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  • Hi, I'm Vicky, the founder and content creator at Mess For Less. If you are looking for family-friendly recipes, recipes that kids can make, and play and learning activities for kids, you will find them at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me. Thanks for stopping by!

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    Home » Cooking with Kids

    Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

    Published: Jul 7, 2021 · Modified: Aug 1, 2022 by Vicky · This post contains affiliate links.

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    Making this Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag recipe is fun and easy to do with kids. You just need  a few ingredients to make it and the ice cream is ready in less than 30 minutes!

    Making Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag is fun to do with kids. You just need a few ingredients & the ice cream is ready in less than 30 minutes!
    Jump to:
    • Why this ice cream recipe is awesome
    • Ingredients
    • How to make ice cream in a bag
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Frequently asked questions

    Why this ice cream recipe is awesome

    • Fun for kids to make
    • Cool to watch ice cream form before your eyes
    • Very versatile - you can make a variety of ice cream flavors
    • Kids will learn as they perform this homemade ice cream in a bag science experiment

    Ingredients

    All you need are the ingredients below (plus ice of course) to make delicious chocolate chip ice cream.

    ice cream in a bag ingredients

    How to make ice cream in a bag

    This homemade ice cream will be made in zip top bags. You will want a gallon sized bag and a quart sized bag. Simply pour your ingredients into the quart sized bag and close. Make sure the bag is tightly sealed.

    child pouring sugar into a large ziploc bag

    Fill the gallon sized bag with crushed ice and ice cream salt.

    Child making Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

    Put the smaller bag with the cream into the ice filled gallon sized bag. Make sure this bag is tightly sealed as well.

    ice, cream and sugar in a bag

    Now it's time to shake and squeeze the bag to make ice cream. Our hands got pretty cold doing this step since it takes about 10 minutes for the ice cream to form. We used pot holders and took turns shaking the bag to keep our hands from getting too cold.

    child shaking Ice Cream in a Bag

    After 10 minutes, your ice cream will be ready to eat! You can just grab a spoon and eat it out of the bag or put it in a bowl and eat as you would traditional ice cream.

    Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

    Be sure to eat your homemade ice cream before it melts. I find homemade ice cream like this tends to melt quicker than store bought ice cream. It has never been an issue for us, because we eat it so quickly.

    homemade ice cream in a green bowl with an ice cream scooper

    📖 Recipe

    Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

    This homemade ice cream is perfect to make with kids. It is easy and delicious!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 570kcal
    Author: Vicky

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • ⅛ teaspoon vanilla
    • 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
    • 5 cups crushed ice
    • ¾ cup rock salt or table salt
    • 1 gallon sized zip top bag
    • 1 quart sized zip top bag

    Instructions

    • In a quart sized zip top bag, add cream, sugar, vanilla extract and chocolate chips. Seal bag.
    • In a gallon sized zip top bag, add crushed ice and rock salt.
    • Place the small bag with the cream into the larger bag with the ice and seal the larger bag.
    • Shake and squeeze for 10 minutes or until the cream has started to harden and turn into ice cream.
    • Remove from the bag and serve.

    Video

    Notes

    This ice cream tends to melt faster than traditional ice cream, so keep that in mind when serving.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 570kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 89mg | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 1800IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 0.3mg
    Try this Recipe! Pin it for Later.Mention @vickycat or tag #messforless!
    Just tried making homemade ice cream in a bag with my kids. So fun and easy to make and the chocolate chip ice cream was delicious!

    For more cool summer treats check out these recipes from the Kids' Kitchen bloggers:

    Kids’ Kitchen: Berry Yummy and Healthy Protein-Rich Popsicles | Living Montessori Now

    Strawberry Creamsicles | Kitchen Counter Chronicles

    Frequently asked questions

    I don't have ice cream salt. Can I use table salt instead?

    You can use table salt for this recipe. The ice cream will set in a little less time with the ice cream salt, but table salt will be just fine.

    What else can I use besides heavy whipping cream?

    We have made it in different ways including using half and half instead of heavy whipping cream.

    Can I freeze this ice cream?

    You can freeze the leftovers. We have frozen leftover ice cream to have at a later point. It will be pretty hard when it comes out of the freezer, so just let it thaw for a minute or two.

    How to make homemade ice cream in a bag without half and half?

    This recipe uses whole cream instead of half and half. You can also substitute an equal amount of whole milk if you don't have cream or half and half. If you use milk, the ice cream will be less creamy.

    I have been cooking with my kids since they were very young. There are so many things kids learn by helping in the kitchen. That's why I love Raddish. It's a subscription box for kids that teaches cooking skills and so much more!

    If you enjoyed this homemade ice cream, try these

    • Frozen Banana Ice Cream with Blueberries
    • 15 Ice Cream Cake Recipes
    • 10 Kids Snack Ideas
    • Marbled Pudding Pops

    Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag
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    More Cooking with Kids

    • Carrot Muffin Recipe for Kids
    • Kid Made Chocolate Covered Strawberries
    • Frozen Chocolate Snowballs
    • Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenni

      August 10, 2020 at 10:39 am

      5 stars
      Thank yiu for this simple, kid-fun recipe! We used a dairy-free whipping cream and it set in about 7 minutes.

    2. Nadya A De Leon

      April 07, 2020 at 3:52 pm

      5 stars
      It worked for us. We followed the instructions just as they are and we got some tasty ice cream out of it 😊 It was a workout but taking turns did help.

    3. Kylie

      March 27, 2020 at 8:43 pm

      It doesn't even work . I spent over 30 minutes making it because it never formed. Dont listen to them and get an ice cream maker it's easier

    4. Senda

      May 02, 2018 at 6:36 pm

      5 stars
      So lovely. Thanks for the guide and photos.

    5. Paula

      June 28, 2016 at 10:00 pm

      What a fun idea - we used to have an ice cream maker, and I'd never thought to use a bag instead. Nothing beats the taste of fresh ice cream!

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    Hi, I'm Vicky, the founder and content creator at Mess For Less. If you are looking for family-friendly recipes, recipes that kids can make, and play and learning activities for kids, you will find them at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me. Thanks for stopping by!

    Valentine's Day Activities and Recipes

    • Valentine’s Dessert Cheese Ball
    • Valentine's Brownie Cake Pops
    • Valentine's Chocolate Covered Pretzels
    • Valentine Ideas for Kids - Glitter Hearts

    Winter Activities

    • Q-Tip Painted Snowman Craft
    • Winter Shaving Cream Paint
    • Pinecone Snowman Craft
    • Melted Snowman Craft

    Popular Recipes

    • Crack Chicken Casserole
    • Overnight Egg Casserole
    • Toasted Italian Sandwich - Food Fun Friday
    • Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake

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