Be it kids or adults, we can all agree that summers are incomplete without ice cream. The rich, creamy, mixture of milk, sugar, fruit and flavour is a must-have after dinner or on a scorching afternoon or as a midnight snack.
What we are trying to say is that there’s no wrong time to have ice cream. But you can’t run to the store every now and then, and it’s best to avoid the store-bought ice cream tubs that have preservatives.
Instead, you can whip your own ice cream at home, which you will not only enjoy having, but making as well.
There are several options when it comes to homemade ice cream for toddlers and here’s the easiest of them all: the ice cream in a bag recipe. Simple, quick and effective, this recipe barely takes time to prepare and you can store it easily for a long time. You do not any special equipment or ingredients to make this, and your toddlers can help you in the kitchen as well.
With all-natural ingredients, you can stay rest assured that the kids aren’t consuming anything unhealthy. So, make sure to give these homemade ice cream for toddlers a try. And don’t forget to add lots of toppings of your choice.
Vanilla Ice Cream In A Bag
Image Source: Delish.com
One of the easiest ways to make ice cream at home. The process is fairly simple and takes about 15 minutes of preparation time. You can also add fruit pieces, dry fruits, choco chips, nuts and more to add variations to this method of making ice cream. So the sky is the limit.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup cream
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Ice
- 1/4 cup salt
- Ziploc bags – 1 small, 1 large
Method:
1. Pour milk and cream into the small zip lock bag.
2. Add 1.5 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of sugar to the mixture.
3. Firmly seal the bag and get the excess air out.
4. Take the larger zip lock bag and fill half of it with ice and then add 1/4 cup of salt.
5. Place the small bag full of ingredients inside the larger bag and top it off with extra ice. Make sure the small bag is firmly sealed. Seal the larger bag.
6. Shake the large bag for a good six minutes while wearing gloves.
7. Take the small bag out of the large bag and rinse it with cold water. Make sure to rinse the section above the seal as well so as to prevent salt from mixing with the ice cream.
8. Carefully open the small bag and mix the contents of the bag using a spoon. The ice cream mixture will be a bit crystallised at this point and you will have to mix it a bit to soften.
9. Scoop out the ice cream in an individual serving bowl and enjoy.
In addition to the ice cream in a bag, you can try these simple, healthy, and yummy homemade ice cream for toddlers.
1. Easy Banana Ice Cream
Image Source: Pexels
A quick, low-fat ice cream that’s super healthy too. Try this easy banana homemade ice cream for toddlers that you can serve without worrying too much about the calories.
Ingredients:
- 4 ripe bananas, cut into chunks
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- Toasted flaked almonds
- Chocolate sauce
Method:
1. Place the banana chunks on a flat tray and cover them well.
2. Freeze the banana chunks until they are frozen through.
3. Then add the frozen chunks to a food processor along with milk and whizz until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
4. Scoop the mixture into individual serving bowls and top it up with nuts, chocolate, sprinkles and all kinds of treats.
2. Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
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For families that have adopted a vegan lifestyle, here’s the quintessential chocolate ice cream albeit without dairy, egg, and gluten, but still tastes amazing.
Ingredients:
- 400 gm cans coconut milk – 2
- 175 gm caster sugar
- 50 gm cocoa powder
- 100 gm vegan dark chocolate, chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cornflour
Method:
1. Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan (keep a little aside) and add the sugar, cocoa, chocolate, sea salt flakes and vanilla.
2. Heat the mixture gently for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the chocolate melts.
3. Then mix the cornflour with the reserve coconut milk until smooth. Pour the mix into the hot milk in the saucepan and cook for another 10 minutes. Make sure to stir constantly until the mixture thickens.
4. Strain the mixture into a bowl and leave it to cool to room temperature.
5. Pour the cooled mixture into a churner for about 20-30 minutes until it turns into soft-scoop ice cream. Alternately you can stir pour the mixture in a wide plastic tub and freeze for three hours, stirring it every 20 minutes to break up the large ice crystals.
6. Store in a sealable container and serve when required.
3. Strawberry Ice Cream
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Strawberries are always popular with toddlers and making ice cream whilst they’re in season is a great way to utilise them creatively.
Ingredients:
- 400g strawberries with the stalks removed
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice
- 600 ml double cream
- 300 ml whole milk
- 150 gm white caster sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
1. Put strawberries in a food processor and whizz till it turns into a puree. Add a little bit of lemon juice to taste.
2. Warm the cream and milk and pan till it starts steaming. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar for a minute till it turns pale yellow.
3. Pour the hot cream mixture into the eggs and keep whisking as you pour.
4. Strain the mixture through a sieve and back into the pan. Cook the mixture on low to medium heat until it thickens.
5. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes at room temperature. Then set it in the freezer to chill for one hour.
6. Now, add the strawberry puree and vanilla to the cold mixture. Add more vanilla or lemon as necessary.
7. Freeze the ice cream for four hours but make sure to whisk every hour or blend it in a food processor to remove any ice crystals.
8. The ice cream will stay fresh for a good two months. Make sure to serve with pieces of strawberry in the bowl.
4. Coconut, Caramel & Pecan Dairy-free Ice Cream
Image Source: Pexels
For toddlers who are lactose intolerant, they have the option of dairy-free ice creams as well. Try this easy, creamy coconut, caramel and pecan ice cream recipe at home.
Ingredients:
- 400 ml cans full-fat coconut milk – 2
- 3 egg yolks
- 4 tbsp coconut sugar or caster sugar
- Dash vanilla extract
- 50 g pecans, toasted and chopped
Method:
1. Whisk the coconut milk until smooth and add about 600 ml of it into a saucepan. Then, heat it until it starts steaming. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with sugar and vanilla.
2. Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolks and whisk constantly
3. Pour the coconut milk and egg mixture into the pan and cook it on medium heat, stirring 5-6 minutes until you have a thin custard-like consistency.
4. Strain and let it cool at room temperature.
5. Meanwhile, take coconut milk and sugar in the saucepan with a pinch of salt. Boil the mixture for three minutes until it has a consistency of double cream.
6. Add the caramel and pecans through the ice cream mix and cover the surface using a cling film.
7. Let the ice cream mixture chill in the freezer for three hours before serving it to the kids.
5. Raspberry Sorbet
Image Source: Pexels
For kids who aren’t big fans of milk-based desserts, the raspberry sorbet is a fantastic alternative that sweet to the tooth without too much effort going in.
Ingredients:
- 200 gm granulated sugar
- 500 gm raspberries
- Diced raspberries to serve
- Lemon juice
Method:
1. Put the sugar and 270 ml water in a saucepan on low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Raise the heat and simmer for five minutes, or until the liquid turns into syrup. Set aside to cool.
3. Put the raspberries and lemon juice in a food processor and mix until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and discard the seeds.
4. Combine the raspberry mix with sugar syrup and then pour it into a freezer-proof container.
5. Freeze the mix for about one hour and 30 minutes, then whisk to break up any ice crystals that may have formed. Put it back in the freezer to chill.
6. Mix the sorbet every hour for four hours in order to break up the ice crystals. Stop mixing when sorbet is firm but can be scooped.
7. Serve with freshly cut raspberries.
These were our five picks for homemade ice cream for toddlers and kids. Do you have any favourite ice cream recipes of your own? Make sure to share them with us.
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