Ice cream is an amazing treat! Especially on those beautiful summer nights. But stopping buy your local shop can add up throughout the season. That’s why sometimes it’s nice to make your own homemade ice cream. It can sound intimidating, but it can actually be super easy. Here’s our guide to making ice cream at home!

The easiest way to make ice cream takes only four ingredients, a mason jar, and just a bit of elbow grease. 1 cup of heavy cream, 1.5 tablespoons of granulated sugar, .5 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt is all it takes. Add these ingredients to a mason jar, twist the lid on tight, and shake. This is where the elbow grease comes in. The mixture needs a good shake for 4 to 5 minutes, if you can call in some backup or other members of the household that will certainly help. Just tell them they will be getting ice cream out of the deal!

Once it’s nice and shaken, the mixture will have doubled in size and nicely coats the back of a spoon. Once you’ve reached this point you know you’re ready for the next step…freezing! Store the jar in the freezer and in about 3 hours, you should have created firm, scoopable ice cream. This is the simplest way, but definitely add in your own flavorings to the base or toppings to the final ice cream product.

You can also make ice cream in plastic baggie at home. Add the same ingredients to small, resealable plastic bag, make sure all the excess air is out and the bag is sealed tightly. Meanwhile, combine salt and ice in a large resealable plastic bag.  Place the small bag inside the large bag and shake, elbow grease again, but this time for 7 to 10 minutes, until the ice cream hardens. Remove from the bag and enjoy!