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–+ servings
Ice Cream in a Bag
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
2 small servings
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Ice cream mix

  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • ½ cup half-and-half milk or heavy cream also work
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract

For the ice bath

  • 4 cups ice cubes
  • ½ cup salt rock or table salt — for freezing, not eaten
  • Stir the sugar, half-and-half, and vanilla together in a small zip-top bag. Press out the air and seal it tightly.
  • Put the ice in a large zip-top bag and stir in the salt.
  • Set the small sealed bag inside the large bag of salty ice and seal the large bag.
  • Shake and massage the bags for about 5 minutes, wearing oven mitts or wrapping the bag in a towel — it gets colder than plain ice. The mix is ready when it firms into soft ice cream.
  • Wipe the salty water off the outside of the small bag before opening it, so none gets into the ice cream. Eat right away.
The salt is the trick — it makes the ice cold enough to freeze the cream. Without it, the mix stays liquid.