Making a Real Food Snow Cone honestly couldn’t be any easier. Think about it – a snow cone is basically just ice (that’s definitely real) topped off with highly processed syrup (that’s definitely not real).
Typical list of ingredients in Snow Cone Syrup: Water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, artificial flavor, propylene glycol, sodium benzoate (preservative), sodium saccharin, xanthan gum, FD&C blue #1.
There’s just no need for all these unwanted additives and chemicals when you can simply pour an organic juice concentrate mixture or homemade berry sauce over all that shaved ice instead!
Now you could make the “shaved” ice in your blender (I’ve tried it before and while it’s more like crushed ice it definitely works), but I’ve actually become fond of the inexpensive little snow cone machines that are available these days. I host a little backyard end-of-school year party for our neighbors every year, and I always whip out my little snow cone machine for the kids. It only makes 2 at a time so they all line up and patiently wait for their turn. In the end it’s a fun little activity – and treat! – that they always enjoy. I’ve tried a couple different machines and this is the one I currently like and use. So don’t delay… collect your supplies so you can get started!
Real Food Snow Cones
Ingredients
- ice
- frozen fruit juice concentrate, any flavor (or use homemade berry sauce - link to recipe is in notes)
Instructions
-
Make the "syrups" by mixing together 2 parts fruit juice concentrate with 1 part water. The berry sauce is ready to go as is and can be thinned out a little with water if desired.
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Shave the ice in your blender or snow cone machine. Arrange the shaved ice in the snow cone cups. Use an ice cream scooper to achieve a nice rounded top (if desired). Pour the juices/sauces over top, insert a straw and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Special equipment needed: blender or snowcone machine, plus cups and straws
Check out the recipe for berry sauce here - Homemade Berry Sauce
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
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Cindy
May 30, 2014 at 2:10 pmWould a Margaritaville machine work for this?
Lisa
May 30, 2014 at 3:34 pmI’ve never used one of those…sounds like a fun experiment to me! :)
Courtney @ Family Gone Healthy
May 30, 2014 at 3:16 pmI will have to try this at work! I have been munching on plain ice chips from the machine at the hospital (to combat morning sickness), but adding fruit juice to make it a sno-cone would be delicious!
Lisa
May 30, 2014 at 3:32 pmYes, this version is good enough for grown ups! And congrats – if by morning sickness you mean you are pregnant! :)
Maggie
May 30, 2014 at 3:24 pmHow do you make or where do you buy a healthy frozen fruit juice concentrate?
Lisa
May 30, 2014 at 3:32 pmThey have organic frozen fruit juice concentrate at our health food store.
April
May 30, 2014 at 3:30 pmNow if only there was a healthy version of the condensed milk I like to pour on top!
Allison
May 30, 2014 at 4:02 pmMy kids love snow cones. I like to freeze organic fruit juice in ice cube trays and just pop those in the blender for an instant snow cone. So easy!
Lisa
May 30, 2014 at 4:42 pmThat’s a great idea Allison! I’ll have to try that :)
Kelly
June 4, 2014 at 10:47 pmGreat idea! I have a ninja I’m going to try that with the honest kids lemonade!!!!
Matt Robinson
May 30, 2014 at 6:07 pmI love this healthy alternative, Lisa. My boys LOVE snow cones, so they will really like these. Thanks!
Kerry
May 30, 2014 at 7:38 pmwhere can we get those neat sno cone holders? they look like reusuable ones.
Holly
May 31, 2014 at 12:43 pmHere’s one on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Snow-Cone-Cups–SIT10833/dp/B004CGAVSO/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1401554445&sr=1-1&keywords=snow+cone+cups
Also: http://www.amazon.com/Jelly-Belly-Silicone-Swirl-Straws/dp/B008Z348JI/ref=sr_1_8?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1401554581&sr=1-8&keywords=snow+cone+cups
Shannon
June 5, 2014 at 9:14 pmKerry,
I actually was walking through Target today and found some on an end cap for $3.50. Might want to check it out.
Kate
May 15, 2015 at 3:37 pmTry these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008Z348JI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1431718555&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=silicone+sno+cone+cups&dpPl=1&dpID=41U8f6cgA4L&ref=plSrch
They are cheaper and are eligible for Amazon prime.
Margaret Anne @ Natural Chow
May 31, 2014 at 6:02 pmWow I would have never thought of making snow cones at home. I love frozen treats to help keep the kids happy (and so I don’t lose my sanity!). Here’s a raspberry banana sorbet that we make on a weekly basis to beat the heat: http://naturalchow.com/2014/05/vegan-raspberry-banana-sorbet/
Stacy
June 1, 2014 at 12:50 am1. How long will it keep in the fridge?
2. Can I freeze it?
2. How do I make fruit juice concentrate or do I buy it??
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
June 4, 2014 at 12:57 pmHi Stacy. You can buy concentrated fruit juice in the freezer section. Are you asking how long it will keep? ~Amy
Mariah
June 3, 2014 at 10:43 amI’ve been looking for a recipe for homemade popsicles..The ones I’ve found online have tons of sugar in them. Do you have any suggestions?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
June 5, 2014 at 4:13 pmHello Mariah. This should help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/07/cool-summer-treat-makeover/. ~Amy
Kerry
June 4, 2014 at 9:11 pmi was so excited about trying this recipe that i ended up finding the 4 pack of jelly belly cones with the straws at target for about half the price they were on amazon
Cindy Twigg
June 5, 2014 at 5:51 amYou just talked me into buying a sno-cone machine!!!
april
June 5, 2014 at 9:40 amI use organic fruit nectars–the 32 oz bottle takes about 1/2 c. of sugar–heat till sugar dissolves, re-bottle, and cool thoroughly. So far this summer we’ve managed sour cherry, peach, and blueberry. YUMMY!
barbara
June 5, 2014 at 9:58 amIf you have a good blender, you can also freeze watermelon chunks and crush those. There are so many ways to enjoy snow cones without the weird ingredients.
Misty
June 5, 2014 at 5:22 pmFruit juice concentrate also contains sugar and high fructose corn syrup!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
June 7, 2014 at 10:25 amHi Misty. You can find fruit concentrates that are 100% juice and have no added sugars. ~Amy
Tera
June 8, 2014 at 4:04 pmJust what we needed this summer! We have really cleaned our diet and menu and are a VERY clean eating family. Our children do very well for the most part, but summer snow cones are a must and I don’t want to neglect them!
Sara Sweet Surprise
July 29, 2014 at 2:59 pmHello Amy~can you tell me how many grams of sugar this recipe would contain? I know with some “natural fruit juices” they can vary but, I’ve not found any under 28 grams of sugar. Which is equal to a can of soda pop.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy)
August 2, 2014 at 8:51 amHi Sara. It would depend on the amount of concentrate you use. Here is an example of a nutrition break down of an orange juice concentrate: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1974/2. Hope that helps. ~Amy
Sara Sweet Surprise
August 2, 2014 at 1:47 pmIt looks to be 106 grams of sugar. Which is over 1 CUP of sugar per 10 OZ. YIKES! I’m still searching for a substitute. Maybe Trop 50? My quest continues.
Thank you!
Jay
August 31, 2014 at 7:19 pmCOOL! I love the flavor
Graham Mcauley
March 15, 2015 at 3:49 pmSnow cone machine and snow cone maker from Snowycones are a new and exciting product in the UK Buy or Rent Snow Cone Machines and products
snow cone machine
Helen
May 5, 2015 at 2:09 amWhere did you find the plastic snow cone cups pictured? Thanks, Helen
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
May 18, 2015 at 1:35 pmHi there. You can click on the words above to take you to the product links or click here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/my-kitchen-essentials/?sShop=snow+cone&allshopcats=all. I do not think Lisa has a link for the silicone cups, however. I would just Google them or look on Amazon. :)
Stacy
May 30, 2015 at 6:39 pmWhat exactly is frozen fruit juice concentrate? I mean, how is it sold in the grocery stores? The only thing I can think of is the frozen juice that comes in a can in the freezer section that you dilute with water to make juice. Is that it?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator)
June 2, 2015 at 1:24 pmHello Stacy. Yes, that’s it or you can find some concentrates in boxes in the juice section of your grocery store.
Teresa
June 25, 2018 at 7:27 pmFruit juice concentrate is not that healthier. It’s packed with added sugar.
Leslie
June 18, 2015 at 8:12 pmIf you have an ice shaver (I bought one through pampered chef), You can also dilute the juice and freeze in cups and put that through shaver.
We’ve used instant flavored coffees before and frozen them and put them through the ice shaver…YUM!!
Nadia
September 15, 2015 at 12:47 pmYum! My family also uses fruit concentrate, and we also use condensed milk drizzled on top! For something more summer fair festive, I buy premade syrups from http://www.realhawaiianice.com — their tiger’s blood flavor is my favorite! I also love toppings like mochi and sweet red bean, which are popular in Asia :D
Patty Stone
May 9, 2016 at 8:52 pmIf you have a ninja chopper you can freeze chunks of fruit like blood orange and cherry and then just run them through the ninja frozen for fruit ice that looks like colored son and is 100 percent fruit. I found this out when I was too impatient to wait for the blood orange to thaw to add to a chicken marinade so I ran it in my ninja. I hate to take out more orange from the freezer because I ate it. Also, I really hate endorsing products but I tried this with another blender I borrowed that was montel and it was not as powerful as my 29 dollar ninja.
Mark Atwood
August 27, 2016 at 6:02 amI always thought, making snow cones needs a lot of work. But this recipe looks quite simple and easy. Thanks, I am going to try it at home.
Maria
June 19, 2018 at 11:40 amThis is great recipe i am try tonight thank you for sharing.