The Tastiest Way To Cool Off During A Summer Heat Wave

Make delicious creamy ice cream in a plastic zipper bag. It’s quick, fun and a great way to cool off on a hot summer day.

Plastic zipper bag filled with a helping of freshly made vanilla ice cream and a spoon, ready to be enjoyed.

This super easy ice cream only takes a few ingredients and a couple of plastic bags to make. It is super fun and kids love helping.

You can make a creamy treat in about ten minutes and you get cooled off in the process! Start with vanilla and then work in whatever twists sound good.

As you may know, we love ice cream. We love eating ice cream.

We love making ice cream. We even love talking about ice cream.

I remember making some at science expos in middle school. Then last year we made some with Little Dude’s friends at an end of summer play date.

We had so much fun! So with this recent oppressive heat wave, we thought this would be a great way to cool off.

Luckily not only do you get the delicious sweet ice cream, but you get the added benefit of being up close and personal with ice for a while. You are guaranteed to cool off!

We usually just make vanilla ice cream this way. It’s super exciting to dig your spoon in and take that first bite.

Bag of vanilla ice cream made in a ziploc bag, ready to eat.

When we made the video he thought it would be fun to replace some of the half and half with orange Gatorade for an orange creamsicle feel. It was tasty but likely would have been better with something with a stronger orange flavor like orange juice or even a little concentrated juice.

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You could also easily mix in a few chocolate chips or candy bits for added flavor. Let your imagination guide you!

Frequently Asked Questions

How does ice cream in a bag work?

When you add salt to the ice in the outer bag, it causes the freezing point to drop and the ice will start melting. As the ice melts, it will pull energy in the form of heat from its surroundings. That drops the temperature of the milk mixture in the smaller bag, causing it to freeze.

Why do you need to shake the bag to make ice cream in a bag?

The shaking does two things. First, it allows for quicker and more efficient transfer of heat. The second is to provide the churning action that keeps the ice cream smooth and creamy rather than a solid block.

Tips and tricks

The number one tip is to make sure the bags are shut tightly. Leakage of the smaller bag especially makes for sad ice cream makers!

Try to get as much air out of the bags as possible. This will allow for greater surface contact and an easier time “churning” the treat.

You may want to have a towel on hand to cover the bag, it gets really cold on your hands.

Have fun! That’s what this is all about!

5 from 4 ratings

Ice Cream in a Bag

Author: Carlee

Servings: Servings

This super easy ice cream only takes a few ingredients and a couple of plastic bags to make. It is super fun and kids love helping. You can make a creamy treat in about ten minutes and you get cooled off in the process! Start with vanilla and then work in whatever twists sound good.

Prep: 10

Cook: 0

Total: 10

Equipment

1 quart Ziploc bag
1 gallon Ziploc bag

Ingredients

Instructions

Pour the half and half, sugar and vanilla in the quart sized bag. Try to squeeze out as much air as possible and then securely close the bag.
1 cup half and half, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Put the ice and salt in the larger bag. Insert the quart sized bag into the gallon bag. Again, try to remove the air and then securely close the bag.
⅓ cup salt, 3 cups ice
Shake the bags for about 7 minutes or until the ice cream reaches your desired consistency.
Remove the quart sized bag and enjoy the ice cream contents!