You Don't Need an Ice Cream Maker for Homemade Ice Cream

Summer is incomplete without ice cream. The creamy dessert practically defines the season! It's been eaten in the United States for centuries, since the inception of the country. The first ice cream parlor in America opened up in 1776, when the early American settlers were the first people to coin the name for the cold treat. Since ice cream is such a classic dessert (and sometimes even a snack), why not learn to make it at home? It's easy to make ice cream with a special ice cream maker, but you don't actually need it.

Homemade Ice Cream Without A Machine

It's easy to make homemade ice cream without an ice cream maker. Did you know you can actually make homemade ice cream in a plastic bag? The most basic homemade ice cream recipe requires only four ingredients, five minutes and two plastic bags, one gallon-sized and one pint-sized. With sugar, cream or half and half, vanilla extract (or another type of flavoring you prefer), ice and salt, you can make ice cream at home. Mix the salt and ice in the larger gallon-sized bag. Combine the sugar, cream and vanilla into the pint-sized bag and seal it carefully into the bigger Ziploc bag. Shake the two bags vigorously. The mixture should harden and become ice cream!

Another way to make homemade ice cream is to simply blend all of the ingredients and flavorings you're using together, and then freeze them. This version also doesn't require an ice cream maker, but is easier to do with a blender or electric stand mixer.

Easy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Vanilla ice cream may be the easiest to make at home because the only flavoring it requires is vanilla extract. Most recipes for chocolate ice cream call for cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate. However, once you become a pro at homemade ice cream, you can mix and match flavorings just the way you like.

Easy Homemade Ice Cream Recipes

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Salty Caramel Ice Cream
Thin Mint Cookie Ice Cream
Frozen Banana Ice Cream
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Head over to Style Me Pretty Living for The Ultimate Ice Cream Roundup.

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