Cottage Cheese Protein Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

If you love fall flavors and cold desserts, I think this cottage cheese protein pumpkin pie ice cream is going to be your new favorite treat.

It gives you all the warm spices of a traditional pumpkin pie, but in a cool and refreshing form.

Using cottage cheese is the secret trick here because it blends into a thick, velvety base that makes the texture amazingly smooth.

It also makes this dessert high protein, which means it keeps you full and satisfied for much longer.

I love adding the toasted graham cracker crumbs between the layers to get that classic pie crust crunch in every bite.

Why I Love This Recipe

High Protein Treat – Cottage cheese gives this frozen dessert a real protein boost while keeping every single bite creamy and satisfying.

No Ice Cream Maker Needed – You only need a blender and a hand mixer to whip up this smooth, rich fall treat easily.

Tastes Like Real Pumpkin Pie – Real pumpkin puree and warm spices make it taste just like a cold slice of holiday pie.

Crunchy Graham Cracker Crust – The toasted buttery crumble adds the perfect crunchy bite to balance out the velvety frozen texture.

The Ingredients

For the Graham Crumble

• 3/4 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 2 tbsp Melted Butter
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 1 pinch Salt

For the Ice Cream

• 2 1/2 cups Full Fat Cottage Cheese
• 3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 3 tbsp Maple Syrup
• 1 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Heavy Cream, Cold

How to Make This Recipe

Step 1

Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar and salt. Toast in a skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and clumpy, then spread on a plate to cool completely. It crisps up as it cools.

Step 2

Place a 9×5-inch loaf pan in the freezer. Add the cottage cheese, pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and salt to a high-speed blender and blend for 1 to 2 minutes until completely silky.

Step 3

In a large chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4

Stir a large spoonful of the pumpkin mixture into the whipped cream to lighten it. Gently fold in the rest until smooth and evenly orange.

Step 5

Spread half of the ice cream into the chilled pan and sprinkle with half of the graham crumble. Top with the remaining ice cream and finish with the rest of the crumble.

Press plastic wrap onto the surface and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Step 6

Let the ice cream soften at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before scooping. It tastes like a frozen slice of pumpkin pie with a crunchy crust in every bite.

Quick Tips

Blend Until Completely Smooth

Full fat cottage cheese gives this dessert a great boost of protein, but you have to blend it thoroughly to get rid of every single curd.

I recommend running your blender on high speed for at least two full minutes, stopping halfway through to scrape down the sides.

If you feel any graininess when you rub a drop of the mixture between your fingers, keep blending until it is silky smooth.

Use Pure Pumpkin Puree

Make sure you buy pure canned pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie mix.

Canned pie mix already has added sugars and spices, which will throw off the balance and make your dessert way too sweet.

You will get the best results if the ingredient list on your pumpkin can lists only one thing: pumpkin.

Cool the Graham Crumble First

Once you toast the buttery graham crumbs in the skillet, you need to let them cool down completely on a plate.

If you add warm crumbs into the ice cream layers, the heat will melt the whipped cream and make the crust soggy instead of crisp.

From my experience, spreading them out in a thin layer on a wide plate cools them down in just about ten minutes.

More Favorites

• Cottage Cheese Protein Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream
• Cottage Cheese Protein Cinnamon Apple Crisp Parfaits
• Cottage Cheese Protein Pumpkin Pie Pancakes
• Cottage Cheese Protein Salted Honey Pistachio Ice Cream
• Cottage Cheese Pumpkin Spice Bread

Quick Answers

Will this ice cream taste like cottage cheese or feel lumpy?

Not at all, because blending the cottage cheese on high speed breaks down every curd until it is silky smooth.

The pumpkin and warm spices easily cover any tangy notes, giving you a high protein dessert that tastes just like real pumpkin pie filling.