My sweet potato pie ice cream is one of the best things you can treat yourself to this autumn. Not every fall day calls for cozy vibes and this no-churn recipe makes it easy to satisfy my family's cravings during hot Houston, Texas fall weather!
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my sweet potato pie cookies and sweet potato pie cheesecake, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Spot-on Flavor AND Texture - I like this Thanksgiving ice cream like I like my sweet potato pie: heavy on the sweet potato. The ice cream base tastes exactly like soul food sweet potato pie filling and I make sure to mix in bits of buttery pie crust to complete the fantasy!
Simple to Make - You won't need an ice cream maker in your kitchen or any special techniques to pull this off. But the result is so impressive: rich, sweet, and perfectly creamy. Smoother than anything from your favorite ice cream shop and warmly spiced yet somehow still light and refreshing.
I will never leave you hanging with easy homemade ice cream ideas. Check out my key lime pie ice cream, banana pudding ice cream recipe, dreamy hibiscus ice cream, frozen strawberry nice cream, pineapple coconut ice cream, dairy-free black sesame ice cream, and plantain ice cream next!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Sweet Potato Puree is the backbone of the ice cream base flavor and pretty orange color. I want you to taste the sweet potato for sure so this recipe uses lots of mashed roasted sweet potato for luxurious flavor and lush texture.
Brown Sugar for deep southern style sweetness. I like to use brown cane sugar and either dark or light will work just fine but dark brown sugar provides more molasses flavor that enhances the sweetness here.
Heavy Cream and Condensed Milk are the basic components for any no-churn ice cream recipe to add sweetness and texture. We will whip the cream but I must note that using plain ol' whipped cream from the store won't turn out as well since it has additives that we don't need in this dish.
Pie Crust is a must for an authentic old fashioned sweet potato pie experience! Buy a pre-baked crust, chilled dough, or make your own pie crust following one of my recipes.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Vanilla Bean Paste is what I use in this recipe for the richest vanilla taste but you can also just use extra vanilla extract or scrape out the beans straight from a vanilla pod.
Bourbon is optional if you want to keep this treat kid-friendly but I highly recommend adding a splash of whiskey to fully emulate the flavor of my family sweet potato pie.
Spices like cinnamon and nutmeg add warming sweetness that complements everything and you can add other spices like ginger, allspice or cardamom, if you like.
Graham Crackers because some people like their sweet potato pie with graham cracker crust. If that's you, swap it for the pie crust!
How to Make Sweet Potato Pie Ice Cream without an Ice Cream Machine
- Step 1: If necessary, bake the pie crust per package directions then break it into pieces.
- Step 2: Mix together the sweet potato puree, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, maple syrup, brown sugar, and spices.
Pro Tip #1
You can cut, crush or crumble the pie crust to your desired consistency. Smaller pieces make for easier scooping but don't provide the classic texture you would expect from a slice of pie.
- Step 3: Beat the heavy cream until it becomes light and fluffy whipped cream.
- Step 4: Fold together the sweet potato mixture and whipped cream.
- Step 5: Add the pie crust pieces and ice cream base to a freezer-safe dish in alternating layers.
- Step 6: Transfer to freezer until firm.
Pro Tip #2
Layering the pie crust and ice cream mixture ensures you get sweet potato and crust in every single scoop. Add as much or as little crust as you like depending on your preference.
Pro Tip #3
Don't wanna wait? No-churn ice cream is typically ready to enjoy as soft serve after about four hours, scoop-able after six hours, and fully firm after eight hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
This ice cream keeps in the freezer for up to six months, though the texture may become more icy around the one month mark.
How to Serve
Serve cold in an ice cream cone or a bowl. You can sprinkle extra crust pieces on top, too, and either way, I recommend topping it off with whipped cream and fresh grated nutmeg for extra razzle dazzle!
This creamy dessert is great for when you're hosting Friendsgiving and want to serve non-traditional dishes. Or add it to your holiday dinner menu with peach cobbler ice cream as an alternative Thanksgiving dessert idea.
More Favorite Sweet Potato Dessert Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you enjoy this sweet potato pie ice cream recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Best Sweet Potato Pie Ice Cream (No-Churn)
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 silicone spatula or kitchen spoon
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer, blender or food processor
- 1 freezer safe container
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups sweet potato puree preferably roasted (see notes section)
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or two teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Bake pie crust dough per package directions, if needed. Break up pie crust into bite sized pieces.
- Meanwhile, beat the heavy cream until stiff and fluffy with the appearance of whipped cream (about 8 minutes).
- Mix the sweetened condensed milk, sweet potato puree, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla paste, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sea salt until uniform then fold into whipped cream until evenly combined and smooth.
- Sprinkle a layer of pie crust pieces into the bottom of the loaf pan then spread in a layer of ice cream mixture. Repeat these alternating layers until all of the ice cream mix is used then sprinkle some crust crumbs over top, if you like.
- Freeze for at least six hours before serving. Four hours produces soft-serve consistency, after six hours you can get pretty firm scoops, and eight hours/overnight is fully frozen.
Notes
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Gently scrub or wipe the sweet potato then prick holes all over the skin using a fork or knife.
-
Place sweet potato on sheet pan then into oven to roast for about 45 minutes or until skin is wrinkled and flesh is tender.
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Allow sweet potatoes to cool briefly until safe to handle then peel and place them into a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth, pausing and scraping down the sides of the bowl, as needed.
Rj says
Is there a nondairy option for the heavy creamer?
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi Rj! You can use coconut cream or a non-dairy creamer that uses coconut cream.