Enjoy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream With 4 Ingredients, 2 Plastic Bags, And 5 Minutes

Vanilla ice cream continually claims the throne for the most popular ice cream flavor, both globally and in the US. And while you can always pick up a store-bought tub, homemade ice cream is the ultimate indulgence. The best part is that you don't even need any fancy equipment or special ingredients to achieve the creamiest, dreamiest vanilla ice cream right at home.

All that's required for this simple recipe is a few plastic bags and some ice to act as a makeshift ice cream maker, along with milk, whipping cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. To execute it, add ½ cup of whole milk, 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup of sugar, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to a bowl, stirring to combine. Then add the mixture to a large ziplock bag, sealing it thoroughly while leaving a bit of air between the liquid and the top of the bag. Add 3-4 cups of ice and ⅓ cup of salt to the second bag before placing the ice cream-filled bag inside of it and sealing. Wrap a kitchen towel around the bags and shake vigorously for 5 minutes. Salt lowers the freezing point of water, causing the ice to start melting. The melted ice will absorb heat from the dairy mixture, which helps the dairy mixture freeze. You will need sufficient elbow grease; rigorous shaking prevents ice crystals from forming in the ice cream mixture while also whipping the ice cream into the smoothest, soft-serve like texture.

While shaking the bag vigorously will turn the liquid mixture into a semi-solid, creamy texture, the length of time you need to shake it for can vary depending on how much gusto you're putting into it. Some recipes recommend shaking for at least 10 minutes to transform the liquid into ice cream. Use the coarsest salt you can find because it will prolong the time it takes the ice to dissolve it. Once the ice cream has formed, you'll want to eat it as soon as possible, or at least scoop it out of the bag and into a receptacle to place in the freezer. A great ice cream trick for maximum enjoyment is to pre-freeze your bowls so that every scoop will maintain its integrity without becoming a creamy puddle a few bites in.

You can adjust the sweetness and the strength of the vanilla flavoring based on your preferences. You can also take the ice cream in many flavorful directions with countless toppings and sauces. And the bag trick will work with pretty much any ice cream flavor you have in mind. If you're a chocolate lover, you can add hot fudge or a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the vanilla base. You can swap the vanilla extract for peppermint extract and add mini chocolate chips to the mixture for a homemade mint chip flavor. If you want a dairy free option, try a simple three-ingredient coconut milk ice cream. Or make your life even easier with a two-ingredient ice cream recipe using sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream – and get to shaking.