This traditional Japanese treat is similar to snow cones but much lighter and has a fluffy, fresh snow-like texture!

❤️ Why You'll Love Kakigori

• Refreshing! - Kakigori is one the most refreshing and satisfying desserts, especially during the hot summer months. The light and fluffy ice, topped with sweet fruit flavors is sure to cool you down in even the hottest of days.
• Variety - From traditional Japanese options like matcha (green tea), azuki (sweet red bean) and yuzu (Japanese citrus), to more contemporary flavors like strawberry, melon, and mango.
• Organic - In this recipe I’ll show you how to make the syrup from scratch using real strawberries which not only taste better but is much healthier than the store-bought ones!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why You'll Love Kakigori
• 🍲 Ingredients
• 👩‍🍳 How to Make Kakigori
• 🪄 Tips and Tricks
• 🗒 Variations
• 🤔 Common Questions

🍲 Ingredients

• Ice
• Fruit - We'll be using frozen strawberries for our syrup but you can easily make this recipe with any other frozen fruits or even fresh fruits.
• Condensed Milk - Optional but a topping that I highly recommend.
• Ice Cream - Again, an optional topping but adding your favorite ice cream as a topping makes it that much more enjoyable!

👩‍🍳 How to Make Kakigori

Very first we need a kakigori machine, basically a machine that shaves ice, however, not all machines are built the same.

This shaved ice machine from Hawaiian Shaved Ice company does a fantastic job of shaving the ice really fine (just like authentic Japanese kakigori) and it's also motorized so it's much easier and faster. It includes two ice molds that creates the perfectly sized ice or you can also use regular ice cubes to get a crunchier result (snow cones), if that's what you prefer.

I've had it for a few years now without any issues. It's simple to use, easy to clean, and most importantly, makes great kakigori! Can't ask for much more than that. Tap on the picture or check it out right here.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• If you have the same machine as I mentioned above, the ice mold may get stuck sometimes. All you have to do is run the bottom side under warm water and it should pop right out.
• When making the syrup, don't turn the heat up too high where the sugar starts to burn. Continuously stir the pot in order to keep it from burning.
• Let the syrup cool completely before using. May seem obvious but if you put hot syrup on top of ice, you'll just end up with watered down syrup.

🗒 Variations

Kakigori is something you can get really creative with! From traditional Japanese flavors like matcha and azuki (sweet red bean) to more exotic versions such as lychee and passionfruit, the possibilities are endless! Here are some of my favorite combinations:

• Fruits - Strawberry, mango, melon, pineapple, kiwi, peach, or any combination.
• Matcha and Azuki - Green tea with sweet red bean paste (anko). This is actually a traditional Japanese dessert called ujikintoki where kakigori is drizzled with matcha syrup and served with anko (sweetened paste version of azuki). It also typcially comes with shiratama dango (mochi balls).
• Store-bought Syrup - If you're on a time crunch or just feeling lazy, then you can use store-bought syrup. However, it will not taste the same. It may be a bit tedious but making the syrup from scratch is well worth the effort.

🤔 Common Questions