• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Menu
  • Science Experiments for Kids
  • Science Fair Projects
  • Science Questions
  • Fun Science Facts for Kids
  • Science Worksheets
  • About Us
    • Disclosure
    • Contact Science Sparks
    • Cookie Policy
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Science Sparks logo

Menu
  • Science Projects
  • STEM Challenges
  • Early Years Science
    • Preschool Science
    • Sensory and Messy Play
    • Understanding of the World
    • Pirate Science Experiments
  • Primary Science
    • Baking Soda Experiments
    • Candy Experiments
    • Biology for Kids
    • Climate Change for Kids
    • Coding for Kids
    • Chemistry for kids
    • Electricity for Kids
    • Magic Science Experiments
    • Harry Potter Experiments
    • Human Body Science
    • Air Pressure Experiments
    • Life Cycles
    • LEGO Science Experiments
    • Kitchen Science
    • Famous Scientists
    • Forces and Motion
    • Key Stage 1 Science
      • Animals
      • Everyday Materials
      • Plants
      • Coding Activities
      • Humans and Health
      • Fine Motor skills
      • Science and Literacy
    • Key Stage 2 Science
      • Animals, Including Humans
      • Electricity
      • Light
      • Plants
      • Materials and their Properties
  • Holiday Science
    • Christmas Science
    • Halloween Science
    • Easter Science

Make Ice Cream in a Bag

September 6, 2018 By Emma Vanstone 4 Comments

Did you know you can make homemade ice cream in a bag in less than 10 minutes with just milk, salt and ice? You don’t even need a freezer!!

This awesome kitchen science experiment for kids involves lots of interesting chemistry and you end up with a great tasting dessert at the end!

What is ice cream?

Ice cream is made up of droplets of fat from milk jumbled up with millions of tiny crystals of ice and pockets of air.

We’re going to use the freezing power of salt and ice to create ice crystals in milk without a freezer!

Homemade Ice Cream In A Bag

What you need to make ice cream in a bag

A large bag of ice

Salt

Milk – we used chocolate milk

A tablespoon sugar and a tea spoon vanilla essence – optional

Ziploc bags

Tea towel

ingredients for making homemade ice cream using salt and ice - ice cream in a bag experiment

How to make ice cream in a bag

Pour a cup of milk into a ziploc bag. Add the sugar and vanilla essence ( or just use flavoured milk ). Make sure the bag is properly sealed.

Half fill a bigger ziploc bag with ice and add a good amount of salt.

Put the milk bag into the ice bag and give it a good shake.

Keep the milk in contact with the ice as much as possible.

Keep rolling the ice over the milk, the ice in the bag will get VERY cold, so  put a towel around the bag to protect your hands.

Check the milk after 5 minutes, it should be a similar consistency to ice cream, if not keep going for a bit longer.

bag of ice and salt with a second bag with milk inside - ice cream in a bag experiment

Why does ice cream in a bag work?

Pure water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius. The addition of salt lowers the freezing point by a few degrees ( freezing point depression ). This means when salt is added to the ice in the outer bag, the ice (which is at 0°C) is above its freezing point, so starts to melt. Melting needs energy which in this case comes from the milk mixture in the inner bag. Heat energy is absorbed from the milk making ice crystals form between the tiny fat molecules.

The more salt that is added to the ice, the lower the freezing point. For the ice to melt heat must be absorbed from the surroundings ( in this case the milk mixture ) causing it to freeze.

The ice will feel VERY cold, which is why you’ll need a towel to cover the bag after a  few minutes.

Practical applications of salt – why is salt added to roads in cold weather?

During cold weather salt and grit are applied to roads, the salt makes the ice melt even if the air temperature is below freezing point.

Extension ideas

Place a mixture of ice and salt in a freezer to investigate whether it freezes or not.


This activity would be perfect for a science club or fun STEM Challenge. You could even have a competition to see who can make the COLDEST ice cream!

ice cream in a bag experiment - kitchen science for kids

See our other kitchen science experiments for kids here.

 

Tweet

Filed Under: Chemistry for kids, Kitchen Science, Science Experiments for Kids Tagged With: homemade ice cream, How do you make plastic?, How to make ice cream with salt and ice, ice cream in a bag

Previous Post: « Villages Nature® Paris
Next Post: Ice Experiments »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Becky

    August 16, 2015 at 6:35 am

    ooh we are going to have to try that Emma

    Reply
  2. Naomi Lavelle

    August 16, 2015 at 11:46 am

    Great science activity, thanks for sharing. I think I will try this with my kids this week, they’ll love it!

    Reply
  3. rock salt alternatives

    February 12, 2019 at 10:52 am

    Great activity, I Love winter season so much.Reading your article I have found some awesome tips. Thanks for sharing this nice post with us.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Science Sparks in Reception! | Peel Hall Primary School Blog says:
    January 10, 2017 at 11:02 pm

    […] https://www.science-sparks.com/2015/08/14/how-to-make-ice-cream-with-ice-and-salt/ […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

What are you looking for?

Snackable Science Book

Footer

ELF STEM Challenges
Catapult for Santa
Halloween Shadow Puppets
Halloween chia seed slime
TOTS100 - UK Parent Blogs
TOTS100

Copyright © 2019 · Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cookies are used on Science Sparks so that we may improve our site. These cookies feedback information to our analytics and advertisers. We use the information to track views of the site, where you go and to know if you are a regular visitor or brand new as well as provide a personalised experience where possible. You can switch off these cookies easily if you wish. Follow the Read More link for more information.OkRead more