Coffee Creamer Is Your Secret To Easy, Flavorful Homemade Ice Cream

What if we told you that you don't need the viral Ninja CREAMi machine to make ice cream at home? You only need two sealable plastic bags (one quart-sized and one gallon-sized will do), ice, salt, and one unexpected ingredient that's already in your fridge: Coffee creamer. The process is quick, easy, and fun. Fill the smaller bag with coffee creamer, squeeze out the air, and seal it tightly. Fill the larger bag halfway with ice and add salt on top — for a gallon-sized bag, you'll need ½ cup of salt. Put the small bag inside the ice-filled bag and seal well. Now comes the fun part: shake the bag. Vigorously shake it for at least three minutes. After that, your homemade ice cream is ready to serve. Pour it from the smaller bag into a chilled bowl, or stick it in the freezer to enjoy later.

If you're wondering how come this works, the magic is in the salt. Adding salt directly to the ice prevents the latter from melting too fast, which is very helpful when you're shaking the bag. With the salt keeping the ice temperature at a lower melting point, the ice stays cold enough to quickly chill the coffee creamer, turning it to the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Yup, science is cool, and this little trick could be the perfect summer science project to do with kids!

Coffee creamer ice cream is sweet and delicious on its own, but it can also act as a blank canvas for different flavors and toppings. If you're going to add flavored extracts, do so before you shake the bag. Use peppermint for a refreshing taste, fruit extracts for flavorful sweetness, or bourbon extract for an adult indulgence. You can even simplify the flavoring process by using flavored creamer from the get-go, such as chocolate, almond, or caramel.

For toppings, you can't go wrong with chocolate chips, coconut flakes, toasted walnuts, or drizzled peanut butter. We also love the combo of crushed pretzels with dulce de leche. If you're feeling really adventurous, treat yourself to the unexpected pairing of ice cream and hot sauce or try these unique and unconventional toppings. That's the beauty of homemade ice cream — you can customize it exactly to your liking.

Your coffee creamer ice cream will also come in handy for ice cream based desserts. The two-ingredient ice cream pie specifically calls for softer ice cream, which you now have at the ready. Alternatively, place the ice cream in the freezer to firm up the consistency and then turn it into lemon ice cream sandwiches, or play around with other heavenly cookie and ice cream pairings.