Recipe

This pumpkin pie ice cream cake is a creamy, delicious frozen pumpkin dessert you can make ahead and serve when you're ready.

This pumpkin ice cream cake has layers of creamy pumpkin-spice filling and buttery graham cracker pecan crumble. It’s a frozen, make-ahead dessert that’s perfect for Thanksgiving when you want something special without another last-minute dish to prepare.

a slice of pumpkin ice cream cake with creamy pumpkin filling and graham cracker pecan crumble

The Pumpkin Ice Cream Cake My Mom Makes for the Holidays

Laura Fuentes holding a skillet of food standing in front of a blue door

My mom always bought ice cream cakes for my kids’ birthdays and has made this frozen pumpkin dessert for years. It’s similar to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream cakes we all love, only with a fall twist.

She makes it every Thanksgiving because it’s easy to make ahead and keep in the freezer until it’s time to serve. It’s an alternative to pumpkin pie, just as delicious, and an unexpected addition to the holiday dessert table. And when you’ve spent all day cooking Thanksgiving dinner, there’s nothing better than pulling dessert out of the freezer, slicing it, and being done!

Ingredients

For the crumble layers, you’ll need graham crackers, pecans, cinnamon, butter, all-purpose flour, salt, and sugar. The creamy pumpkin filling is made with heavy cream, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, egg whites, lemon juice, and cream of tartar to help the meringue hold its texture, plus pumpkin purée, plain Greek yogurt, and pumpkin pie spice.

How to Make Pumpkin Ice Cream Cake

You’ll need a few mixing bowls, a hand mixer or stand mixer, a loaf pan, and plastic wrap. The key is letting the crumble cool completely before layering it with the pumpkin filling. Here’s how to put this frozen pumpkin dessert together:

Make the crumble.
Combine the graham cracker pecan crumble ingredients, bake for 10 minutes, and cool completely. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap.
Make and layer the filling.
Whip the cream and meringue separately, then fold into the pumpkin mixture. Layer half the cooled crumble, the pumpkin filling, the remaining crumble, and the rest of the filling in the loaf pan.

whipped egg whites and meringue being folded into the pumpkin filling

Freeze.
Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours, until firm.

pumpkin ice cream cake layered in a plastic wrap-lined loaf pan

Serve.
Flip onto a plate, lift from the pan, and remove the plastic wrap. After a few minutes, it’s ready for slicing. If you want to be extra, drizzle a little caramel sauce on top.

More Pumpkin Desserts

If you’re also tired of pumpkin pie, try my pumpkin brownies, no-bake pumpkin bites, and pumpkin crème brûlée.

Always See My Recipes In Google

Pumpkin Ice Cream Cake

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 20

Freeze: 6

Cook Time: 10

This pumpkin pie ice cream cake is a creamy, delicious frozen pumpkin dessert you can make ahead and serve when you're ready.

5 from 20 votes

Print Pin

Ingredients

For the crust:

4 graham crackers, crushed
¼ cup pecans, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar

For the filling:

1 ½ cups heavy cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla
11 tablespoons powdered sugar
3 egg whites
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
15 ounces pumpkin puree
6 ounces plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap.

Make the crust:

In a medium bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers, pecans, flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and stir to form a wet, sand-like mixture.
Spread the graham cracker mixture into a 9×9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring twice. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. This frozen pumpkin pie will not turn out if you pour the cold filling into a hot crust.

Make the filling:

In a separate bowl, whisk the heavy cream with the vanilla and 1 tablespoon powdered sugar until the whipped cream forms stiff peaks. Refrigerate.
In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until they are "frothy". Add the lemon juice and cream of tartar, then begin to mix at high speed, gradually adding the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin pureé, yogurt, pumpkin spice, and the remaining ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Gently fold egg white mixture into the pumpkin mixture, until combined. Repeat with the whipped cream.

Assemble:

Sprinkle half of the graham cracker crust in the bottom of the lined loaf pan. Using a spatula, spread 4 cups of the pumpkin mixture over the crumble and press slightly with the spatula.
Top the filling with the remaining graham cracker crust followed by the pumpkin mixture.

Freeze:

Smooth the top out with the spatula and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

Serve:

To serve, invert the loaf pan onto a chilled serving platter and lightly tug on the plastic wrap to remove the loaf.
Let the frozen pie stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

The recommendations below may include affiliate links.