I Tested 12 Shaved Ice Machines and Found 4 That Created Pillowy Results

Growing up, my family had a beat-up Snoopy shaved ice machine that’d seen better days. You dropped ice cubes down its chimney and turned its handle, transforming the cubes into shaved chunks. To call it “shaved ice” would’ve been generous, as the larger pieces were ice pebbles. Still, I begged to use it the minute the weather went above 78°F. 

When I visited Hawaii as an adult, I discovered Hawaiian shave ice and became hooked. It’s fluffy and snow-like, with flavored syrup suspended throughout. This is the kind of shaved ice I want regularly. 

The good news is that at-home shaved ice machines have come a long way, allowing you to make fluffy mounds of ice whenever you want. To find the best shaved ice machines, I tested 12 of them. Eating copious amounts of shaved ice is a tough job, but someone had to do it—and my upbringing had me well prepared.

The Winners, at a Glance

The Best Shaved Ice Maker

Hawaiian Shaved Ice HomePro Shave Ice and Snow Cone Machine (S777)

$115 $100 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Hawaiianshavedice.com

Serious Eats has recommended the Hawaiian Shaved Ice Homepro for years, and it stood out in this round of testing, too. It made fluffy shaved ice and was easy to use, with a small knob under the blade that allowed you to adjust the blade (safely) and therefore the ice’s texture.

Another Good Shaved Ice Machine

KitchenAid Shave Ice Attachment

$100 $80 at Amazon $120 at Target $120 at Sur La Table

If you own a KitchenAid stand mixer, the shaved ice attachment is an excellent option, producing finely shaved and coarser ice suitable for snow cones and frozen drinks. It comes with four ice puck molds.

The Best Splurge Shaved Ice Machine

Snowie Little Snowie Max Snow Cone Machine Entrepreneur Kit

$219 at Amazon

If you’re a hardcore fan of shaved ice and want a powerful machine that can churn out bowl after bowl of cottony ice, the Snowie Max is an excellent option. It quickly pummels through batches of ice cubes, creating large amounts of fluffy ice in no time.

The Best Budget Shaved Ice Machine

MANBA Ice Shaver and Snow Cone Machine

$27 $23 at Amazon

This hand-crank machine has three blades, so it does a quick job of shaving ice with minimal effort, though the resulting ice wasn’t as fluffy as my other winners.

The Tests

• Assembly Test: I assembled each shaved ice machine and then disassembled it to see how easy these were to use and store.
• Shaved Ice Test: I made a bowl of shaved ice using each machine, seeing how easy it was to adjust the blade, how intuitive it was to make shaved ice, how much of a mess it made, and how easy it was to clean. I tasted the resulting shaved ice to evaluate its texture.
• Snow Cone Test: If its blade was adjustable, I set up each machine for coarser snow cone ice, then tasted it to judge the texture. I also tried to dispense the shaved ice directly into a paper snow cone cup and drizzled syrup over the ice, and then tasted it again.

What We Learned

Shaved Ice Is All About the Texture

A shaved ice machine should produce ice that’s pillowy and light, not coarse and crushed. Otherwise, there’s no point in owning a dedicated machine—you could just chuck some ice cubes into a blender and crush them. Properly shaved ice is fine enough for the flavored syrup to stay suspended in the dessert, instead of just sinking to the bottom. 

However, the vast majority of machines I tested failed this basic test. The shaved ice was chunky, more suitable for making frozen margaritas or adding to mint juleps. Only a few machines, like my favorites from Hawaiian Shaved Ice, KitchenAid, and Snowie, produced fluffy ice suitable for Hawaiian-style shave ice or Filipino halo-halo.

Adjusting Ice Texture Can Be A Pain

A number of the shaved ice machines touted adjustable blade heights, letting you make the ice’s texture finer or coarser. But in reality, adjusting the height of the blades meant getting a screwdriver, loosening the blade, and then retightening, something most folks just aren’t going to do. Worse, this also meant handling a sharp blade, which could be dangerous.

A couple of my favorite machines had simpler adjustment mechanisms. The KitchenAid comes with two different blades, one fine and the other coarse. And the Hawaiian Shaved Ice HomePro has a small knob that moves the blade up and down, adjusting the texture without having to use a screwdriver. My other winners didn’t offer an easy way to adjust the blade, but they both produced fine-enough shaved ice that it wasn’t an issue.

Ice Cubes Made Coarser Shaved Ice

Some shaved ice makers require you to freeze ice pucks in provided molds to use in the machine. This requires some forethought, but the pucks serve a purpose. These large chunks of ice have a wider surface for the blade to scrape and shave, creating fluffier ice. Machines like the Dash Shaved Ice Maker and Elite Gourmet Snow Cone and Shaved Ice Maker used ice cubes and single blades, resulting in a chunkier texture, as the brittle ice cubes would shatter or break apart in the process.

The exceptions were the Snowie Max and Manba, both of which used ice cubes instead of pucks. The Snowie employs multiple blades and has a high-speed motor that quickly breaks down ice. Ice cubes speed exceedingly fast past the razor edges and shave down quickly into fluffy snow.  The Manba has three blades, resulting in acceptable texture, though its ice was the coarsest of all my winners.

Shaving Ice Was Always Messy, but Some Machines Were Worse Than Others

Once you start shaving ice, it begins to melt quickly, and that means drips all over the place. Some machines, like the Snowie, are high-powered enough that they spew the shaved ice all over the place.

However, as long as you’re shaving plain ice and not a sweetened liquid or juice, cleanup is fairly easy. Some folks recommend placing the machine on a half- or quarter-sheet pan to contain the mess even more. I didn’t find that necessary—a quick wipe down with a kitchen towel was all my countertops required.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Shaved Ice Machine

Look for a shaved ice machine that’s easy to assemble, use, and allows you to adjust the texture of the ice easily by turning a knob or swapping out the blades. If the blade isn’t adjustable, make sure the resulting texture of the shaved ice is fluffy and fine. A good shaved ice machine should have safety features so you don’t have to get close to the sharp blade, and, for the fluffiest texture, come with ice puck molds.

Our Favorite Shaved Ice Makers

The Best Shaved Ice Maker

Hawaiian Shaved Ice HomePro Shave Ice and Snow Cone Machine (S777)

$115 $100 at Amazon View on Walmart View on Hawaiianshavedice.com

What we liked: The Hawaiian Shaved Ice HomePro model makes cloud-like, fluffy shaved ice. It has a knob that allows you to adjust its blade height easily and safely. I was able to achieve fluffy, light shaved ice and coarser, snow cone-style ice with it.

Operating the machine requires a press of a button. The machine is relatively tall but narrow. Its height means you can place a paper cone underneath the shaver, something that isn’t an option for compact machines.

What we don’t like: To add an ice puck, you have to lift and remove the entire top of the machine that houses the motor, which is cumbersome. At slightly under 15 inches, the machine can be a snug fit beneath some kitchen cabinets. 

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 14.5 inches
• Material: Plastic
• Functions: Shaved ice and snow cones (and anything in between)
• Includes: Ice shaver, 5 ice molds with lids, drip tray cover
• Warranty: 1 year
  

Another Good Shaved Ice Machine

KitchenAid Shave Ice Attachment

$100 $80 at Amazon $120 at Target $120 at Sur La Table

What we liked: The KitchenAid is a versatile shaved ice machine that attaches to the front hub of a KitchenAid stand mixer. It comes with four ice puck molds and two blades (fine and coarse). The fine one produced fluffy, snowy shaved ice while the coarse blade would be more appropriate for old-school snow cones, frosty margaritas, or a bed for shucked oysters.

Unlike most other shaved ice makers, the ice puck is placed in a separate plastic housing and attached to the underside of the shaver. Because of this, the housing and blades can be easily removed and cleaned, allowing you to freeze and shave different liquids like juice or chocolate milk. (This model’s accompanying booklet even has recipes with these sorts of suggestions.)

To turn the machine on, you just adjust the speed knob on the side of the mixer. The faster the speed, the quicker the shaved ice comes out. This was also the only model that allows you to control the speed of the shaving, making it easier to gather the shaved ice directly into a paper snow cone or to shave quicker bowls of ice for parties.

What we don’t like: You’ll need a KitchenAid stand mixer to use this attachment. It also only comes with four ice molds. If you plan on having a party with lots of shaved ice, you’ll need to purchase extra molds, or just freeze the four pucks, pop them out, and store them in a resealable freezer bag while you make more.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 9 x 7.25 x 4.5 inches
• Material: Plastic
• Functions: Shaved ice and snow cones
• Includes: Ice shaver attachment, 2 blades, 4 ice molds with lids
• Warranty: 1 year
  

The Best Splurge Shaved Ice Machine

Snowie Little Snowie Max Snow Cone Machine Entrepreneur Kit

$219 at Amazon

What we liked: The Snowie comes with two bottles to hold flavored syrup, various flavor packets to make syrup, eight reusable plastic snow cones, and an assortment of colorful spoons. The machine uses regular ice cubes, not molded ice pucks, making it more convenient to make shaved ice on the fly.

This was the only machine that not only made fluffy, snow-like ice out of basic ice cubes but also produced the best-textured shaved ice: pillow-like and as if it came from a commercial machine. This was a result of both its high-powered motor and multi-edged blades that could shave ice quickly.

What we don’t like: This machine is very loud. But because it works so fast, you won’t need to have it on for very long. It’s also large and heavy, so storage can be a challenge. Because of the speed at which it produces shaved ice, you also need to be prepared for ice to come flying out. Pick a big bowl and make sure it’s close to the spout, or ice will go everywhere. Finally, there’s no way to adjust the texture of the shaved ice. But it comes out superfine and fluffy. 

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 13.5 x 11.25 x 6.5 inches
• Material: Plastic and 18/8 stainless steel
• Functions: Shaved ice
• Includes: Ice shaver, 2 reusable syrup bottles, 6 syrup flavor packets, 8 reusable snow cones, 8 reusable shovel spoons
• Warranty: 1 year
  

The Best Budget Shaved Ice Machine

MANBA Ice Shaver and Snow Cone Machine

$27 $23 at Amazon

What we liked: This compact and budget-friendly shaved ice machine comes pre-assembled. You just need to pull it out of the box, load it with ice cubes, and turn the crank. The bottom container catches the shaved ice, and the machine has three blades, which turn ice cubes into shaved ice faster than other manual options. 

The Manba does come with a silicone ice cube tray that makes square ice cubes. I tested the machine with standard ice cubes and ones made in this tray, and the resulting shaved ice was the same.

What we don’t like: This machine feels cheap and doesn’t come with a warranty. And it produces coarser shaved ice than my other winners.

Key Specs

• Dimensions: 8 x 7 x 4.5 inches
• Material: Plastic and 18/8 stainless steel blades
• Functions: Shaved ice
• Includes: Ice shaver, ice cube tray
• Warranty: None

The Competition

• ZENY Ice Shaver Machine: This machine was good for snow cones, but it didn't produce the fluffy shaved ice I wanted, nor did it come with ice molds.
• Hawaiian Shaved Ice and Snow Cone Machine S900A: This produced tiny ice chips rather than shaved ice or snow cone ice. It was also unstable when on.
• Nostalgia Snow Cone Shaved Ice Machine: While this machine looks retro-cool and did produce nice shaved ice, it was tedious to use, and the motor stalled out if the ice wasn’t pressed down far enough.
• Cuisinart Snow Cone Machine: The Cuisinart was easy to use and didn’t make any messes, but the name says it all—it’s a snow cone maker, not a shaved ice machine.
• Time For Treats SnowFlake Snow Cone Maker: This hand-cranked contraption looks more like a child’s toy than a practical tool, with the stability to match. 
• Dash Shaved Ice Maker: The Dash creates coarse shaved ice, close to the crushed ice you would get in a blender rather than a shaved ice machine. Fine for cocktails, not so great for shaved ice treats. 
• Hawaiian Shaved Ice Mini Snow Cone Machine S202: This hand-cranked machine produced ice somewhere between shaved ice and a snow cone. It was super loud and featured a small opening at the bottom that only a petite bowl would fit into. The spring-mounted top was challenging to get back on.
• Elite Gourmet Snow Cone and Shaved Ice Maker: This shaved ice machine’s form factor is nearly identical to the Dash. Like the Dash, it created coarse, shaved ice.

FAQs

What’s the best ice to use for shaved ice?

Typically, the fluffiest and finest shaved ice comes from ice pucks, not ice cubes. To get the best quality shaved ice, you should let the ice warm up a bit, about five to 10 minutes at room temperature, until the top of the ice is a little melty and glossy. Warmer ice will shave down fluffier, while super cold ice, directly from a freezer, is more brittle and breaks off, resulting in coarser and chunkier shaved ice.

How do you make shaved ice without a machine? 

While you can toss some ice in a plastic bag and bash it with a meat pounder or rolling pin until you reach your desired consistency, you’ll get a closer approximation to the real thing by shaving a block of ice with a sharp knife. This is, however, neither safe nor especially efficient, so you’re likely to find your shavings melting away before you accumulate enough to actually use them. Plus, it’s terrible for the knife!

How much does a shaved ice machine cost? 

Our favorite shaved ice machines range from $20 to $220, with our top two costing $80 each.

Is there a difference between shaved ice and shave ice? 

They're both referring to the same sort of treat, but while shaved ice is fine to say in most parts of the world, in Hawaii, it's shave ice.

Why We're the Experts 

• Irvin Lin is a cookbook author and contributing writer for Serious Eats. He's also an IACP-award-winning photographer and is currently on the James Beard Book Awards Subcommittee. 
• For this article, he tested 12 shaved ice machines, working his way through a bottle of blue cotton candy syrup in the process. He still has a bit of brain freeze from eating snow cones.