My kids love heading to the snow cone shack on warm summer evenings, but with seven of us it ends up being at $15-$20 every time we go. I recently realized I could make snow cones at home for way less money, and I figured out how to make them sugar free (without buying pricey syrups)! The kids get a fun snack without the sugar, and I save my money for expensive ice cream to eat after they go to bed. Sounds perfect, don’t you think?
My kids love heading to the snow cone shack on warm summer evenings, but with seven of us it ends up being at $15-$20 every time we go. I recently realized I could make snow cones at home for way less money, and I figured out how to make them sugar free (without buying pricey syrups)! The kids get a fun snack without the sugar, and I save my money for expensive ice cream to eat after they go to bed. Sounds perfect, don’t you think?
The one thing you do need is a way to make shaved ice at home. I have a Blendtec blender, and it makes “snow” from ice cubes in seconds. Literally. Just dump a tray of ice in, press ice crush, and about 15 seconds later you’ve got snow.
You can crush ice with a VitaMix blender too, although you’ll want to google the proper procedure. If you don’t have a heavy duty blender, you can get a great deal on an electric Snow Cone Maker from Amazon – only $23 right now (marked down from $80). If your family likes snow cones, it’ll pay for itself quickly!
Instead of buying expensive syrups in one or two flavors, I figured out how to make my own in just about any flavor. I made sugar-free snow cone “syrup” three different ways: 1) using Crystal Light drink mix, 2) using Kool-aid and Splenda, and 3) using the small containers of liquid “water enhancer.” With all these options, any flavor in the drink mix aisle can become a snow cone (cherry limeade, lemonade, fruit punch, blue raspberry, apple, coconut, lemon lime, berry burst, watermelon, you name it!).
I bought clear squeeze bottles from Walmart for 98 cents each, then used them to hold a concentrated flavoring for the snow cones. Since there’s no sugar in these sugar free concentrates they aren’t as thick as a traditional snow cone syrup, but the squeeze bottles have such a small opening that it’s still very easy to squirt them on the snow. The kids loved all the flavors we tried and no one could tell they were sugar free.
Here’s how I made each batch:
For Crystal Light sugar free snow cone syrup I used one packet (for use with 2 quarts of water) and mixed it with 1 cup of water. I whisked to combine, then poured the concentrate into the squeeze bottle.
For Kool-Aid sugar free snow cone syrup I mixed 1 packet of Kool-Aid with 1 cup of Splenda and 1 cup of water, whisking to combine. Into the squeeze bottle! We used lemon-lime and it was really, really good. If you prefer, I’m sure you could use Stevia instead of Splenda.
For sugar free snow cone syrup made with water enhancer, mix 1 tablespoon water enhancer with 1 cup of water, then pour it into the squeeze bottle. You may need to experiment a little with different water enhancer flavors to figure out the concentration you prefer. We tried the ICEE blue raspberry flavor and it seemed quite strong and not quite as sweet as the other two varieties. It was certainly easy, however!
Each squeeze bottle is enough to flavor 6-8 snow cones, enough for our whole family, and I’d say the cost for one bottle’s worth of syrup/concentrate is under 75 cents. Pretty good compared to almost $20 at the shave ice shack!
CaseyT6 says
I know a company that uses Sweetened Condensed Milk on top of the flavorings. That makes it extra special! And, it tastes SO Good. If you are trying to avoid sugar, this recipe is NOT for you. But, as a special treat, every once in a great while, try it! You’ll LOVE it!!
Caden Dahl says
I’ve always been a fan of snow cones and I do know that they aren’t the healthiest thing out there. I’ll have to try your sugar-free syrup recipe since I am trying to eat healthy and save money too. Seeing as the instructions you listed aren’t too difficult to do, I’ll have to set some time aside and make them.
William says
Great idea!!My favourite summer (anytime really) treat is the snow cone!
Thanks so much for sharing your ideas! You are a huge inspiration!:)
Kay Bee says
I wonder if you could use a bit of gelatin (flavored or unflavored) to thicken the syrup when you use stevia instead of sugar.
Christian s says
Use 1 tablespoon of xanthum gum per cup of liquid it will thicken the sugar free syrup up just as good if not even better than the sugar filled ones
Peggy Navey says
I love the shaved ice over the snow cone type. I just ordered a machine with syrups from Hawaian Shaved ice on sale and it came with three syrups. My husband is a diabetic, so instead of ordering the sugar free syrups online, I will try making some myself with KoolAid or Crystal Light. I don’t need all the sugar either. Sometimes when I went to Pelicans, I got half and half. Yes..condensed milk is great on the snow balls. You can dilute it with evaporated milk. We spent a lot of money this summer on snow balls after working out at the gym. Thanks for the tips.