Teaspoon of Cardamom. The idea is to layer the lighter ingredients on the bottom and the heavier ingredients at the top for an even mix.

Attach the Pitcher to the Vitamix and cover it with the lid. Power on the Vitamix then for 1 minute gradually increase the mixing speed to 4 and then turn off.

Take the Kitchen Aid Artisan Ice Cream Maker attachment out of the freezer and attach it to the mixer. Lock the mixer and turn on the power at a slowest speed while the bowl is empty (this prevents ice build up that can break the attachment). As the mixer is turning, pour in the ice cream mixture from the Vitamix pitcher into the Ice Cream Maker. Let the Ice Cream maker churn for 20-30 minutes (the ice cream maker will warm up after 30 minutes and it loses it's ability to churn effectively, so try not to churn longer than 30 minutes).

Once the churning is complete, remove the Ice Cream Maker and pour the ice cream mix into a flat container. Cover the container and put it in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Once the ice cream is frozen, remove the ice cream container from the freezer and place on the counter for a few minutes to thaw just a little bit for easier scooping. Put the Pumpkin Ice Cream scoops on a small plate or cone and serve! It took a lot of experimenting to replace sugar, but this recipe is getting real close to being a great replacement!

NOTE: This is just a first experiment and the flavor seems to be right on, but there does seem to be a bit more ice crystals than expected. Next time, the experiment would be to replace whole milk with plain whipped heavy cream, which should increase the fat content, reduce the water content, and make the ice cream more creamy and easier to scoop.