LAYERED PUMPKIN ICE CREAM DESSERT (2024)

Layered Pumpkin Ice Cream Dessert is made with a gingersnap cookie crust with layers of pumpkin and vanilla ice cream. This delicious no bake pumpkin pie is absolutely perfect for the fall season!

Make this easy pumpkin dessert with little effort, the assembly is simple but it does require patience for the chilling periods. This layered dessert is incredibly flavorful and perfect for your next holiday dessert table!

What is a Layered Pumpkin Ice Cream dessert?

Layered pumpkin ice cream dessert is a perfect recipe for fall, it comes together very easily and looks fancy, which is always a bonus. I absolutely love pumpkin, but I have to admit that I have never been a huge fan of the consistency of traditional pumpkin pie. So I am always trying to find new ways to get my pumpkin fix in, with a texture that is satisfying too. This dessert is basically made of pumpkin ice cream with a crushed gingersnap cookie crust – so yummy!

Why we think you will love this Pumpkin dessert

Here are just a few reasons why we are in love with this recipe and think you will be too.

• No baking required! I love to bake, but it is always nice to have a few recipes that don’t require an oven. I love to serve this dessert on Thanksgiving and usually my oven is completely full for about 48 hours around the holiday. I can make this layered pumpkin ice cream dessert a couple of days in advance and check that off the list of things to worry about.
• Simple recipe to make. This amazing dessert only requires 7 ingredients and only a few minutes of prep time. It is so easy, my kids can make it all by themselves.
• Perfect fall flavors. Gingersnaps, pumpkin, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice…they go together so perfectly and taste just like fall. These flavors make the season that much more special in my opinion.
• Fancy presentation. No one will ever know how easy this dessert was to make since it is so impressive to look at. The layers really make the dessert look so much more complicated and ensure that this pumpkin recipe is perfect for even the fanciest Thanksgiving dinner.

LAYERED PUMPKIN ICE CREAM DESSERT INGREDIENTS

Gingersnap cookies: You will need about 32 gingersnap cookies, blended into crumbs. The easiest way to do this is in a blender or a food processor.

Butter: Use ¼ cup of butter, melted, to mix with the gingersnap cookie crumbs to create the crust.

Vanilla ice cream: You will need a ½-gallon of vanilla ice cream, divide it in half, then in half again, before making the recipe. A quarter of the ice cream will be combined with the Cool Whip and the other quarter will be mixed with pumpkin, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.

Cool Whip – You will need 1 8-ounce container of whipped topping. Make sure it is completely thawed before mixing with the ice cream.

Pumpkin – You will need 1 cup of pumpkin, make sure to use regular pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling. I always use a canned option, but you can use a homemade pumpkin puree if you prefer.

Brown sugar – Adding ⅓ cup of brown sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the pumpkin layer. For best results, make sure the brown sugar is fresh and soft.

Pumpkin pie spice – 1 ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice adds the perfect blend of spices to the pumpkin layer. Pumpkin pie spice is a delicious blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Easy to make your own if you don’t have any, but this spice is an absolute staple at my house in the fall – it seems like I use it in almost every recipe I make.

HOW TO MAKE LAYERED PUMPKIN ICE CREAM DESSERT

Crust

In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the butter for 30-60 seconds or until completely melted. Then you can crush the ginger snap cookies into a fine dust like mixture with a rolling pin in a Ziplock bag. I prefer to use a blender or a food processor for this step.

Pour the melted butter over the gingersnap crumbs and stir to combine. Press the gingersnap mixture into the bottom of a springform pan.

Layer one

Divide the 1/2 gallon of ice cream in half and leave half of it out at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften (put the other 1/2 back in the freezer). Then fold the Cool whip into the softened ice cream and mix to combine well.

Spread the ice cream mixture evenly over the top of the crust, then place in the freezer until firm (about an hour) before making the second layer.

Layer two

Pull the other half of the ice cream out of the freezer and let it soften for about 10 minutes before transferring to a large bowl.

Add the pumpkin, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice to the ice cream and mix to combine.

Pull out the crust from the freezer and spread the pumpkin layer over the ice cream layer and put back in the freezer to freeze overnight.

Serve

Set out for about 10-15 minutes before serving. Remove the sides of the springform pan and garnish with whipped cream on top, if desired.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A SPRINGFORM PAN?

A springform pan is perfect for cheesecakes and other layered desserts like this one. The pan acts as a mold to create the perfectly formed cake, but then the sides can be easily released and taken off as soon as the cake is set. This allows you to have a perfectly shaped cake without much effort. If you don’t have a springform pan, you can use a deep pie pan instead. Make sure the pie dish is at least 2-3 inches deep, or it won’t be deep enough to accommodate all of the layers in the dessert.

CAN YOU REPLACE THE COOL WHIP?

Cool Whip is the best “whipped topping” to use in this recipe. However, if you can’t find Cool Whip where you live or you prefer not to use it in recipes, you can use stabilized whipped cream instead. If you just use regular whipped cream, the consistency will be too light and the cream will not hold up very well. It’s very simple to make your own stabilized whipped cream and it just takes a few minutes!

HOW DO YOU MAKESTABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM?

If you want to make whipped cream ahead of time, you can, but you have to stabilize it. To make stabilized whipped cream, you will need the following ingredients:

• 4 ounces of cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Beat the whipping cream just until soft peaks form.

Add in the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip on high until mixture is smooth.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 3 days.

A little tip for making whipped cream faster: use a metal bowl and place the bowl in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you make the whipped cream. This will significantly decrease the amount of time that you will need to beat the whipped cream – the process will go much faster!

TRY MORE AMAZING PUMPKIN RECIPES HERE:

• PUMPKIN SNICKERDOODLE COOKIE BARS
• PUMPKIN PIE BARS
• PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS
• SPICED PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
• HONEY BUTTER PUMPKIN ROLLS
• HOMEMADE PUMPKIN BAGELS
• PUMPKIN FETTUCINE ALFREDO
• PUMPKIN MARSHMALLOW BUNDT CAKE
• NO-BAKE PUMPKIN COOKIES
• PUMPKIN SLAB PIE
• PUMPKIN APPLE GINGERBREAD
• PUMPKIN PIE OREO BALLS
• PUMPKIN OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Layered Pumpkin Ice Cream Dessert is made with a gingersnap cookie crust, layers of pumpkin ice cream and whipped cream too. This amazing no bake pumpkin pie is so perfect for the fall holiday season!