How to make homemade ice cream in a baggie.

This is just as cool as my homemade butter in a canning jar. Oh how I wish I could take credit for coming up with this one, but I can’t. I saw it in Disney Family Fun Magazine the other day and thought it was such a great idea. I whipped up a few batches in no time and soon we were eating homemade ice cream from a baggie. I’m pretty sure this is not a new concept and has been done for years, but its new to me.

Here is what you will need to make homemade ice cream in a baggie:

2 TBL sugar
1 cup half & half (or light cream)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarse salt or table salt(I used canning salt)
ice
gallon-sized Ziploc bag
pint-sized Ziploc bag

Mix the sugar, half & half and vanilla extract together. Pour into a pint-sized Ziploc baggie. Make sure it seals tightly.

Now take the gallon-sized Ziploc bag and fill it up halfway with ice and pour the salt over the ice. Now place the cream filled bag into the ice filled bag and seal.

Make sure it is sealed tightly and start shaking. Shake for about 5 minutes (or 8 minutes if you use heavy cream.)

Open the gallon-sized bag and check to see if the ice cream is hard, if not keep shaking. Once the ice cream is finished, quickly run the closed pint-sized baggie under cold water to quickly clean the salt off the baggie.

Open the baggie and pop in a spoon.


Hope you enjoy your homemade ice cream in a baggie as much as we do!

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Posted by & filed under how to make homemade ice cream, kids crafts, Tutorials. This post has 139 comments.

139 thoughts on “How to make homemade ice cream in a baggie.”

  2. Sommer

    L.O.V.E. Thanks for sharing. Just a heads for those who don't do dairy, this should work with coconut milk and agave also =)

    Reply

  4. Heidi @ Mom's Crafty Space

    I just saw this in Family Fun magazine too and wanted to try it out! It looks AWESOME! :)

    Reply

  5. Laura

    Thanks for showing that it really does work. I just got my Family Fun yesterday and made a mental note to try this one soon. Now, I'm really going to try it soon.

    Laura @ Come Together Kids

    Reply

  8. Ellen

    I just love the pictures of the kids on the farm! Such peace and joy! Thank you for sharing those moments with us!

    Reply

  10. Timmi

    I saw the same article today and now I can't wait to make some! Although I still want my own ice cream mixer because I'm lazy…

    Reply

  11. Stephanie Krohn

    I vaguely remember my younger sister making ice cream this way at summer camp. Thanks for posting! When I go to the store this week, I will definitely be buying more heavy cream! The kids will love it.

    Reply

  13. Erin

    Stopping by from TT&J. I've heard of this before but have actually never seen how to do it. This looks so easy and I think I'll have to try it, once we start getting summer weather.

    Reply

  17. Amy

    I did this with my family today, and it was a huge hit! Thank you! I linked up to you… and borrowed a picture, but totally gave you credit. I hope that is alright.

    Reply

  19. Chad and Mary Beth @ Nothing But Country

    OOHHHHH Icecream in a bag. I am SOOO DOING THIS!!!

    Would love if you would link up with us at Creative Creation Tuesday. We would love others to see your project too. Can be found here at Nothing But Country.

    Happy Creating! Thanks for sharing your great project.

    Reply

  20. Kristen

    Oh man this is fabulous! I'm forever stumbling upon ice cream recipes that call for an ice cream machine (which we don't have) so I'm excited to finally be able to try making ice cream! Thanks so much for sharing!

    Kristen
    Turning a House into a Home

    Reply

  21. Carla E.

    This is a really neat idea and seems like a lot of fun. I'll have to make ice cream in a baggie with my son.

    Reply

  22. Rachel at Sun Scholars

    Always love doing this with the kids. Thanks for sharing this at For the Kids Friday! I'm going to share your post with my Facebook friends :) Hope to have you link up again this week! The party is now posted!!! Always a pleasure to have you!

    :) rachel at SunScholars.blogspot.com

    Reply

  25. Dana Jacobsen

    I remember making ice cream like this when I was younger from an American Girl project booklet. So good!

    Reply

  28. Stephanie Guillory

    I remember doing this when I was in kindergarten. If you have more than one child (or heck, do it WITH your child) it's fun to don mittens, and gently toss the bag back and forth instead of just shaking. Make a game of it while you're making ice cream! ^_^

    Reply

  33. Amy H.

    We did it! Just had a play date and made it. My arms are killing me! But it was SO yummy, posting about it for What we ate Wednesday and will be linking back to you Momma!

    XOXOX

    Reply

  34. Malinda S.

    We tried it and it was so yummy! We added blackberries to one and peaches to another. The peach one didn't set up so well, so next time we will add after. My husband cheated a little and put the baggies in a small drink cooler. Him and my daughter sat down and rolled it back and forth between them. Their's set up much faster than mine. Thanks so much!

    Reply

  39. Planner Perfect

    love it and love your blog…I am a new follower. I have 7 babes and I love finding fun crafts and recipes for them to do.
    Check out mine, too, if you like! It's all about organization and the perfect planner to harness it all…:0)

    Reply

  43. Anonymous

    i tweaked this since i cant have sugar…gatric bypass patient…anyways i used fat free half and half..splenda…lemon extract instead of vanilla with a packet of true lemon crystallized lemon for extra zing. i also used part soy milk…with the half and half and OMG it is AMAZING!!!!!!!

    Reply

    1. Tami

      Salt lowers the freezing point of water, melting the ice. This needs to happen so the temperature can drop below 32 degrees in order to freeze the mixture into ice cream.

      Reply

  53. Mrsblocko

    I made this when my daughter's best friend came over for a play date. We all had a lot of fun making this. (I blogged about it here.)

    p.s. Frances: the salt is needed to melt the ice faster, this creates a heat transfer, which starts to freeze the cream. Delicious delicious science!

    Reply

  57. Misty

    Just tried this with Thrive instant (powdered) milk. It was fantastic. So glad to know I can make this anytime even if I don't have store bought milk!

    Reply

  58. MAMA P

    My kids are going to LOVE this! Thanks…..read about it via Globetrotting in Heels and can't wait to try it….my kids will be begging for it all the time. Good thing we use half-n-half for coffee so we always have it on hand! MamaP

    Reply

  59. Tara

    This would be VERY cold on your hands. Instead, I use an empty peanut butter jar. Put the baggie of milk mixture (I just use chocolate milk from the cafeteria when I do this in class) in the jar, cover with ice and salt, screw the lid on…and then the fun part! Roll the jar back and forth on the floor with a partner! They have come up with a $30 soccer ball to do this very same thing, but my way is cheaper!

    Reply

  60. corinajoyc

    I just made this. I used plain old 2% milk and liquid Stevia. In hind sight, I should have used powdered Stevia instead but it did work. When it was done, I added a sliced banana and about 2 TB of chocolate syrup. Eat it quickly as it does melt quickly! Nice treat. BTW you can do the same thing with a group but used small and large coffee cans instead of the ziploc bags. Make sure to tape (duct tape works best) the coffee can lids so you don't have a big mess! Have the kids roll it back and forth to each other for about ten or so minutes or til done. Did it with Cub Scouts years ago.

    Reply

  64. Holly

    Can't wait to make this for my hubby! He always talks about this science experiment from childhood when they did this too. I just never had ingredients list! He will be so happy :)

    Reply

  67. Shannon

    I LOVED doing this. Thanks for sharing the idea! I just posted a blog about my experience with it. THANK YOU!!!

    Shannon @ Imperfectly-Inspired.blogspot.com

    Reply

  69. Anonymous

    NOW i understand!! have seen similar recipes in the past which haven't explained things properly and i've always wondered 'the ice cream must taste so salty' …………… doh!!!! what a doofus xxxxxxxx defnitely remaining anonymous!!

    Reply

  74. Anonymous

    could it be done with whole milk? or is there something I could do to the milk before to make it usable? cream is not avail where I live.

    Reply

  75. Sarah Jio

    This is so amazing! I'm going to share on my Glamour.com health and fitness blog tomorrow. I'll link back to you and send some traffic your way. (Hope you don't mind me using one photo.) Thank you!

    Reply

  77. Salome

    Hello, really a funny idea, i like to' make at my nursery, but I really don't understand what cup half&half means: half full milk and half cream? Half what and what ( seems the ingredient was lost. Thankyou!!

    Reply

  79. Erin

    Many years ago my mom would do the same thing with her first grade class at school, only they would put the ice cream into a cleaned out coffee can that would set inside a bigger coffee can. The salt and ice would go between the cans, and when the lids were on, the kids would roll the cans back and forth. It seems like it would be a little easier to roll it, and you might be able to make more. Who doesn't love more ice cream?

    Reply

  81. Anonymous

    I made mine with fat free half and half, stevia, vanilla extract, and special dark cocoa powder. It turned out absolutely delicious, but I was wondering if there is a way to do it without so much shaking? Also, the consistency was a little thin…

    Reply

  82. Anonymous

    Shook for over 15 minutes, don't think there was enough ice in the bag! Added more salt to the ice-seemed to help a little. Tasted great!

    Reply

  87. db38237e-076a-11e1-9b63-000bcdcb471e

    I used to do this as a kid!!! You can always use 2 of those metal coffee cans too…you know, the one that's the smaller size, then the big one…put your ice cream mixture in the smaller one, make sure it's closed tight, then center it in the larger can, add your ice & salt, close it tight, then just roll them around on the floor! :)

    Reply

  88. db38237e-076a-11e1-9b63-000bcdcb471e

    Speaking of which…I have all the ingredients (well, Splenda in place of sugar…) and some nice peppermint extract…time for mint ice cream!

    Reply

  90. Anonymous

    We have been doing this with 4-H groups for many years but the past few years we actually did everything the same except we put the baggie with the ice cream mixture in a pitcher and the ice and salt around the baggie in the pitcher and kids either shook or rolled it back and forth to each other while their ice cream was freezing. You could reuse the pitcher for the next group too. Always fun for kids.

    Reply

  92. Arizona

    This is way too cool! My mom was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease, so making homemade ice cream is the safest way too go, not too mention healthiest.

    Reply

  94. Anonymous

    I have had a daycare for 25 years and we have been making this yummy treat so far back I can't even remember when we started! I make it exactly like you did. We sometimes put strawberries, really ripe peaches or chocolate ice cream topping in it to make flavors! I just got some vanilla beans today that I ordered to make my own homemade vanilla (recipe from pinterest) and think I'll give them a try too!! Nice post!!

    Reply

  95. Julie Jones

    I would love to make this with my girl scouts. How many servings does one bag yield? I need enough for 9 hungry 5 yr old girls. Thanks!

    Reply

  97. Lori

    Okay, answering mine and Julie's question about how much it makes. Well, it makes one cup which is kind of "duh" when you realize you use one cup of half and half. :) I think most ice cream containers say that a serving is 1/2 cup. It does melt VERY fast so I stuck mine in the freezer for about 10 minutes after rinsing the bag. Also, the bag gets VERY cold so the idea that others said about rolling it back and forth in some kind of container would probably work out well for the girl scouts…then each "team" could share the ice cream in the bag. As others have said, this is DELICIOUS!

    Reply

  98. 2littlehooligans

    yes, it makes 1 cup of ice cream. it does melt faster then usual ice cream, so may want to place it into the freezer before eating. but we never seem to have an issue with this, since ours in gone really fast! enjoy:)

    Reply

  100. Cecily

    OMG I just tried this, so good…going to try it with a 1/2tbl to 1 tbl of cocoa for chocolate ice cream. I did it with two quart bags which worked but was a bit soft since I couldn't put enough ice in it to keep it cold long enough. But it will do in a pinch

    Reply

  103. Unknown

    Thanks for posting the in a baggie ice cream. I am a pre-k teacher and for the after school kids I do a cooking class and they loved it!!!

    Reply

  104. Sheila Saunders

    I made this when my grandchildren were small using coffee cans and rolling to each other on the concrete drive.

    Reply

  106. Crystal

    I made this with my kids today. I totally love it. We even added in oreos and it was amazing!!!!! Thanks for sharing

    Reply

  109. Rachelle

    This recipe is GREAT! I just made it, but all I had around was heavy whipping cream, so I used that instead! Tasted JUST LIKE Friendly’s vanilla ice cream! ♥ IT! I am a camp counselor over the summer and I am definitely bringing this recipe to camp for my girls! =] =] =]

    Reply

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    Someone necessarily lend a hand to make significantly posts I’d state. That is the very first time I frequented your website page and so far? I amazed with the research you made to create this actual put up extraordinary. Excellent task!

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  119. Morgan

    Ok, so I just “made” this and it failed on me. This is the second time I’ve tried to make ice cream in a baggie and it hasn’t work. the only thing i did different was not use ice. Instead I used frozen strawberry. I shook the bag and for about 20 minutes, then I gave up and stuck it in the freezer. Would not using ice really make that big of a difference? Thanks!

    Reply

  121. Gabbi

    LOVE THSI! me and my best friend made this and we added nutella and it was way better than in the shop! Thanks for sharing

    Reply

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  124. nitram99blue

    We used to make this in cub scouts with enough for the whole den. Instead of bags, we used a one lb. coffee can with the ice cream mix in it duct taped shut inside of a 3 lb. coffee can that had ice and salt in it and then that was duct taped shut. The boys would sit in a circle with their legs spread apart. The boys had a blast rolling it back and forth across the floor to each other. Our recipe was a little lower fat and sugar. We used one package of fat free, sugar free instant pudding mix in the flavor chosen by the boys and 3 cups of skim milk.

    Reply

  125. nitram99blue

    It took about 15 minutes of rolling. Depending on how aggressive they were. They need to be reminded to keep rolling.

    Reply

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  129. Willie

    I just made this and it was so good. I am an ice cream lover and I had to make 2 batches just for me. It was wonderful and quick when you just have to have ice cream.

    Reply

  130. Nannygranny

    I just re pinned this yummy ice cream recipe from you. I hope that is okay to do. I haven’t been on Pinterest for a long time and can’t remember if this is what one does to collect good ideas from others. I hope people who reprint this realize this is not my idea but yours!! I can’t wait to try with it granddaughters. (-:

    Reply

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  135. Elizabeth

    This also awesome to do if you replace the bags with a large and small coffee can and let the kids roll it to one another on the ground.

    Reply

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