DIY With The Kids: Make Your Own Ice Cream In A Plastic Baggie

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Summertime always has me feeling excited about so many things.

And I’m particularly excited because I learned how to make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker, and in less than 15 minutes with minimal ingredients. It’s so easy my three-year-old can do it! OK, maybe not all by himself, but it’s definitely a DIY the kids can get involved in and excited about. Plus there’s a bit of science involved, so it’s also a learning experience! #winning

What You'll Need:

• bag of ice
• large resealable plastic freezer bag
• smaller resealable plastic bag
• coarse salt (I used half the box, but I’m sure you can use less than that)
• 1 ½ cups of heavy cream or whipping cream
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• ¼ cup of sugar
• sprinkles or fruit toppings, if desired
• Note: when you're done eating it all (and you will eat it all!), rinse out your resealable bags and leave vented on your counter to dry! This is a great way to get more use out of your plastic bags. Let's be honest — you're going to want to make ice cream again and again!

You'll Also Love: Super Sweet No-Cook Play Dough Ice Cream Play Set

In the large freezer bag, you’re going to pour in half a bag of ice followed by the coarse salt. The science is in the activation of the salt and the ice causing the ice to get much colder!

In a bowl or a measuring cup, you’ll mix in the heavy cream, the vanilla extract and the sugar and pour that into the smaller bag. Make sure you seal it tight (removing excess air) so the contents don’t go pouring all over the place — yikes!

Now, place the small bag into the large bag in between the ice. Make sure you seal the large bag as well, making sure there’s no excess air in the bag. For the next step, I didn’t use a dish cloth, but you may want to because the bag gets super cold. In any case, you need to shake the bag for about 5-10 minutes until the smaller bag is thick and stiff.

You'll Also Love: Peanut Butter Cups Kids Can Help Make

Once it thickens up, your ice cream is ready to eat! You can eat it in the bag, but if it’s stiff enough you can place it on a cone or scoop it up into a bowl. It should be noted that the longer you shake it in the ice, the thicker and stiffer it will be so it can be more like the soft serve or regular ice cream from a carton.

We topped our homemade ice cream with sprinkles, but you can top it with berries or other chopped fruit. Want chocolate ice cream? Add in some chocolate syrup! The possibilities are endless! This year there is no excuse as to why you can’t have ice cream whenever you want. And that, may actually be a problem… 

When you're done eating it all (and you will eat it all!), rinse out your resealable bags and leave vented on your counter to dry! This is a great way to get more use out of your plastic bags. Let's be honest — you're going to want to make ice cream again and again!