Creamy Ice Cream Slushies: Refreshing Frozen Treat Recipes

Yesterday marked the ninth day this summer that temperatures reached 100 degrees or more. Considering the city average is about 23 days of triple-digit heat, that’s not too bad. My kids have endured three hot weeks of school so far; taking the bus and walking home in this heat wears on you. We all agree we’d rather the hottest days fall during summer vacation.

Today is officially the first day of fall, and the forecast calls for 98 degrees.

People often say the dry heat here is more bearable than the humid heat in Hawaii. I don’t really remember Hawaii ever being that hot—growing up I rarely saw temperatures hit 90, let alone 100. Lately the occasional 90-degree day seems more common, maybe a sign of changing climate patterns.

“Scrapbook of Memories – Ice Cream Slushie”
I remember taking “The Bus” home from school in Honolulu and often feeling hot and sticky. Back then I longed for something cold and refreshing—shave ice, Icees, popsicles, or Otter Pops.

An ice cream slushie would have been a real treat, but the best ones were at the Crack Seed Center at Ala Moana Shopping Center, which wasn’t on my route. The bright red fruit punch slush topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream was unforgettable. I didn’t get one often, so it felt special when I did. I later learned the Crack Seed Center closed after more than 50 years at Ala Moana, though they continue to sell their specialty items online.

With the heat persisting, I decided to surprise Laurel and Quill with ice cream slushies after school yesterday.

I start with a 12-ounce can of frozen fruit punch juice or fruit punch beverage concentrate, thawed and ready to use.

Using a 100% juice concentrate without artificial colors or flavors is ideal, but the fruit punch beverage concentrates work just as well—often closer to the nostalgic versions with added sugar and color. Beverage concentrates also come in more flavors, including tropical options like guava or passion orange. For an occasional treat, I don’t worry much about additives.

Experiment and find a flavor or combination you like. I tend to choose red or berry-colored concentrates. Here I used a white grape-raspberry 100% juice concentrate. Pour it into a blender, add three juice-can equivalents of ice cubes (about 4½ to 5 cups), and blend until smooth.

If your blender isn’t very powerful, blend half the batch at a time. For machines like the Vita-Mix, you can blend it all at once. If your ice cubes are large or the blender sounds strained, add a small amount of water to help the blades move.

Taste the slush before adding ice cream. If it’s too sweet, blend in a little more ice—the final flavor will dilute slightly once you add the vanilla ice cream.

Use regular or low-fat vanilla ice cream. I don’t recommend nonfat varieties because the creamy texture helps balance the sweetness of the fruit punch.

Fill glasses or cups with the slush and top each with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Raspberry-grape ice cream slushie—simple, refreshing, and delicious.

This one was made with Paradise Punch beverage concentrate. I blended it with extra ice for a thicker texture—perfect for eating with a spoon-straw.

Their delight was immediate—shouts of joy followed by the inevitable moans.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, instinctively worried.

“Brain freeze!” they both yelled. Then, after a dramatic pause, they protested when I offered to finish their slushies for them.

“NOOOO!!!!! We’ll finish them!!!”

“Thanks, Mom,” I heard between giggles. Moments like that remind me I still remember what it’s like to be a kid.