How to Make Snow Cones

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 4, 2021 References Approved

Snow cones are a delicious treat for the summer months that you can easily make at home. You can flavor this shaved ice desert with many different kinds of syrups so that everyone partaking can enjoy. As long as you have the right ingredients on hand, you can have your own delicious snow cone within minutes.

Ingredients

Fruit syrup (or fruit juice)
Ice

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making Snow Cones

1
Crush ice to your blender. You can add a little bit of ice to make a personal snow cone, a moderate amount of ice to serve a few people, or you could fill the blender with ice to create many servings. Be sure to follow the directions that came with your blender for best results.
- Depending on your blender, you might have many different settings to choose from when crushing your ice. In many cases, the puree feature will give you finely crushed ice, which is ideal for snow cones.
- You might like your snow cones with larger bits of ice. If so, you should blend your ice for a shorter period of time. Extra fine ice can be achieved by running the ice through the blender for longer.
- If you don't have a blender, you can put your ice in a heavy duty plastic bag and smash the ice with a rolling pin, hammer, or tenderizing mallet. You could also drop your ice repeatedly onto a hard surface to crush this ice, though this may take some time.^{[1]
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- You can also make your snow cone out of fresh, clean snow. You should exercise caution when doing this, though. Some snow may contain impurities that are unhealthy to consume.^{[2]
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2
Remove the ice from your blender. You can leave your ice in the blender and scoop it out for the snow cones, but you should be careful that no one accidentally cuts themselves on the blades at the bottom of the blender. To prevent this, you may want to pour or scoop your ice from the blender into a bowl.^{[3]
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- For especially large parties, you might have to prepare several blender's worth of ice and put it in a bowl for serving. You can keep your ice frozen until you're ready to serve it by keeping the blended ice in your freezer.
- You shouldn't leave your blended ice in the freezer for too long. If you do, it may refreeze leaving you with a bowl of solid ice.
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3
Scoop the ice into a cup. Traditionally, at fairs and summer events, snow cones are served in paper cones. These are a cheap and disposable way of serving your snow cones, so you may want to use these yourself. You could also use a mug cup, a paper cup, or a plastic cup, depending on your preference.^{[4]
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- You should fill your cup until it is full of crushed ice. You can use a large serving spoon, but you may want to use an ice cream scoop to give your snow cones a rounded shape.
4
Drizzle flavoring over your snow cone. There are many different ways you can flavor your snow cone. You can use juice, soda, or specially made syrups. In most cases, one to two tablespoons per two scoops of ice should be enough to flavor your snow cone.^{[5]
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- Be careful not to add too much flavoring to your frozen treat! The temperature difference could cause your snow cone to melt quickly, turning your snow cone to a slush cone.
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Enjoy your flavored ice treat. With a paper cone, it's easy enough to eat a snow cone without any utensils. For regular shaped cups or deep cups, you may want to serve your cones with a spoon.^{[6]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Creating Flavored Syrups

1
Create a Kool-Aid syrup. Add 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to a saucepan or small pot. Heat this on your stove on high until the mixture comes to a simmer and the sugar is dissolved. Then add your favorite Kool-Aid to the mix and stir until the Kool-Aid is completely dissolved.^{[7]
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- You should wait until your Kool-Aid syrup is completely cooled before you use it. This kind of syrup can often be kept in the refrigerator for up to a month.^{[8]
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2
Make a natural juice syrup. This natural syrup can be made from your choice of fruit juice mixed with water. You should combine the two in a 2 to 1 ratio; 2 parts fruit juice to every 1 part water. For example, for every 2 cups of fruit juice, you should add 1 cup of water.
- You may notice that natural syrups have a slightly different taste than out-of-the-box flavors. You may need to thin the mixture with water to make it suit your tastes.^{[9]
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3
Mix a sugar free syrup. You'll need a sugar free flavoring packet, like Crystal Light or Everly, but you could also use a mix of Kool-Aid and Splenda. Add these together until you achieve your desired flavor. Drizzle this on your snow cone and enjoy.^{[10]
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4
Make a New Orleans Style snow cone. This special preparation of snow cone can be made with sweetened condensed milk and your choice of syrup. Sprinkle your choice of syrup over your shaved ice then add sweetened condensed milk liberally until you reach the desired level of sweetness. You may find this works easiest when using a squeeze bottle or a container with a spout.^{[11]
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- An example recipe you might try at home uses 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk, 2 cans of chocolate syrup (or 2 squeeze bottles), 8 cans of evaporated milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Combine these ingredients in a bowl, chill the mixture, and then you can drizzle it over your crushed ice.
- You can adjust the amount of syrup and sweetened condensed milk to suit your tastes. Another alternative you could use in place of sweetened condensed milk is marshmallow fluff.^{[12]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Adding Treats to Your Snow Cone

1
Top your snow cone with a fruit puree. Since you've already got the blender out, it should only take you minutes to whip up a fruit puree. Add fresh or frozen fruit to your blender and hit the puree button until your fruit reaches the desired consistency. Then add the fruit to the top of your snow cones.
- If you have berry flavored syrups, you might consider making a berry medley puree. Add blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries to your blender, blend, and you'll have a tasty snow cone topper.
- If you've made a fresh fruit puree, you can freeze this to give it the same consistency as your crushed ice. Simply make your puree and allow this to freeze in your freezer overnight. Depending on how much it hardens, you may need to run it through your blender again.^{[13]
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2
Mix in sweets with your snow cones. If you want a decadent dessert, you can use a spoon to stir in chocolate chips, M&M's, Sno-Caps, or whatever else you think might make a flavorful addition to your snow cones. You should stir your crushed ice and topping thoroughly to ensure an equal distribution of the sweets you've added.
- Be sure you take into consideration allergies. If you've added a sweet to your snow cone that is a common allergen, like the peanuts in peanut M&M's, you should inform others of this when you serve the snow cone.^{[14]
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3
Create adult snow cones with a dash of liqueur. Liqueur is a sweet alcoholic spirit that can add a potent flavor to your snow cones. Some liqueurs you should consider include Frangelico (hazelnut flavor), Grand Marnier (orange flavor), and Limoncello (lemon flavor), and so on.^{[15]
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Community Q&A

Question

Is there another way to crush the ice besides using the blender? I don't have a blender.

Community Answer

You can crush it with a tool like a rolling pin or the blunt edge of a small rubber hammer (place in a plastic bag first). You can also wrap it up in plastic or foil (ensure it is completely enclosed) and throw it off the edge of the counter (not too high though or it may break open and splatter everywhere).
Question

I get that'd you put salt on the ice so it would not melt, but wouldn't that taste bad? Any solutions? (Referring to previous questions)

Community Answer

Don't put salt on the ice. Eat it right away or keep the shaved ice in a freezer compartment (for brief periods of time). You are absolutely correct it would taste bad, so don't.
Question

Can you use anything other than juice?

Community Answer

There are many things you can use in place of juice. For example, you might sweeten your snow cones up with some syrup or a fruit puree.