Making Ice Cream in a Bag

Making ice cream doesn't need to be hard!  You can make single servings of homemade ice cream at your own home without any special equipment and for a low cost. This is a great activity for outdoor events like barbecues and summer birthday parties. This can also provide a science learning experience for children, showing how salt can lower the melting and freezing point of ice.

Step 1 - Prepare the Large Bag

Fill the gallon-sized storage bag half full with ice. Add the Kosher or rock salt and seal briefly. Shake the ice and salt together until they are well distributed. Next, reopen the bag and set aside.

Step 2 - Prepare the Small Bag

Add the sugar to the quart-sized storage bag. Then pour the half and half and vanilla extract into the bag. Close the bag tightly and shake the contents so they are properly mixed. Seal the bag tightly, pressing the sides of the bag to squeeze out as much air as you can.

Step 3 - Put the Bags Together

Take the quart-sized bag of ice cream ingredients and settle it into the gallon-sized bag of salty ice. You can dig a small well in the ice to help expose the ice cream to the cold. Place the small bag in the well and bury it with ice. Once the ice cream bag is well seated and surrounded by the ice and salt mixture, tightly seal the gallon-sized bag.

Step 4 - Prepare Your Hands

Put mittens or gloves on your hands to keep them warm. They are going to be exposed to constant cold from the ice bag over the next few minutes.

Step 5 - Shake, Shake, Shake

In the kitchen or outside, shake the large prepared bag. You will need to shake it vigorously for 5 to 10 minutes, since the ice cream needs time to freeze. If your arms get tired, pass the gloves to a partner and let him or her take a turn at shaking. Check the bag periodically to see if the ice cream has reached your desired consistency.

Step 6 - Choose a Serving Option and Serve

Decide whether you want to serve the ice cream directly from the bag or in a dish. If you want to serve it in the bag, continue to the next step. If you would rather serve it in a dish, cut the tip off of one of the corners of the sealed ice cream bag and squeeze the ice cream out into the dish.

Step 7 - Apply Optional Toppings and Syrups 

Since you have now created vanilla ice cream, you can personalize it any way you would like by adding sprinkles, chocolate chips, nuts, crushed cookies, candies, chocolate or strawberry syrups, pretzels... The options are only limited by your preferences and tastes!