How to Make Hawaiian Shaved Ice At Home

Ahhh summer. When I think of summer, it brings me back to the hot, humid days spent at the beach in New Hampshire with my family. We would spend all day swimming, playing volleyball and windsurfing. And of course, we would always stop by the shaved ice stand on our way home to get our favorite flavor: Hawaiian shaved ice.

Whenever summertime comes around I instantly go back to those days of Hawaiian Shaved Ice. It was the perfect refreshing dessert after a beach day and it always hit the spot. I never knew how easy it was to make Hawaiian shaved ice at home until recently. Now, I can enjoy this delicious dessert any time I want!

In this post I’ll share with you how easy it is to make your own Hawaiian Shaved Ice at home!

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What is Hawaiian Shaved Ice?

Before I get too far – what exactly is Hawaiian Shaved Ice? Hawaiian shaved ice is a type of dessert that consists of fine shavings of ice topped with flavored syrups. It’s popular in Hawaii and other tropical locations.

Shaved Ice vs. Crushed Ice

One common question I get is what’s the difference between shaved ice and crushed ice? And the answer is quite simple:

Shaved ice is made by shaving a block of ice into very thin pieces. Crushed ice is made by crushing larger pieces of ice.

Shaved ice has a finer, softer texture while crushed ice is more coarse and crunchy. Shaved Ice is almost snow-like and light!

Hawaiian Shaved Ice Review

The most important part to making Hawaiian Shaved Ice is having a Hawaiian Shaved Ice Machine – this makes a world of a difference!

I love our Hawaiian Shaved Ice machine because it makes it really easy to make shaved ice at home. The machine is compact (and comes apart easily) so doesn’t take up much space at all, as well as it’s really easy to clean. In under a minute I can make freshly shaved ice with it!

I also like that the machine isn’t crazy loud (it’s quieter than our Ninja Creami). Sure it does make noise as it crushes the ice, but it’s not as loud as I thought it would be.

hawaiian shaved ice machine box with syrups

How to Make Hawaiian Shaved Ice

Now that we know what Hawaiian shaved ice is, let’s get to the good stuff – how to make it!

You’ll need a few things before getting started:

A Hawaiian Shaved Ice Machine

Ice – you can either use regular cubes or the machine comes with a mold to make circular ice cube that fits perfectly in the machine. The circular one makes the ice come out a little fluffier and has been our preferred way of making it.

Syrup – We like the Hawaiian Shaved Ice branded one

Once you have all the ingredients and materials, you’re ready to make shaved ice! All you need to do is put the ice into the top of the machine, turn on the machine and press down!

Shaved ice will come out on the bottom and you can serve it either in a cup or a bowl. Once the machine is done, you can add syrup to the top – the more syrup added the sweeter it’ll be!

Then it’s time to enjoy!

blue hawaiian shaved ice

Tips and Tricks

We’ve been using our shaved ice machine almost daily so far this summer and here are a few tips and tricks we’ve learned about using it:

Let ice sit out 6-7 minutes before making shaved ice – this is a trick to make the shaved ice even fluffier!

If you want really fluffy shaved ice, use the circular ice mold that comes with the machine.

Use defrosted ice pops for flavoring if you run out of syrup – this was an accidental hack I learned recently when we ran out of syrup (whoops!). I took a few of my kids ice pops that weren’t frozen and poured it over the shaved ice and it was delicious! I would not recommend, though, putting ice pops into the machine because the sugar can break the motor and it’ll cause it to be a sticky mess! Only put plain ice in there then use the ice pop liquid as syrup.

blue hawaiian shaved ice in a cone with trees in the background

Final Thoughts

Hawaiian Shaved Ice is the perfect summer dessert and now with the new machine it’s so easy to make at home! I hope this post helped you learn how to make Hawaiian Shaved Ice and I would love to know some of your favorite syrup flavors! Let me know in the comments 🙂

Want to make your own Hawaiian Shaved Ice? Click here to check out the machine!

Hawaiian Shaved Ice

blue hawaiian shaved ice in a cone with trees in the background
Hawaiian Shaved Ice is a delicious dessert that's so easy to make at home! Mix and match with different syrups to make your own creation!
Ali
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes

Ingredients

  • Ice
  • Hawaiian Ice Syrup

Instructions

  • Take ice out of the freezer 5-7 minutes before making (this will make the shaved ice come out super fluffy!)
  • Add the ice into the top of the Hawaiian Shaved Ice Machine
  • Place a cup or bowl underneath the machine to catch the shaved ice
  • Plug in the machine and press down to start making shaved ice
  • Once enough shaved ice has come out, pour syrup on top and enjoy!

Notes

I don't recommend storing leftovers – this is best eaten while it's fresh!
Nutritional information will vary depending on the type of syrup you use and how much

Author

  • Ali Van Straten

    Ali Van Straten is the founder and journalist of Champagne and Coffee Stains. She is a Peloton expert, certified running coach and certified nutrition coach. Champagne and Coffee Stains provides information and resources on Peloton Interactive, running and recipes.

    View all posts https://www.champagneandcoffeestains.com

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