How to make Ice Cream out of Snow

Yes, you can eat snow! (Just don’t eat YELLOW snow – that’s always a good rule to follow.) My grandmother used to make snow ice cream for us kids on the rare occasions it snowed in Alabama. I honestly don’t know how she managed to scrape up enough for a bowl of ice cream — because even when it snowed, there was barely anything on the ground at all.

Grab a bowl and a spoon. And a snow shovel. 

I’m a southern gal who has grown up to live in some true winter climates like Alaska and now Utah. I know cold weather and snow quite well. It’s fun to find ways to enjoy the snow with my kids. Making Snow Cream is a winter activity we do at least once a year. You don’t need a special ice cream machine. A bowl and spoon are the main equipment. Or, you can make snow ice cream using only a Ziploc bag. Kids especially love to make it that way.

If you live somewhere it snows, you should try to make snow cream! Gathering snow for the ice cream is easy to do. I like to get the freshest snow right after a good several inches have fallen. Your snow must be absolutely 100% clean and free from dirt and rocks. You’re going to be eating it!

How to Make Ice Cream Out of Snow.

My snow ice cream recipe is different from my granny’s. She used raw eggs in hers and I do not. My recipe couldn’t be any simpler. All you need is 2 ingredients and one of those is SNOW. The second ingredient is a 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk. Gather 8 cups of clean snow into a large bowl and pour a can of sweetened condensed milk over the snow. Stir until mixed well. It’s ready to eat!

Making snow cream is not an exact science – you can add more/less snow or more/less condensed milk to get the snow cream to your desired taste and consistency. Our Utah snow is almost always dry and powdery, so it usually takes a little more snow to get it just right. A heavier, wet snow may not need any adjustments.

Let the kids help! Make Snow Cream in Ziploc Baggies.

If the kids want to help make the snow cream, let them fill a sandwich-sized Ziploc bag with snow. Pour in a small amount of condensed milk and seal the bag so your child can squish/mix the snow and milk until it turns into snow cream. Then let them grab a spoon and dig in!

That’s really all there is to it. Enjoy eating your snow ice cream!

Have you ever made ice cream out of snow? Do you have a special recipe or ingredients for snow cream?