Easy Freezer Bag Ice Cream-
Easy Freezer Bag Ice Cream is simple to make and no ice cream maker is needed. Only a few ingredients and has a low carb and paleo option. Oh, and the low carb version is incredible!
Watch Short Recipe Video Above ⇑⇑
Easy Freezer Bag Ice Cream is a simple, versatile recipe, and fun way to make a single serve ice cream without an ice cream maker. It tastes unbelievably good, and so much like old fashioned creamy homemade ice cream from the old school crank and churn maker.
It can be made paleo or low carb, depending on which cream option and sweetener option you use in the recipe.
Yum!! You can also add homemade chocolate syrup or caramel sauce to the ice cream. I included my Chocolate Syrup recipe at the bottom of the post.
Easy Freezer Bag Ice Cream
Ingredients:
- ½ cup heavy cream, or coconut cream for paleo (dairy-free version)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp minced ground vanilla bean *optional (but very good)
- 1 tbsp sweetener of choice: erythritol for low carb ( I used Swerve), or coconut sugar for paleo
- 4 cups ice
- ⅓ cup salt
Directions:
- In a medium bowl combine: heavy cream or coconut cream, vanilla extract, optional vanilla bean, and sweetener of choice. Mix together well.
- Pour the mixture into the zippered sandwich bag and zip bag closed.
- In the gallon size, freezer bag add the 4 cups ice and ⅓ cup salt.
- Place the closed bag with liquid ingredients into the freezer bag of ice and salt. Close the freezer bag.
- Shake the whole bag for at least 6 minutes to 10 minutes or more until ice cream is the desired firmness. Can shake more for firmer ice cream (it can be soft server texture to slightly firmer)
- Remove the sandwich bag from the freezer bag. Rinse closed sandwich bag in cool water to get the salt water off of bag before opening, otherwise, your ice cream could get salt in it. You can also put the bag in the freezer after rinsing for 20 minutes to an hour or until ice cream is as firm as you like it.
- Scoop into a serving bowl. Can top with homemade chocolate syrup, or sugar-free chocolate syrup, or caramel sauce if desired. Chocolate Syrup recipe at bottom of the post.
Nutritional Data for Low Carb Version, (using Swerve sweetener): Servings: 1, Serving Size: 1/2 cup, Cal: 408, Carbs: 3 g, Net carbs: 3 g, Fiber: 0 g, Fat: 46 g, Protein: 2 g, Sugars: 1 g
* all nutritional data are estimates based on the products I used*
Optional Chocolate Syrup Recipe (Paleo or Low carb):
- 1 tsp cocoa powder.
- 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, or butter, melted
- Sweetener of choice: 1 tsp or to taste honey for paleo, or for low carb use 6 drops or more, to taste, liquid stevia or other low carb sweeteners to taste.
Directions for Chocolate Syrup:
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter or oil and add the other ingredients and stir until mixed. Remove from heat. Cool a few minutes.
Nutritional Data for Chocolate Syrup only ( low carb version using Swerve sweetener): Servings: 1 Serving Size: 1/2 tbsp (whole recipe), Cal: 63, Carbs: 1, Net Carbs: 0.5 g, Fiber: 0.5 g, Fat: 6.5 g, Protein: 0 g, Sugars: 0 g,
Printable Recipe Card Below:
- 1 zippered sandwich bag
- 1 gallon zippered size freezer bag
- Ingredients:
- ½ cup heavy cream or coconut cream for paleo (dairy free version)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp minced vanilla bean *optional
- 1 tbsp sweetener of choice: erythritol for low carb or coconut sugar for paleo, Swerve
- 4 cups ice
- ⅓ cup salt
- In a medium bowl combine: heavy cream or coconut cream, vanilla extract, optional vanilla bean, and sweetener of choice. Mix together well.
- Pour the mixture into the zippered sandwich bag and zip bag closed.
- In the gallon size freezer bag add the 4 cups ice and ⅓ cup salt.
- Place the closed bag with liquid ingredients into the freezer bag of ice and salt. Close the freezer bag.
- Shake the whole bag for at least 6 to 10 minutes or more until ice cream is the desired firmness. Can shake more for a firmer ice cream. Remove sandwich bag from freezer bag.
- Rinse closed sandwich bag in cool water to get salt water off of bag before opening, otherwise your ice cream could get salt in it. You can put the bag in the freezer for 20 minutes to an hour, if an even firmer ice cream is desired.
- Scoop into serving bowl, or eat out of bag.
* all nutritional data are estimates based on the products I used*
Recipes You May Also Enjoy
-
- Chocolate Chip Cookies Low Carb
-
- fudgy mint cream brownies
-
- pina colada ice cream
very easy, a nice serving size – not too much, killed that craving I had and it was so yummy. I used regular table salt, wore gardeningf gloves and also held the bags in a bath towel. LOL 7 minutes and it was perfect soft-serve consistency. I ate it right out of the bag!
Thank you so much for your kind words and for trying the recipe, Jenn. The gloves & bath towel idea are genius! I should have done that, brrr.
Stacey, I’m making your ice cream. Can i just mix it well and put it in the freezer instead of using the ice cube method?
Jeanne, yes you can.
Hi! I am teaching lots of kids to make this in class, and I don’t want to make too much. Do you know how much one serving is? Also, can I substitute vanilla extract for imitation vanilla? Thanks
Hi Kate, Yes you could use imitation, but it may not be as yummy as the real extract. The serving size is about 1/2 cup of ice cream.
Thanks for this easy freezer bag ice cream receipt. It’s the only one of it’s kind that doesn’t call for sweetened condensed milk. I felt that using it would be too much sugar for my kids.
Thank you for trying it, Tre 🙂
Hi! I used 1/2 cup of coconut cream, 1 tbsp of granulated Erythritol and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. It left a syrupy residue in my throat (possibly too much sweetener) and overwhelmingly tasted only of coconut. I’ll adjust the sweetener and extract next time. Overall, it’s a decent alternative if you have no other options that are Keto friendly. Thank you.
Stacey could you just put in the freezer and turn the bag every now and then? Don’t have any rock salt.
Patricia
Great idea, Patricia! My hands get so cold!
Can I use sugar in the recipe instead of an sweetener? If so, how much?
Yes, you can and it would be the same amount.
Can you substitute vanilla extract for the minced vanilla bean? If so, how much?
You can omit the vanilla bean as it is optional. No need to add more extract.
Hello, would love to try this recipe but want to make it with coconut milk. Will it tasted too much like coconut?
Thanks!!
Hi Yolanda, The coconut milk version does have a mild coconut flavor.
Is it coconut milk or cream? Does it has to be cold?
Analiz, it is coconut cream.
I had no idea making ice cream could be this easy! Thank you for the recipe, I’m dying to try this one.
Thank you Tasha 🙂 It is fun one, and a great arm workout 🙂
What a fun idea! I think I’ll have my kids help me make ice cream. They’ll have a great time! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Kim, it is good to have the kids do the shaking part and get their wiggles out, but it is also a good arm workout, lol.
Stacey this looks so good and super easy! What I love about your recipes is the low carb or paleo info! I may try this with unsweetened vanilla cashew milk with berries, first in a blender, then transfer to the baggies. Maybe during the week I’ll test it out.
Sandi ♥
Hi Sandi, Thank you. I think cashew milk would work if the fat content is high enough, and the blender is perfect if your adding berries, or cocoa powder, or anything that needs more mixing. 🙂 Have a good weekend!