How to Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag: Easy 10-Minute Recipe

Let’s be entirely honest: we are deep in the "stay inside under the AC vent and pray for October" phase of a Louisiana summer. By 2:00 PM, the kids are bouncing off the walls, the dog is staring at you like, “Why is it 104 degrees outside?” and you’ve officially run out of ideas to keep everyone entertained.

Well, put down the iPad and step away from the TV. I have the ultimate retro, nostalgic science experiment that will keep the kids busy for at least thirty minutes and will end with a delicious, ice-cold reward.

We are making Ziploc Bag Ice Cream.

Yes, the exact same magic trick you probably did in elementary school science class! It is cheap, uses ingredients you definitely already have in your pantry, and is surprisingly delicious. Plus, all that vigorous shaking doubles as a tiny workout to burn off some of that pent-up energy.

Here is what you’ll need to raid the kitchen for:

The Ingredient List

1/2 cup half-and-half (or whole milk, but half-and-half makes it way creamier!)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups of ice

1/3 cup kosher salt (rock salt works too, but kosher salt is a pantry staple)

Gallon-sized Ziploc bag & a quart-sized Ziploc bag (double-bagging the small one is highly recommended to avoid a salty disaster!)

How to Make the Magic Happen:

The Sweet Mix: In your smaller bag, mix together the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal it up tight. (Pro-tip: Put this bag inside another small bag just to be safe. Nobody wants salty ice cream!)

The Deep Freeze: Fill your gallon-sized bag with the ice and the salt.

The Nest: Drop your sealed small bag directly into the salty ice bag. Seal the big bag up tight.

Shake It Up! Now, hand it over to the kids (or grab a pair of oven mitts because it gets cold) and shake vigorously for 6 to 10 minutes.

By the time their arms are tired, you’ll open up the inner bag to find perfect, soft-serve-style vanilla ice cream.

Top it with some sprinkles, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, or even a little fresh fruit. Heck, you can even freeze a little plain banana and peanut butter in a separate bag so your pup can join in on the cool-down party. (Olive-tested, dog-approved!)

Grab your ingredients, get shaking, and let's survive this afternoon together. Safe eating!