Are you vegan and wondering whether it’s safe to eat shaved ice? You’re not alone. One of the most common questions people ask about shaved ice, snow cones, and similar ice-based desserts is whether they contain any animal-based ingredients. In this article, I’ll go over how to make sure any shave ice you make or buy is entirely vegan.

I’ll start with the good news:

Basic shaved ice is made from only water and flavored syrups, fruit juices, or fruit purees – all of which are entirely vegan! So as long as you’re careful with the ordering process shaved ice can easily be made  100% vegan.

Read on and I’ll go over things to avoid and possible vegan substitutes for common animal-based shaved ice ingredients.

Ingredients To Avoid When Ordering Vegan Shaved Ice

Even though the basic ingredients are totally cruelty free and don’t contain any animal ingredients, there are a few popular additions which are not vegan friendly.

• Condensed Milk – Canned milk that has been made thicker by the process of evaporation and sweetened with sugars, condensed milk is clearly a no no for serious vegans. Condensed milk is commonly drizzled over the tops of Hawaiian style shave ice, where it’s often referred to as a “snow cap”. As a vegan substitute, we recommend using sweetened condensed coconut milk instead.

 

• Evaporated Milk – Evaporated milk is milk that has been slightly thickened by evaporation. It’s very similar to condensed milk, except that it generally is not sweetened and isn’t as thick. Evaporated milk is also poured on top of shaved ice sometimes, especially in a lot of Asian shaved ice varieties like Halo-Halo of the Philippines. For a Vegan substitute we recommend sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk.

 

• Ice Cream – Hawaiian shaved ice is often served with a scoop of ice cream at the bottom. Likewise, many Asian varieties of shaved ice are also served with scoops of ice cream on top. At most shave ice shops, your best option is probably to skip the ice cream unless they have a milk-free vegan ice cream option. These days there are lots of great vegan ice creams available such as ones made from almonds, rice, coconut, or soy. These all tase awesome on shaved ice and I highly recommend them.

 

• Marshmallow Cream – Since they contain egg whites, marshmallow creams like Fluff are another shave ice topping that is not vegan friendly. When ordered shaved ice, skip the marshmallow cream or make your own easy vegan marshmallow fluff.

 

• Whipped Cream – A milk-based product, you’ll definitely want to avoid whipped cream. An excellent vegan alternative for whipped cream is whipped coconut cream.

 

Popular Vegan Shaved Ice Toppings

Fortunately, there are tons of super-healthy vegan topping options for shaved ice. Here are a few vegan-friendly shave ice favorites.

• Adzuki Beans – For shaved ice, adzuki beans are usually boiled with sugar to sweeten them and they’re a very popular vegan shaved ice topping – especially in Asian shaved ice varieties. Since Hawaiian style shave ice originated from Japanese immigrants, it’s not surprising that this Asian bean is a popular topping in Hawaii. Check out our article on how to make sweetened adzuki or mung beans for shaved ice.

 

• Mochi balls – Mochi is a sweet 100% vegan dessert made from pounded glutinous rice. It’s usually filled with some sort of fillings such as red beans, matcha paste, or other sweet sauces.

 

• Shredded Coconut Flakes – Sprinkle these over the top of any fruits you put on your shave ice for a delicious and beautiful finishing touch.

 

• Papaya – Papaya is fantastic on shaved ice, and if you’ve never tried it with a squeeze of lemon and some mint on it – do it!

 

• Mango – A tropical favorite, the buttery smooth texture of mango is an excellent counterpoint to the shaved ice texture.

 

• Blueberry – Especially good combined with sweet coconut milk.

 

• Lilikoi (AKA Passion Fruit) – A very popular topping on Hawaiian style shave ice, lilikoi has incredible sweet, tangy flavaor that really compliments shaved ice.

 

• Pineapple – Pineapple chunks make a great topping, and you can also make very healthy shaved ice simply by pouring fresh pineapple juice over shaved ice.

 

• Orange Slices – I like to leave the skins on to give extra flavor and because they just look beautiful that way.

 

• Sweetened Coconut Milk – sweetened coconut milk adds a creamy dimension to shaved ice. Drizzled over the top and combined with other toppings – coconut milk is a perfect finishing touch for extra decadent vegan shave ice.

 

• Pickles – A strange one, but if you’re a fan of pickles you may totally dig putting sliced pickles on top of a strawberry or cherry shaved ice. In the Southwest united states this is often called a Picadilly snow cone.

 

• Granola – Adds a healthy bit of fiber and a nice crunch

 

• Sprinkles – Not all sprinkles are vegan, so proceed with caution on this one.

 

• Chocolate Chips – Again, be careful with these because some chocolate chips may contain milk products.

 

• Walnuts – So good.

 

• Frosted Flakes – Maybe not the healthiest option, but totally free of animal-based ingredients. Adding cereal to the top of shaved ice is extremely popular in Southeast Asian countries.

 

• Grass Jelly – Kind of like Asian gelatin, this minty sweet treat is similar to wheatgrass, and doesn’t actually contain gelatin.

 

• Almonds – Almonds have loads of healthy fasts, fiber, and protein, so they’re a nice healthy topping choice.

 

• Peanuts – Or you can also use peanut butter!

 

Making Vegan Shaved Ice at Home

If you want to make 100% sure the shaved ice you’re enjoying is completely vegan, you can make your shaved ice from the comfort of your home! Having a shave ice maker at home is awesome for parties and makes a perfect family bonding experience as well. Our family has tried out lots of different shave ice machines and we’ve created a helpful shave ice machine buying guide here.