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Hi Bold Bakers!
When it comes to making ice cream, I showed you a few years ago that you don’t need an ice cream machine to make it — but you could achieve amazing ice cream made by an electric mixer. It doesn’t get much easier than that, right? WRONG! Brace yourselves for How to Make Homemade Ice Cream In a Jar!!!!
What is Homemade Ice Cream In A Jar?
You start out with 3 things: heavy whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, and a jar! Get your work out on and shake them up really well until the mixture thickens. The shaking incorporates air into the mix which thickens the cream. Within minutes, hey presto you have Homemade Ice Cream in a Jar. It is literally that easy.
[ Don’t forget I have over 100+ ice cream flavors and frozen desserts in my Freezer Section! ]

What You Need To Make Ice Cream In A Jar
Get a pen and write this down:
Is that really all you need?? Yes, and it makes fantastic ice cream.
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream In A Jar
Here’s how simple it is (and don’t forget to get the full recipe with measurements, down below):
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Place into the fridge a 12 oz glass jar with a tight, sealable lid for 30 minutes. (I don’t recommend a plastic container as it will be very difficult and messy to work with).
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Into the jar add the heavy whipping cream and
condensed milk. Stir really well until combined.
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Seal the jar tightly and shake really well until you can feel the mix has thickened. This can take anywhere from 6-10 minutes. This timing all depends on how hard you are shaking so it might take more or less time. When the mix doesn’t sound as loose that means it is whipped and thick.
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Now, you have a thick and creamy ice cream base to turn into any flavor of ice cream you want. Check out the recipe below on how to make Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate Ice Cream.

Gemma’s Pro Tips For Making Ice Cream In A Jar
- Substitute for cream? Unfortunately, there is not! It has to be cream, not milk. And it has to have a minimum of 36% fat content.
- Make your own condensed milk! It’s just sugar and milk. Find the recipe here for my Condensed Milk.
- Listen to your ice cream: Once the mix sounds less and less liquid you can tell it is ticketing. That is when it’s ready.
- Can you over-shake it? Yes, and it can split, so take a peek to make sure you haven’t shaken it too much.
- Don’t put the glass jar into a freeze! I use these disposable Ice-Cream Containers or you can use plastic Tupperware.
- Want to make more flavors? Follow the same guidelines for my No Machine Ice-Cream and see you can make any flavor you like.
How do I store ice cream? How long does it last?
In an ice-cream container, disposable Ice-Cream Containers, or a freezable container, freeze your ice-cream for a minimum of 6 hours before enjoying. Store in the freezer for up to 8 weeks.

Make More Homemade Ice Cream!
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking cookbook!
Want even more ice cream? Get 100+ ice cream flavors and frozen desserts in my frozen section!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
No ice cream machine? No electric mixer? No problem. Let me show you How to Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Jar, using ONLY a jar and your own muscles with just 2 ingredients!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 1 pint
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8floz/225ml) cold heavy whipping cream (36% fat content)
- 4 tablespoons cold condensed milk, (store-bought or Homemade)
Vanilla Ice-Cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, optional
Strawberry Ice-Cream
- ½ cup (2 ½oz/71g) strawberry puree
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Chocolate Ice-Cream
- ⅓ cup (2oz/57g) bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Instructions
Place a 12 oz glass jar with a tight, sealable lid in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes (I don't recommend a plastic container as it will be much harder to whip).
Into the cold jar pour in the cold heavy whipping cream and cold condensed milk and stir really well with a spoon. Seal the jar tightly and shake really well until you can feel the mix thicken in roughly 6-8 minutes. This timing all depends on how hard you are shaking so it might take more or less time. When the ice cream doesn't sound as liquid and it has thickened to soft peaks you are done. (See video above!)
Now, you have a thick and creamy blank canvas to turn into any flavor of Ice cream you want. Below are just some of the most popular flavors.
Freezing and Storing your Ice Cream
In a disposable ice cream container or a plastic freezable container, freeze your ice-cream for a minimum of 6 hours before enjoying. Store in the freezer for up to 8 weeks.