How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag

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This easy homemade ice cream in a bag recipe is a must-try this summer! You only need 5 ingredients to make this homemade ice cream. Kids will love seeing how quickly they can make their own ice cream. Don’t forget to add your favorite toppings like sprinkles or fruit!

RELATED: Gummy Bear Recipe

How to Make Ice Cream in a Bag

This is such a fun activity for kids in the summer! And if you’re low on ice cream in your freezer, it’s a great way to make your own treat! Kids can help shake the bags and of course finish off the ice cream.

Ice Cream in a Bag Ingredients

You only need 5 ingredients to make ice cream in a bag:

• Half and Half – OR you can use 1/2 whole milk and 1/2 cream. We have also made it with whole milk and it will still turn out but the ice cream won’t be as creamy
• Salt – the type of salt doesn’t matter. We used regular table salt. But the chunkier the salt you use, the less chance you’ll get salt mixed into your ice cream by accident.
• Ice 
• Vanilla
• Sugar

Can I use Whole Milk? 

Yes! You can still make this recipe with whole milk. The ice cream won’t be as creamy but will still be tasty. For an even creamier version use cream and whole milk instead. You can experiment with different proportions until you find it to be a texture and flavor you prefer!

How to Prevent Salty Ice Cream

This is important – because there’s nothing worse than shaking the bags and then having salty ice cream. You want to make sure that the bags you are using are quality bags. Typically no name brands won’t give a good seal to keep the salt out.

Make sure you properly seal the bag that has the half and half mixture in it. You don’t want salt accidentally getting into this bag. To be safe, you could double bag this also. Once you’re done shaking, rinse off the little bag with cold water (including the top part above the seal) before opening it up to eat the ice cream. This will ensure that any salt on the outside doesn’t leak in.

If you use chunkier salt, this will also help prevent the salt from getting into the little bag.

Finally, be extra careful when taking the ice cream out of the bag. If there is any salt still on the outside of the small bag, it will mix with the ice cream.

Your kids will love making their own ice cream! Mix in some chocolate syrup or add your favorite toppings to make it even more delicious!

More Treats for Kids

See these other favorite treats for kids: 

These homemade fruit roll-ups are such a hit with kids!

These homemade gummy bears are a lot of fun to make!