how to make ice cream in a bag without half and half

If you've never made ice cream in a bag, you're in for a fun and delicious time! It's perfect for a fun summer activity to help cool off from the hot sun. All this experiment takes are a few ingredients and some kid or teen volunteers.

Shake the dust off your feet and get those arm muscles ready as we show you how to make kid friendly ice cream in a bag!

Ice Cream in a Bag Science

How does ice cream in a bag work?

When you combine salt and ice, the chemical reaction lowers the freezing point of the ice. Thus the brine-like mixture of salt and ice absorbs the heat from your ice cream mixture, making it freeze. This is called an exothermic chemical reaction, which is the release of light or heat!

Did you know? Water (H20) freezes at 0 degrees Celsius under normal conditions. But when salt is added to ice, it drops the temperature to -10 degrees Celsius.

This speeds the ice cream freezing process up in only a few minutes.

All ice cream is made up of are sugars, milk, fat, ice crystals, and air. When shaking your Ziploc ice cream bag, this breaks the ice crystals in your blend into smaller geometric crystals, which creates more air into your milk mixture.

This is what makes your ice cream fluffy and creamy!

Don't stop shaking to achieve more a more frozen solution.

Ice Cream in a Bag Recipe

This is a super simple recipe that needs half and half, a bag or Tupperware and salt. Side note: This recipe isn't hard to make but you do need to make the ice cream and eat it right away or it melts quick!

2 cups half and half
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
10-12 cups ice
salt
rainbow sprinkles
2 resealable gallon size bags

table full of ice cream in a bag ingredients, with salt, cream, sugar, and sprinkles

How to make Ice Cream in a Bag with Half and Half

Add half and half to a resealable bag.

pouring cream into a ziplock bag

Pour in sugar and vanilla.

pouring vanilla into a ziplock bag

Seal shut and gently shake until most of the sugar is dissolved.

mixing up vanilla and sugar into a ziplock bag

Place half of the ice into a separate bag and generously sprinkle with salt.

adding salt into a ziplock bag with ice

Place the bag of cream and sugar on the ice.

adding bag of ice cream into salt bag

Sprinkle with remaining ice and generously sprinkle with salt.

Seal the bag shut.

Wrap the bag in a kitchen towel OR put into a Tupperware container and shake for about 10 minutes or until the ice cream begins to form.

It will take a good 10 minutes of shaking that bag for it to come together with 2 cups of half and half. It might be easier/quicker to halve the recipe and shake for only 5 minutes if you have younger kids.

cream begins to form inside bag

Open the bag of ice and remove the ice cream.

You may want to use the kitchen towel as the outside of the bag will be covered in salt.

Snip the corner of the bag and pipe ice cream into bowls and top with sprinkles.

squeeze out ice cream into a container to eat

Serve immediately.

Makes 6-8, 1/2 cup servings.

creamy and melty ziplock ice cream

Make Chocolate Ice Cream In A Bag

The recipe above makes vanilla ice cream. But if you're a chocolate-craving person, that won't be a problem!

All it takes is adding a few more ingredients and steps.

Add 2 tablespoons of your favorite chocolate flavored powder with the rest of all the other ingredients in the bag. The most common chocolate powders are cocoa powder, chocolate milk powder, and dark chocolate powder.
Mix the ingredients with a small whisk. Make sure to rid of the chocolate powder blobs that stick together.
Seal the bags then proceed with your shaking process.

HIDDEN HACK!

If you or the kids want to avoid cold hands, try this hack so your fingers don't freeze off. It will make your shaking process easier! After you finish packing all of your ingredients sealed and packed with ice, place your shaking bag of ice into a plastic Tupperware container.

Tupperware not only carries the package conveniently but it's easier to grasp and you don't have to deal with slippery, wet, cold hands! It saved me and Charlotte the cold hassle.

BONUS Tips How To Make Ice Cream In A Bag

Since your Ziploc bag ice cream recipe melts quickly, eat it in an ice cream cone or bowl to prevent messes.
The fat content of your mixture will affect your final product. If you're looking to cut down on the calories but with a less rich flavor, use whole milk. If you're looking for a thicker whip but with more calories, heavy cream will do the trick!
Don't forget your towel or mittens to not freeze your fingers off while shaking your bagged ice cream recipe!
If you're looking for a dairy-free recipe, using an alternative milk substitute like coconut milk or almond milk will work just fine.
Top things up by adding your favorite flavors, candies, nuts, sprinkles, and syrups when the ice cream is finished.

adding sprinkles onto ice cream and eating with a spoon

Can I Use Whole Milk To Make Ice Cream In A Bag?

You can also change the creaminess of your ice cream by changing one ingredient: milk.

While half-and-half does create the perfect thickness for a creamy course, you can use whole milk to make ice cream in a bag.

Know that using whole milk to make your ice cream will yield a more creamy consistency. Why? Fat content is what holds the structure together in creams and foods.

Whole milk has about 3.25% fat content whereas half-and-half ranges from 10%-18% fat content. So the concept is that more fat content equals a thicker consistency. This is why creams like light and heavy creams for coffees or desserts are more fluffy!

What Kind Of Salt Do I use To Make Ice Cream In A Bag?

I like to use regular table salt for this recipe.

While other recipes call to use rock salt, other types of salts still have the same properties to freeze your ice cream. Sea salt, kosher salt, flake salt, fleur de sel, or pink salt will still do the trick.

How To Prevent Salty Ice Cream In A Bag

There's nothing more distasteful than ice cream that tastes like you just scooped it out of the ocean: salty!

Salty ice cream happens during the transfer of iced water and salt through the Ziploc bag. To prevent salty ice cream, investing in quality branded bags help solve the problem. Whereas cheaper brands leave your creamy dessert vulnerable to leakage and the transfer of salty ice.

ice in a bag

Other tips on how to prevent salty ice cream in a bag:

Ensure all your Ziploc bags are sealed tight
Don't be afraid to double-bag or triple-bag your contents
Dry the bag with a towel as soon as pulling it out
Chunkier salt crystals have a harder time getting into your Ziploc bag ice cream
Be gentle while shaking. Time is your best friend here.

Did you try making the Ziploc ice cream bag recipe?

Ice Cream in a Bag

Easy recipe for ice cream in a bag - nothing more than salt, some flavor, ice, and half and half for a fun filled and edible science experiment. Kids will marvel at creating homemade ice cream in a bag while shaking, shaking, shaking!

Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

2 cups half and half
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
10-12 cups ice
salt
rainbow sprinkles
2 resealable gallon size bags

Add half and half to a resealable bag.
Pour in sugar and vanilla.
Seal bag shut and gently shake until most of the sugar is dissolved in the ice cream mixture.
Place half of the ice into a separate bag and generously sprinkle with table salt.
Place the mixed bag of cream and sugar inside the bag on the ice.
Add remaining ice into bag and generously sprinkle with salt. Seal the bag shut.
Wrap the bag in a kitchen towel and shake for about 10 minutes or until the ice cream begins to form. Alternatively, adding sealed bag to a small Tupperware container will keep the bag safe and your hands from freezing.
If you have smaller children, cut recipe in half for a 5 minute shake time.
Once ice cream forms, open the bag of ice and remove the bag of ice cream. You may want to use the kitchen towel as the outside of the bag will be covered in salt.
Snip the corner of the bag and pipe ice cream into bowls and top with sprinkles.
Serve immediately as ice cream in a bag melts quicker than regular store bought .

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