Pumpkin Popsicles
No matter the time of year (or turning on the oven) enjoy the taste of pumpkin pie with these creamy popsicles. Enjoy plain or with a crumbly wafer crust!
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Table of Contents
- About Pumpkin Popsicles
- Pumpkin Puree vs Pumpkin Pie Filling
- What do you need to make popsicles?
- What size popsicle does this recipe make?
- What is guar gum and why do you need it?
- How long are popsicles good for?
- Notes & Tips for pumpkin popsicles
- More recipes with pumpkin
- Other recipes for ice cream
- How to make pumpkin popsicles
- Recipe Details
About Pumpkin Popsicles
True pumpkin pie lovers know that not only is there no end to the ways you can enjoy this flavor, but there’s also no time limit.
It’s a year-round kinda love, and frozen treats like these pumpkin pie popsicles are the perfect way to get the best of both worlds: the comfort of fall, any time you want it.
Pumpkin Puree vs Pumpkin Pie Filling
When it comes to holiday treats, you’re going to be faced with two types of canned pumpkin in the baking aisle:
Pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling.
And while these types might seem interchangeable, there is a slight (yet significant) difference.
With pumpkin puree, the only contents are cooked and mashed pumpkin (or a variety of winter gourds), with no added flavors or spices. Pumpkin pie filling is made with cooked and mashed pumpkin, too, but it also has flavor added, typically with pumpkin pie spice.
The key difference here is convenience. If you don’t have (or don’t want to buy) pumpkin pie spice, using pumpkin pie filling can save you some time and effort; you simply add it to the recipe and skip measuring the spices. However, it does limit your ability to control the taste, and if you’re using the pumpkin pie filling with other flavors, there’s no way to guarantee how they’ll interact.
This is why you’ll see many homemade recipes use pumpkin puree (which, again, is just the gourds, no added flavor) and season and spice the recipe by hand as needed. It is a tad more work but it also gives you more control over the flavor of your fall treats.
What do you need to make popsicles?
For this recipe, make sure you have all of these on hand:
- A popsicle mold set – A must-have for making popsicles. See the next section for a thorough explanation on what size mold you’ll need.
- Popsicle sticks – If you just bought a popsicle mold, it may come with popsicle sticks – but it never hurts to have more on hand for more popsicles.
- Saucepan – A medium one should do.
- Whisk – Important for getting the right consistency and stirring in the guar gum. I would not recommend using a fork or spoon for stirring in this ingredient.
What size popsicle does this recipe make?
This recipe is meant to be suitable for all ages and occasions, so it is currently tailored for a mini popsicle mold set. This means that each popsicle will be about two ounces and roughly a little less than three inches in length.
But if you already have a “standard-sized” popsicle mold that you’d like to use (popsicles that are roughly three ounces and four inches in length), you can still use this recipe – you just need to adjust the recipe yield by 1.5. You can easily accomplish this in two ways:
- Mouseover or tap the “yield” number in the recipe card below and change the servings from eight popsicles to 12. If you change this number and print the recipe, it should print the values you have set.
- By doing a little math. I know, that’s the obvious answer, but I also know some of you are truly gifted in this area and would trust this method more. If you can do it, you have my respects.
Doing either of the above should give you enough batter to make eight standard-sized popsicles instead of eight mini popsicles.
What is guar gum and why do you need it?
Guar gum, also called guaran, is a product that has thickening and stabilizing properties that can be extremely useful in treats like these pumpkin pie popsicles. It helps in stabilizing the mixture and reduces the buildup of ice crystals, ensuring these frozen treats stay smooth and creamy.
That being said, you could make these popsicles without it – but I personally have not tried it. The recipe will likely yield fewer popsicles without this ingredient and will not have as much of a thick, creamy texture.
How long are popsicles good for?
Once prepared and formed, these popsicles can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.
Notes & Tips for pumpkin popsicles
- As mentioned above, you will need a popsicle mold to make these. This recipe is tailored for this mini popsicle set.
More recipes with pumpkin
Other recipes for ice cream
How to make pumpkin popsicles
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – In a small bowl, prepare the crumble crust by mashing together the crushed vanilla wafers and melted butter. Mix until the wafers are completely saturated, then set the bowl aside.
Step 2 – In a small saucepan, whisk together the heavy whipping cream, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt until it’s nice and smooth. Heat the mixture until it starts to steam but not boiling.
Step 3 – While continuing to whisk, very slowly pour in the guar gum. Continue to mix until the pumpkin mixture begins to thicken, then remove the saucepan from heat.
Step 4 – If you haven’t already done so, prep your popsicle molds (add sticks, etc, plus anything that might be listed in the instructions for your specific mold set).
Step 5 – Use a spoon or ladle to pour the pumpkin picture into the cavities of the popsicle mold, leaving a small space at the top for the crumble crust.
Step 6 – Add a small amount of the crust mixture to the top of the molds, gently patting it down so that it stays in place.
Step 7 – Place the finished popsicles in the freezer and let freeze solid.
Step 8 – Serve and enjoy!
Pumpkin Popsicles
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add crushed vanilla wafers and melted butter. Use a fork to press and mix the ingredients together until crumbled wafers are completely saturated with butter. Set bowl aside.
- While whisking constantly, very slowly add guar gum to pumpkin mixture. Continue to whisk until mixture begins to thicken slightly. Remove saucepan from heat.
- If you have not already done so, either insert the popsicle sticks into your popsicle mold OR check the instructions for your specific mold set for when they recommend the sticks be added.
- Use a spoon or ladle to pour the pumpkin mixture into popsicle molds, leaving a little space at the top for the vanilla wafers crust. NOTE: If you have horizontal molds like the ones pictured, the crust will be on one side of the popsicle. If you have verticle molds, the crust will be packed near top of the mold (but will appear at the bottom of the finished popsicles). Keep this in mind while adding the pumpkin mixture so that you have enough room.
- Add a small amount of the wafer mixture to the top of each popsicle mold. Gently pat it down so that the crumble crust stays in place.
- Place completed pumpkin popsicles in the freezer and let freeze for at least 8 hours.
- Pop popsicles out of the mold (if needed, check the instructions for your specific mold set for releasing tips) and enjoy as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
