I’m a huge fan of ice cream pies because, first of all, they’re really easy, and second, they’re super tasty! So it’s no surprise that I would find a way to incorporate ice cream into a pumpkin pie, and I call it Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie.
Only one member of my family likes traditional pumpkin pie, and, for us, this is a delicious alternative. 
This recipe provides all the same flavors in a more subtle, and, obviously, ice-creamy fashion. Yay! I scream, YOU scream, WE ALL scream for … FROZEN PUMPKIN PIE! (I’m pretty sure that’s how it goes.)
This is an easy recipe, but it involves a few steps. Follow these easy steps to be as efficient as possible.
Easy Step-By-Step Instructions for Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
First: Take the ice cream out of the freezer, and place it in the fridge to soften while you do the next steps.
Second: Prepare the crust as follows.
Melt
1/2 cup butter
Prepare
2 cups (10 ounces) ginger snap cookie crumbs (36 2-inch cookies)
For the sake of this post, these are the cookies that I used. You could use another brand, or even better, homemade. This is the recipe I usually use, and it makes this pie taste incredible!
Pour the melted butter into a pie plate and swirl all around to grease the sides.
(At this point, some of you are wondering why I didn’t just melt the butter in my pie plate. Great question! The answer is two-fold. First, not all pie plates are microwave-safe, but the second (biggest) reason is that doing so will heat up the pie plate. A crucial step in this process is to chill the crust before adding the filling, and it takes MUCH LONGER for the crust to chill if the plate is warm.)
Add the crumbs to the butter, and mix thoroughly.
Press into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate.
Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to chill.
If you put your filling in a warm, or even room temperature crust, it would immediately start to melt. Even if you placed it directly into the freezer, it would still run all over before it set up. Not only does it make a mess in the freezer, it also makes the pie look really sloppy with filling running over the sides.
(I’m speaking from sad experience, here.)
Third: Find something else to do for half and hour. 🙂
Fourth: Make the filling.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the following:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
You can use canned pumpkin, but It’s easy to make your own from fresh pumpkins. Here are the simple directions, if you’d like to make your own pumpkin puree.
Add
1 quart (softened) vanilla ice cream
The thing about the softening is that you want it to just be soft enough to fold into the other ingredients. You don’t want it melted!
Once the filling is combined, work quickly.
Remove the crust from the freezer, and …
… add filling. Smooth top, and immediately return to the freezer. Freeze for several hours or overnight.
Fifth: Garnish and serve.
When you’re ready to serve the pie, remove it from the freezer, and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Then …
… garnish with whipped cream.
Here’s a helpful hint for removing the frozen pie from the plate. Set it in about a half inch of WARM water in the sink for 2-3 minutes. (Make sure the water isn’t too deep, and doesn’t splash on the pie.) This will soften the butter in the crust just enough to make it slide right out.
… enjoy!
Free Printable Recipe for Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie
- 2 cups (10 ounces) ginger snap cookie crumbs (36 2-inch cookies)
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
- Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a 9-inch pie plate, and press into bottom and up sides. Freeze for 30 minutes to set.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and whisk thoroughly. Add ice cream and fold until combined. Pour into cold crust, and freeze several hours or overnight.
- Garnish with whipped cream.
- Although it only takes 20 minutes (or less) to put together this pie, you must allow time for freezing. So make it the day before you want to eat it.