Dairy Free Pumpkin Ice Cream Affogato

Let’s pumpkin spice things up! Try our Dairy Free Pumpkin Ice Cream Affogato for an unforgettable Italian coffee dessert. An espresso shot is poured over the creamy no-churn pumpkin pie spiced vegan ice cream, topped with a dollop of homemade coconut whipped cream and sugar glazed pecans.

The warm espresso starts to melt the gelato or ice cream and creates this creamy pumpkin spice latte goodness on top. We can’t wait to share with you the best recipe hacks for keeping homemade no-churn ice cream soft and scoopable and not icy.  So, let’s get started!

Affogato, pronounced as “AH-FOH-GAH-TOE”, is an Italian word meaning drowned or poached. Sometimes it is also referred to as affogato al caffè which translates to drowned in coffee. Literally, your pumpkin ice cream is poached in a bath of warm espresso or coffee.

Jump to:

• Aroma – Flavor – Texture
• Autumn Dessert with Perks
• Ingredients
• Step By Steps
• Hacks for Making NO-Churn Ice Cream Softer
• Fun Toppings
• How to Serve and Eat Affogato?
• Expert Tips
• How to Make Espresso or Strong Coffee?
• Can You Make an Affogato in Advance?
• Variations
• Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
• More Vegan Dessert Recipes
• Dairy Free Pumpkin Ice Cream Affogato

Aroma – Flavor – Texture

Go ahead and dip your spoon in this amazing affogato dessert. Grab a dollop of the creamy pumpkin ice cream along with the strong espresso.  First, you will enjoy the cool temperature of the vegan ice cream. As it starts to melt in your mouth, you will then taste the sweetness and spice. Finally, you will enjoy a robust caffeine kick!

The aroma, flavor, texture, and temperature combinations are addicting. We must warn you right now that you are going to crave this every day.

Autumn Dessert with Perks

• Vegan no churn ice cream that is creamy, smooth, easy to scoop and is NOT icy!
• Dairy free and gluten free
• Perfect amount of warming spice for an autumn day
• Can be made in advance
• Just a few pantry ingredients so really can make this any time of the year - even in summer.
• Can be made with leftover roasted butternut squash, pie pumpkin or any sweet winter squash puree.
• Delicious Italian dessert to serve after a Thanksgiving feast or any meal.

Ingredients

Full Fat Coconut Cream –Use a good quality product. Our favorite brand is Arroy – D. It gives you the smoothest and creamiest texture as it only has coconut in the ingredients. Do not use coconut milk, or any off-brand coconut creams as these will not work. (We only used Thai Kitchen as that is what they had at the market. However, we prefer Arroy – D as it takes less time to whip up.) Refrigerate the coconut cream overnight and do not shake the can. You only use the coconut cream solids to make a fluffy Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream that will be folded into the pumpkin mixture.

Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk is dairy free. Great product if lactose gives you tummy woes or if you want to keep your pumpkin spice ice cream vegan. However, you may exchange with a regular sweetened condensed milk if dairy is not an issue.

Pure Pumpkin Puree – the plain pumpkin canned version WITHOUT any spices. You do not want to choose pumpkin pie mix as we will be adding our own mix of spices in the recipe.

Vanilla - extract but can also use vanilla paste or 2-inch real vanilla bean

Spices – pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, and extra cinnamon

Alcohol – we used vodka. You can’t taste it, but it is the secret ingredient hack for keeping homemade no churn ice cream soft and creamy. If you plan on serving dairy free pumpkin ice cream to children, you can just skip it. Feel free to try other alcohol flavorings like Frangelico, amaretto, or your favorites.

Espresso Shot – We have a Nespresso maker and that that thing goes everywhere with us. Road trips near and far. Whether we are enjoying an iced triple layer Bumblebee Coffee or café latte she does not disappoint. However, if you do not have an espresso maker, you can use strong brewed coffee, instant espresso in hot water or French pressed coffee to make an affogato. Espresso delivers a big caffeine kick. If you are serving late in the evening, you can serve a decaffeinated espresso or decaf coffee shot instead.

Step By Steps

This is just an overview of the process. Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full recipe.

• Refrigerate coconut cream overnight. Carefully scoop out ONLY the coconut cream solids from the can. Be careful to not let any of the coconut water into a bowl. Beat until light and fluffy.
• In a separate bowl, add the canned plain pumpkin, sweetened condensed coconut milk, vanilla, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, cardamom, and vodka (or alcohol of choice) and blend well.

• Carefully fold the whipped coconut cream into the prepared pumpkin mixture.
• Transfer to a freezer safe container and cover. Freeze for about 4 to 6 hours.

• Make espresso coffee shots!

• Scoop dairy free pumpkin ice cream into little cups.
• Pour espresso over vegan pumpkin ice cream, garnish and serve immediately.

Hacks for Making NO-Churn Ice Cream Softer

Have you ever made or tried homemade no churn ice cream but then were disappointed because it was icy and hard? Great news – we have cracked the code! Not only is this pumpkin ice cream dairy free, but it is also creamy, easy to scoop and not icy. Here are some of our favorite hacks for making the best softer scoopable ice cream at home.

1. Add alcohol. As you know alcohol does not freeze. All you need is about 1 tablespoon. We added plain vodka as we wanted the pumpkin spice flavors to shine through. However, you could add up to 3 tablespoons of your favorite flavored alcohol like Frangelico, Grand Marnier, amaretto or whatever your favorites are. However, it is best that the alcohol proof stays around 40% or less.

• Sugar does not freeze completely. We are not talking about imitation sugar but the real deal (glucose and fructose). We used sweetened condensed coconut milk to avoid the tummy woes with lactose.

Do you remember learning about molecules in science class? The reason why sugar does not freeze completely is because water has a lot of molecules, and it is easily for them to bind - so they bind first and freeze first. However, the sugar molecules are left with less options to bind to and therefore do not freeze completely.

• Fat – Full fat coconut cream is what we used in our dairy free pumpkin ice cream. Fat also does not freeze well. We make a Homemade Coconut Whipped Topping with chilled canned coconut cream. We use ONLY the coconut solids in the can – being very careful not to add any of the coconut water.

Fun Toppings

Pumpkin affogato is delicious served plain. If you want to take this coffee and cream Italian dessert to the next level, try these delicious topping ideas.

• Try a dollop of non-dairy whipped topping
• Candied pecans or toasted nuts of choice.
• Grated dark chocolate. If you can’t find vegan chocolate, try our quick and easy homemade chocolate we used on top of our Spicy Chai Coconut Jelly desserts.
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• Crushed biscotti or cookies
• Drizzle of your favorite liquor
• Sea salt
• Crumbled Rhode Island Spiced Coffee Cake on top
• Vegan caramel or chocolate sauce

How to Serve and Eat Affogato?

There really is no wrong or right way to serve affogato to guests but here are some guidelines.

1. Choose a cup or glass that can handle both hot and cold liquids and can hold about 2 scoops of ice cream and a shot or two of espresso.
2. Clear glass cups are nice so you can watch as the espresso being poured into the glass but not required. Some people use coffee mugs, margarita glasses, martini glasses or vintage glass dessert cups like us.
3. Freeze glasses or coffee mugs with ice cream for a few minutes before serving. This helps keep your ice cream cold, so it does not melt so fast when the espresso is added.
4. Don’t pour extremely hot brewed espresso right over the ice cream as everything will melt immediately. Well, you can but it is best to let the espresso shot cool down a little bit, so it is still warm but not boiling hot. Then, pour it over the scoops of ice cream.
5. You can serve the dairy free pumpkin ice cream in a cup with a shot of espresso on the side. Then, everyone can make their own affogato at the table.
6. Take that concept one step further and set up an affogato dessert bar and let everyone add their own toppings just the way they like it.
7. Provide both long spoons and straws for your guests so they can enjoy every last drop.
8. First, we like to use a spoon to get a bite of both the vegan pumpkin ice cream and espresso with every bite. After everything is melted you can drink directly from the cup or use a straw.

Expert Tips

• Use a quality full fat coconut cream. It is preferable not to use a brand that has fillers or anything other than coconut in the ingredients.
• Refrigerate the coconut cream overnight in the refrigerator
• Chill the beaters and the bowl before whipping coconut cream.
• Use only the coconut cream solids and not the coconut water in the can.
• Fold in the coconut cream into the pumpkin mixture carefully so that it stays creamy.
• Allow the dairy free pumpkin ice cream to sit out at room temperature for about 15 minutes before scooping into bowls just like we do with our Mocha Banana Ice Cream or No-Churn Dairy Free Mango Swirl Ice Cream.
• The ratio of ice cream or gelato to espresso is roughly 2 scoops to 2 ounces (or 2 espresso shots).
• Do not try to change out the ingredient to try to make this healthier. For example, using maple syrup instead of sweetened condensed milk or using coconut milk instead of coconut cream. We have already done that it is an epic failure. Your ice cream will not be creamy but will freeze whole and you can’t even scoop it out. 

How to Make Espresso or Strong Coffee?

There are many ways to achieve this.

• First you can use a proper espresso maker with coffee bean grinder.
• Portable espresso maker like a Nespresso machine. That is what we used.
• Extra strong regular coffee made the standard way but with half the water.
• Moka pot brews coffee by passing boiling water pressurized by steam through ground coffee.
• Instant espresso mixed with boiled water. If you have any leftover instant espresso, you can make a batch of our Chocolate Espresso Fig Balls.
• Make espresso in a French Press (coffee brewing device) by adding about 2 tablespoons of ground coffee beans for every cup of water.
• Feel free to make decaffeinated espresso or coffee for your guests if desired.

Can You Make an Affogato in Advance?

You certainly can! That is why this dairy free pumpkin ice cream affogato is such a great dessert when you are entertaining. Here is what you do.

1. Make a batch of pumpkin cinnamon ice cream the day before so it has time to firm up.
2. You can even scoop the ice cream into your serving dishes and cover them and place them in the freezer.
3. Then, when you are ready to serve dessert all you need to do is brew your espresso and have your toppings ready to go.
4. Take the prepared glasses of pumpkin gelato ice cream out of the freezer and serve with a shot of espresso. Let your guests pour their own warm espresso over the top and add their favorite toppings.

Variations

1. Life is busy. We totally get it. If you do not have time to make non-dairy ice cream at home, purchase one of the many pre-made lactose free or vegan options at the grocery store.
2. In addition, there are also many plant-based gelato brands at the market. In case you are wondering, gelato is like ice cream but contains more milk than cream. Many of the vegan gelato brands use oat milk or almond milk instead of dairy.
3. Our healthy lychee, raspberry and blueberry sorbets are made with just fruit and sugar. They are not generally used in an affogato with coffee.  However, they are delicious with a drizzle of Italian sparkling wine in the summer.
4. If you want to make this coconut affogato dessert for children, hold the vodka in the pumpkin ice cream. In addition, you can serve it with hot chocolate or hot apple cider instead of espresso or coffee.
5. Pumpkin pie ice cream is delicious all on its own without a shot of espresso or coffee for an anytime treat.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

More Vegan Dessert Recipes

Easy Microwave Chocolate Pudding

No Bake Cranberry Bliss Balls

Dark Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Velvety Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.