How to Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

Learn to make delicious homemade ice cream using just a bag, ice, and salt with this fun family activity.

1. Gather Your Supplies. You'll need: 1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 cup table salt, 3 cups ice cubes, 1 quart-sized zip-top bag, 1 gallon-sized zip-top bag, towels for handling, and measuring cups and spoons. Make sure your zip-top bags are high quality and seal completely to prevent leaks.
2. Mix Your Ice Cream Base. In a bowl, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until the sugar completely dissolves. You can add other flavors like chocolate syrup, fruit puree, or cookie pieces at this stage. Pour the mixture into the quart-sized zip-top bag and seal it tightly, pressing out as much air as possible. Double-check that the seal is completely closed.
3. Prepare the Freezing Mixture. Fill the gallon-sized zip-top bag with ice cubes and salt. The salt lowers the freezing point of ice, making it cold enough to freeze your cream mixture. Mix the ice and salt together in the bag, then carefully place the sealed quart bag with your cream mixture inside the gallon bag with the ice.
4. Shake and Freeze. Seal the gallon bag tightly and wrap it in towels to protect your hands from the cold. Shake the bag vigorously for 15-20 minutes. The constant movement and cold temperature will gradually freeze the cream mixture. You'll feel the mixture getting thicker as you shake. Take breaks if your hands get too cold, but keep shaking until the mixture reaches a soft-serve consistency.
5. Serve and Enjoy. Carefully remove the inner bag from the ice mixture and rinse off any salt water from the outside. Cut open the bag and scoop out your fresh ice cream, or squeeze it directly from the bag into bowls. Serve immediately for the best texture. If the consistency is too soft, you can shake it for a few more minutes.