If you love pumpkin spice flavored things, you’ve got to try my recipe for making a low calorie treat in the Ninja Creami ice cream maker! Since the recipe doesn’t actually use pumpkin pie, the ingredients are easy to find year round (not just during the Fall season), which means you can have pumpkin pecan ice cream anytime you want to!
This recipe comes in at 284 calories, 12 protein, 20 sugar, 75 carbs, and 27 net carbs (total carbs-allulose). See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all nutrition facts.
This pumpkin pie ice cream recipe made using the Ninja Creami machine has the BEST texture! Thanks to the canned pumpkin puree, the ice cream turns out super thick, perfectly scoopable, and an extra creamy consistency.
This recipe for pumpkin pecan ice cream does not use any instant pudding mix, cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, protein shakes or protein powders to help with the texture. Instead, I’ve used canned pumpkin puree and a VERY small amount of guar gum. When combined with the other ingredients in the recipe, a thick, scoopable (not icy) low calorie ice cream is created. This recipe is all about the pumpkin!
If you are looking for a protein-packed Ninja Creami pumpkin ice cream recipe, check this one out! Want even more pumpkin? Try my recipe for Ninja Creami pumpkin pie gelato.
There is a lot of pumpkin spice and pumpkin flavor in this recipe. I really wanted the pumpkin to stand out and be the star of the show. If you want a milder or more subdued pumpkin or pumpkin spice flavor, you can slightly reduce the amount of pumpkin or pumpkin spice and add a little extra milk.
Tips for making Ninja Creami Pumpkin Pecan Low Calorie Ice Cream:
Yes, for this recipe, we are using canned pumpkin and adding spices to create the perfect flavor.
Fresh pumpkin can be used, after cooking it. However, the taste and texture of fresh pumpkin isn't always the same as canned pumpkin. Canned pumpkin is usually stronger in flavor and can be a bit thicker.
No, they are not the same. Canned pumpkin does not usually have sugar or any spices added to it. Canned pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices added to it.
If you choose to use canned pumpkin pie filling instead of canned pumpkin, you will need to reduce or eliminate the allulose and pumpkin pie spice that is in the recipe.
Add marshmallow fluff along with the pecans! This might sound weird, but it’s making me think of my sweet potato souffle that I make every year for Thanksgiving. Whenever you use marshmallow fluff as a mix-in, be sure to bury it under some of the ice cream before putting the lid on. Otherwise the marshmallow will freeze and stick to the lid.
Other good mix-in ideas would be crushed graham cracker, chocolate chips, cookies, dried cranberries, small chunks of cream cheese, caramel candies, or granola. Keep in mind that different mix-ins will change the nutritional information for the recipe.
Yes, you can substitute the milk for non-dairy milks like unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk, or cashew milk. The lower the fat content in the milk, the more likely the ice cream is going to be slightly icy. The 2% milk used in the recipe provides a creamy texture. Changing the milk can impact the texture.
Looking for more Ninja Creami Low Calorie Recipes?
Ingredient substitutions for Ninja Creami Pumpkin Pecan Low Calorie Ice Cream:
The full ingredient list is at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.
Milk-2% milk was used for this recipe. You can use dairy-free options instead of the 2% milk. But, anytime you change the dairy (and the fat content), it’s likely that the texture will change and it could become icy.
Pumpkin Puree-Canned pumpkin puree was used, not canned pumpkin pie filling. The pumpkin puree does not have added spices and a lot of extra sugar.
Allulose-I like to you allulose as the sugar substitute because it does not seem to have the fake sugar aftertaste that other sugar substitutes have. If you prefer, you can use regular sugar or another sweetener like coconut sugar, monk fruit, or Splenda etc.. If using a different sweetener, taste the mixture and check to see that it has the desired amount of sweetness BEFORE freezing the mixture.
Pumpkin Pie Spice-Pumpkin pie spice has become really easy to find at the grocery store. They even have it at Walmart now. A little goes a long way though, so don’t use too much. Pumpkin pie spice is made up of many different spices including; cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves.
Guar Gum-A very small amount is needed for this recipe. If you don’t have guar gum, you can use xanthan gum instead.
Pecans-Chopped pecans. If preferred, you can substitute with walnuts.
Directions for making Ninja Creami Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream-Low Calorie
Directions for Making the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the 2% milk, pumpkin puree, allulose, pumpkin pie spice, and guar gum into a small blender and blend until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami pint container.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Directions for Processing the Ice Cream Mixture
- After 24 hours, remove the Ninja Creami container from the freezer. If there is a large bump in the ice cream, melt or scrape the large bump so that the top is level.
- Place the Ninja Creami container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on “ICE CREAM.”
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks more like little balls of ice cream, re-spin without adding liquid. You may have to respin a couple of times.
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream, pour in chopped pecans, and process on “MIX-INS.”
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Recipe
Ninja Creami Pumpkin Pecan Ice Cream-Low Calorie
Rate this Recipe
Equipment
Add Food Grade Vegetable Glycerin To Make Leftover Ice Cream Scoopable Right Out of the Freezer
Per 16 ounce pint: *Add 1 Teaspoon to full fat/full sugar bases *Add 1.5 teaspoon to high protein bases *Add 2 teaspoons to low sugar/low fat lite bases. Freeze and process per the recipe. Take the leftovers out of the freezer and scoop without having to reprocess. ***This is a guideline and adjustments may be needed based on your recipe.
Original, Breeze, Swirl, and Deluxe Ingredient Measurements
Use the multiplier below to adjust quantities based on the machine that you own. ***If you have the Original, Breeze, or Swirl machine, which use 16 ounce containers, choose the 1X option. ***If you have the Deluxe or XL machine, which use 24 ounce containers, choose the 1.5X option.
Ingredients
Ice Cream Base
- 10 Fluid Ounces (295 ¾ ml) 2% Milk
- ½ Cup (122 ½ g) Pumpkin Puree (Canned)
- ¼ Cup (50 g) Allulose Granular Sugar Substitute
- ¾ Teaspoon (¾ Teaspoon) Pumpkin Pie Spice (For a milder spice flavor, use less pumpkin pie spice.)
- ⅛ Teaspoon (⅛ Teaspoon) Guar Gum
Mix-Ins
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Pecans (Chopped)
Optional
- 1-2 Tablespoons (1 Tablespoons) 2% Milk
Instructions
Make the Ice Cream Mixture
- Pour the 2% milk, pumpkin puree, allulose, pumpkin pie spice, and guar gum into a small blender and blend until all ingredients are fully combined. Pour the mixture into a Ninja Creami container.
- Freeze on a level surface for 24 hours. Your freezer should be between 9 and -7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Process the Ice Cream
- After 24 hours, remove the Ninja Creami container from the freezer. If there is a large bump in the ice cream, melt or scrape the large bump so that the top is level.
- Place the Ninja Creami container into the outer bowl of the Ninja Creami and then process on "ICE CREAM."
- If the ice cream is dry or crumbly looking (like sand), pour in a tablespoon or two of milk and then re-spin. If the ice cream looks more like little balls of ice cream, re-spin without adding liquid. You may have to respin a couple of times.
- Dig a well down the center of the ice cream, pour in chopped pecans, and process on "MIX-INS."
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Optional ingredients are not included in the nutrition information.
Recipes that use allulose:
Allulose is a low calorie sweetener that your body doesn't fully digest, so it provides only 0.4 calories per gram instead of 4. That's why the calorie total doesn't match what you'd expect from the carb count. Calories from allulose are calculated based on metabolized carbohydrates. Allulose contributes fewer calories than standard carbohydrates.
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Susan says
Hi, why does this one process on Ice Cream instead of Lite Ice Cream? I’m confused since it doesn’t really have fat of sugar.
Lauren Cardona says
This recipe uses 2% milk and pumpkin puree which is quite thick. I use lite ice cream when I use a dairy substitute, protein shake/powder, or really low-fat dairy.
Mary T says
I don’t keep guar gum in my pantry. Is there a substitute? Could I use some powdered sugar free vanilla pudding instead?
Lauren Cardona says
The guar gum does not have any flavor or sweetener in it. You could technically use instant pudding mix but that would also add flavoring and sweetener so you’d have to adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly.
Cyndi says
Wow, this was really good! Instead of guar gum I used the same measurement of instant vanilla pudding (sugar free), 2 tblsp of monk fruit sweetener (golden) and 1 tblsp of sugar, plus a scoop of vanilla protein powder. Made with Fairlife, 2% milk. I will make again I think with almond/coconut milk (refrigerated, not canned) and all monk fruit. Thank you for the recipe! It was great!
Lauren Cardona says
I’m so glad it was great with the modifications that you made. Glad you were able to make it work with your different ingredients. Enjoy!