Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Maker: The Bag Method

How do you make ice cream without an ice cream maker? Is it possible? We discovered one method that has worked quite well for many cooks, and we decided to try it for ourselves and report back on how well it worked.

We were admittedly skeptical; supposedly easy DIY projects like this don't always work for us. But we were rather shocked by how well it went. The resulting ice cream was creamy and soft — rather like soft-serve, but with much less air.

Read on for step-by-step instructions and an easy, quick way into delicious summer ice cream!

But first, before you read these instructions, check out our more recent (and much more highly recommended!) method for making ice cream without a machine:

• How To Make Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Machine: An Easy, Foolproof Method

The Bag Method

This project calls for ice, kosher salt, quart or pint-sized Ziploc bags, and one gallon-sized Ziploc bag. We made a few additions too. We wrapped the gallon-sized Ziploc bag in a couple of plastic grocery store bags, since it had a tendency to leak. You also want a towel to hold the very cold bag as you shake the ice cream.

We really recommend doing this outside - maybe we're just sloppy, but somehow we ended up with shards of melting ice all over our kitchen floor! It's an outside activity, we think.

1. Make and chill the ice cream base - Make sure your ice cream mix is well-chilled - preferably overnight.

2. Bag up ice cream mix, plus ice and salt - Put no more than 2 cups of the ice cream mix in a quart baggie and seal securely. Fill a gallon-sized bag halfway up with ice, then pour in about 1/2 cup kosher salt. Mix it around, then put in the quart size bag. Make sure the smaller bag is covered with ice.

3. Shake, shake, shake - Seal the larger bag securely and place it in a couple layers of plastic shopping bags. Shake or rotate the bag for at least five minutes - preferably 10.

4. Open and check - Open carefully to avoid getting salt in the inner bag. The ice cream should be in a soft mass by now - if not, close up again, add some ice and shake some more.

We were so shocked to actually see ice cream in the little bag! Another few minutes of shaking and it would have been quite firm.

Tip: Turn the little bag inside out into a large bowl, carefully, to get all the ice cream out.

Some Favorite Ice Cream Recipes
• Thomas Jefferson's Vanilla Ice Cream
• Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
• Grapefruit Chocolate Chunk
• Coffee Chip Ice Cream

Originally posted July 12, 2007.

Comments (21)

So, I don't have to buy/make room for a new appliance, I can get some exercise and probably entertain barbecue guests, and at the end of it all, I get to eat some ice cream without carrageenan or mono and diglycerides (or something else impossibly hard to spell) in it.

Yay!...I really really hope this method works for me!

This method totally works! I used to do it as a kid using rice milk.

Wow! I still plan on buying an ice cream maker, but this looks like a handy method to employ while I'm saving up the scratch. Thanks!

What about the method that you put the cooled prepared ice cream liquid in the freezer and mix it every 20 minutes. I used to make it before I had an ice cream maker and it worked perfectly. This method seems a bit too much work... All the ice cream recipe books quote this method as the easiest to make ice cream or sorbettis...

you can also do this using 2 coffee cans, one 1 lb and the other 3lb. i did this in science class in middle school!

http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/kickcan.html?trnstl=1

I like the coffee can idea! I remember doing this exact project in high school chemistry, and some of the more, uhh, "vigorous" shakers ended up with saltwater in their ice cream.

i got excited about this and then realized i am too dang lazy to shake for that long.

If anyone else tries this, do send us a photo and/or report! Coffee can pics would be great too...

ung - that's when you recruit - uh, make up a game for - a few small yet boundlessly energetic children.

Enjoyed this idea when presented last month on AT:

http://nursery.apartmenttherapy.com/nursery/how-to/how-to-making-ice-cream-in-a-bag-024340

ooh, i love this, cant believe i hadnt heard of it before.

question though:
so basically you need a large vessel in which to fit a smaller vessel sorounded by salt water kinda like a bain marie.
could one use a canning or spaghetti jar as the cream mix vessel?
i'd be worried about salt water getting in and ruining the mix and i figure you can seal that better than a coffee can or plastic bag.
or would glass just insulate the cream mix and make it take even longer to cool down?

Oh my goodness, I'm going to try this out tonight!

This is great for kids to do! We've done it before and it turns out great. It won't be firm like store-bought, but it's still really good ice cream. This would also be a good idea for camping or picnics. :)

Someone actually manufactures ice-cream-maker balls that can be tossed and kicked around. A unitasker, but a fun one. 8)

I do this with my preschool class in the summer. We did the coffee can method as kids on rainy days.

I did this exactly once. Giant pain. I am a patient woman but come on, this is not how ice cream is made, unless you are 6 and bored.

Everyone should do this exactly once, so they will have no problem parting with the $40 for the Cuisinart home churn.

This is what we did on my first day in Chemistry in 11th grade. Needless to say, I loved that teacher.

I tried the two-bag method a couple months back, making a pineapple-rum ice cream. It is very easy and convenient for single servings:
http://emuisemo.com/?p=10

When making ice cream sans the machine I prefer liquid nitrogen route. Though, it probably has less to do with the ice cream and more to do with my getting to play with liquid nitrogen.

http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/Henry/Icecream/Icecream.html

Just tried this last night.

WARNING: Almond milk will NOT work. I discovered that it's because there's not enough fat content. (but will make an interesting cold treat if you freeze it, then blend it)

Will try again tonight with regular milk or half/half.

This reminds me of a blog that showed the bag method using a dryer!!!?!

It's funny what people will try.

Kids love this recipe, I know I did! It's fun, easy, and educational. My taste for ice cream eventually brought me to buy an Ice cream maker, because I need to keep my freezer full of my favorite flavors :)