Yes, but your cooler might crack.

Yes, but you need to be smart about it. Dry ice is -109°F, and most regular coolers are made of plastic that gets brittle in extreme cold. A sudden temperature shock can crack the liner or warp the lid, especially on cheap coolers.

The bigger issue is ventilation. Dry ice sublimates into carbon dioxide gas, which builds up pressure. If you seal the cooler airtight, it can bulge or pop open. Worst case, your cooler becomes a CO2 bomb. Leave the drain plug open or crack the lid slightly—never lock it.

Also: don’t put dry ice directly against the walls or food. Wrap it in newspaper or a towel, and keep food in separate containers. And obviously, never handle dry ice with bare skin.

A rotomolded cooler (Yeti, RTIC) handles the cold better, but even then, give the gas an escape route. If you do it right, dry ice can keep things frozen for days. If you do it wrong, you’ll have a cracked cooler and a garage full of invisible gas.

Dry ice works, but it demands respect.