Summer heat is about to hit us all hard and there’s nothing quite like a refreshing treat to cool you down and transport you to a tropical paradise. Enter Hawaiian shave ice, a beloved island delicacy that combines fluffy shaved ice with an array of tropical syrups, creating a refreshing and delicious treat.
If you’ve ever been to Hawaii, you know they don’t mess around with their Shave Ice (yes, shave—NOT shaved).
Fun fact: the concept of shaved ice was actually introduced to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants in the early 1900’s. Kakigori is a well known dessert in Japan and has been enjoyed for centuries. So what we know now of Hawaiian shave ice is actually a unique Japanese and Hawaiian fusion creation.
What Is Hawaiian Shave Ice?
The main difference between Hawaiian shave ice and a typical snow cone is the ice. The ice is the most important part and the Hawaiians have perfected it. The ice is ultra fine and SUPER soft (like snow)…there are zero chunky pieces. Hawaiian shave ice melts instantly when it touches your mouth, leaving behind a refreshing burst of flavor from syrup toppings. There’s nothing else like it.
This unique texture of the ice allows for syrup flavors to be more deeply absorbed, rather than sitting on the top or sinking to the bottom like a traditional snow cone.
Rather than focusing merely on the ice and syrup alone, Hawaiian shave ice also incorporates a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream at the bottom or a “snowcap” topping of condensed milk to make it extra special. My usual order includes the ice cream on the bottom, a trio if tropical syrups, topped with freshly made mochi, the best!
While a trip to Hawaii might not be in the cards for everyone, you can easily recreate this taste of the islands in your own kitchen. Here’s how:
Recommended Ice Machines
To achieve the best quality Hawaiian shave ice, the most crucial component is the right equipment. I searched HARD to find the exact machine that my favorite spot, Ululani’s, uses but it turns out it’s not easy or affordable to buy a commercial ice shaver.
There are a lot of cheap shave ice machines out there that claim to make the “snow ice,” but you will be disappointed and not get the true Hawaiian shave ice experience. Trust me, I am a shave ice connoisseur with many years of traveling to Hawaii. After hours and hours of tedious research and reading through each and every product review, I finally found the perfect ice machine to make the best Hawaiian shave ice at home.
The Perfect Every Day Ice Shaver: The Little Snowie Max is my favorite option and the machine I have. It creates the soft and fluffy shave ice that’s about as close as you can get to Hawaii without boarding a plane. While most machines require a special ice mold, this one uses standard ice cubes already in your freezer. Plus it’s small and fits perfectly on the counter or in a kitchen cabinet. Super awesome machine…I rate it 10/10!
Large Capacity Ice Shaver: A larger, more commercial sized option is Great Northern Ice Shaver. This machine is heavy and large so you’ll need space to store it. The machine also requires special large frozen blocks of ice to shave. This requires a little planning ahead to freeze the ice before you want to use this machine. This machine would be great for larger parties, but not as easy for everyday use. While I prefer my Little Snowie Max, this would be a great option for large family gatherings and/or neighborhood block parties.
Budget Friendly Option: This KitchenAid Shave Ice Attachment seems like a great option if the budget is tight. Although I have never tried it myself, I have watched 80 million videos and the ice seems to be very snow-like. A couple things to note: you obviously have to have a KitchenAid stand mixer to use the attachment and it does require special frozen blocks of ice, that you have to plan ahead to use but overall a great budget-friendly option.
How To Build The Perfect Shave Ice
Ice Cream (optional, but highly recommended): The perfect Hawaiian shave ice includes a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom of the cup. You can also use vanilla, or make your own macadamia nut ice cream (I do often) by simply mixing chopped macadamia nuts right into a good quality vanilla ice cream and/or add a tiny amount of coconut extract for that extra tropical flavor. Or go rogue and choose any ice cream flavor you love!
Shave the Ice: Follow the directions on the machine and pile the ice high in your cup.
Poke Syrup Holes: A secret the Hawaiians do is they poke holes all throughout the ice so that the syrups can be evenly distributed. I use these wooden skewers.
Hawaiian Syrups: Hawaii has some amazing tropical fruits that add to the amazingness such as guava, lilikoi (passionfruit), haupia (coconut) and the best mango you’ve ever had. Syrups often contain not-so-great ingredients, so I would also recommend making your own homemade syrups or fruit purees.
Hawaiian Toppings: Typical toppings include a “snow cap” aka a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk, toasted coconut, mochi, Li Hing Mui powder (salty dried Chinese plums), fresh fruit or azuki beans to add extra flavors and textures. Choose your own Hawaiian adventure. 🙂
Check out the popular Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice menu below for some flavor inspo:
Bringing the taste of Hawaii into your own home is easier than you think. You can easily whip up refreshing Hawaiian shave ice all Summer long that will transport you to the sunny shores of the Aloha State with every bite. So, next time you’re craving a cool treat on a hot day, skip the trip to the ice cream parlor and try making shave ice at home instead and let me know how it goes.
Aloha!
Gina