It’s not often that making something at home is easier than going out and buying it, but homemade Mason jar ice cream comes pretty close. All you have to do is combine heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a Mason jar, give it a good shake, and freeze. Shaking the ingredients in a Mason jar is one of the many ways you can make ice cream without a machine, but it offers some of the most authentic results. It also happens to be a deliciously versatile method; the ice cream flavors can be as adventurous as you feel. From mixing in crowd pleasers like brownie and cookie chunks to trying out cheese and ice cream combinations, which taste much better than they sound, this is an ideal way to explore every ice cream flavor you were ever curious about. Best of all, this allows you to reuse all those Mason jars you may have been considering getting rid of.
You can make ice cream in almost any-sized Mason jar as long as you can give it a vigorous shake. However, remember that straight-sided Mason jars are safest for freezing since they’re unlikely to shatter. Small Mason jars, like the pint-sized kind, are more common and make enough ice cream for one or two servings. However, you can go up to a half-gallon Mason jar as long as you’re ready for a workout, since you have to shake the ingredients together for a four or so minutes to get the right consistency. The jar should also have enough empty space to allow for the ingredients to move around, mix, and aerate. Freeze for about three hours, and you have Mason jar ice cream.
Mason jar ice cream opens up a world of customizable flavors
Mason jar ice cream starts with a base of heavy cream, and you can start experimenting with flavors right away by infusing this ingredient. Simply whisking in espresso powder or toasted coconut can add delicious notes. Or, you can get more adventurous and make tea or flower-infused cream. Delicate infusions like the latter need to be steeped overnight in the fridge since heat degrades their flavor. However, when using ingredients whose oils need to be extracted, like cinnamon or orange zest, simmer them in cream for about five minutes, strain, and refrigerate the liquid until you’re ready to make ice cream with it.
Mix-ins and toppings are even more open-ended, since you can use just about anything from pretzel pieces and crispy bacon bits to fresh fruits and nuts. Simply add them in with the other ingredients and shake together. With so many genius sweetened condensed milk hacks to choose from, this thick, creamy ingredient is another friend whenever you’re making homemade ice cream. While you can mix it into the heavy cream mixture to give the frozen treat a richer texture, consider making easy caramel with sweetened condensed milk for a decadent caramel swirl in your Mason jar ice cream. Swirls can also be made with chocolate, peanut butter, or fruit preserves, and must be added halfway through the freezing process. This is because the cream has to thicken sufficiently in the freezer so the swirl doesn’t sink to the bottom of the jar. To do so, pour in your swirl and stir the mixture gently before freezing the jar for another hour or two. Remember that the more you stir, the thinner the swirl gets.
