How To Pipe Your Ice Cream For A Soft-Serve Experience At Home

As the days shorten, we're starting to hear the jolly jingle of the ice cream truck less and less. Though summer always does fade away, a hankering for good soft serve ice cream is bound to hit any time of the year, and we're here to help you make ice cream at home – no fancy machine required. With a little ingenuity, a soda bottle, and a Ziploc bag, you can turn store-bought ice cream into a creamy, swirly masterpiece that rivals your favorite ice cream shop. Here's how to transform your kitchen into your own soft-serve station.

It all starts with a DIY hack: a soda bottle nozzle. Take a small plastic bottle and cut off the top from about halfway down the neck, then carefully carve a star-shaped hole into the lid using a craft knife (no need for a professional piping kit here). If you don't feel up for this part, simply using the open bottle top should work fine. Slip this bottle top into the corner of a large Ziploc bag just like you'd drop a piping tip into a piping bag. Fill the bag with softened ice cream, and voila — you've got a makeshift piping bag. Gently squeeze the bag and swirl the ice cream onto your cone or bowl in that signature soft-serve fashion. And remember, you don't need an ice cream machine to make ice cream at home — this trick gives you swirls worthy of an Instagram post.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can go beyond store-bought by making homemade ice cream in a bag — yep, in a bag! Mix cream, sugar, and vanilla in a Ziploc bag pop it into another bag filled with ice and salt, and shake it like your dessert depends on it for about 5 – 10 minutes. Like magic, you'll have smooth, creamy ice cream ready to swirl onto cones. Softening store-bought ice cream in the fridge for about 10 minutes is another easy option before piping it into those picture-perfect spirals.

We all scream for ice cream, but what about custard? The main difference between custard and soft serve ice cream is that custard includes egg yolks, which give it a thicker, creamier texture. To make homemade custard, you'll need to heat milk, cream, sugar, salt, and egg yolks on the stove until they form a thick base. Cool it down, then freeze it like you would regular ice cream. The result? A velvety dessert that holds up beautifully when piped into swirls, offering a richer, more indulgent flavor and a thick texture that will hold a little longer.

Now that you know how to create the perfect soft serve presentation at home, you can kick it up a notch for Carvel-worthy homemade treats. Try cutting different patterns into the bottle cap for a variety of piping patterns, like a flower or heart shape, or skip the bottle altogether and use a real piping bag with decorative tips. This lets you create professional-looking designs that are fun and easy.

If you're feeling extra creative in the kitchen, try using this method to make ice cream sandwiches or even cakes! Pipe your soft serve or custard between two cookies for a fun, handheld treat. For cakes, pipe your ice cream into layers, alternating with cake or cookie crumbles, then freeze it until firm for a stunning (and tasty!) dessert. The piping pattern will take your cake from homemade to professional-looking with ease.