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Homemade Icee Recipe for Kids

by Laura Fuentes

July 9, 2013
updated May 17, 2023
4.96 from 22 votes
This homemade icee recipe will show you how to get that perfect ice-y consistency using a blender!
Jump to Recipe

All the articles & recipes on this website have been created through real-life testing and experience (no ai) since 2010.This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Try this Homemade Icee recipe for a refreshing treat you can make at home! It has less sugar and you can pick the flavor!

The best part: you only need a blender and your favorite fruit juice, plus, I’ll show you how to achieve that smooth-ice consistency.  

two glasses of a red homemade icee made with juice

2 Ingredient Icee at Home

Making icees at home is a great way to enjoy a treat and cool down on a hot summer day. This recipe only needs 2 ingredients and will save you money and a trip to the convenience store. 

This recipe can be bade with your fravorite fruit juice or even light lemonade mix really quickly in a blender.

You will be blending ice, so if your blender is less than stellar, this is my top blender pick for ice. You can also check out my full review of inexpensive blenders here.

Homemade Icee Ingredients

To make an icee in a blender, you’ll need crushed ice and real fruit juice. Since these are made without artificial syrups, opt for a juice that is strong in flavor. Full list of flavors below.

  • Ice: crushed ice works best in less powerful blenders or full ice cubes.
  • Juice: pick a strong flavored juice for make this icee tastier.

Tip: If you don’t have a crushed ice setting, fill a zip bag with ice cubes, zip it closed, and place it on top of a towel on a wooden board. With a meat mallet or rolling pin, beat the large pieces of ice into smaller pieces. 

two homemade slushies in glasses

Best Juice for Icees at Home

Fruit juices with a strong flavor and higher viscosity (stickiness) are best for homemade icees. Here are a few options to try: 

  • Pomegranate juice: a tangy-sweet beverage with rich purple color. Its flavor and consistency are my first choice for homemade slushies. 
  • Blueberry juice: has a consistency similar to pomegranate juice but has a delicious blueberry flavor.  
  • Grape juice: make sure to use red grape juice as white grape can be a little too light. 
  • Cherry juice: if your kids love tart flavors, cherry is the way to go! It has an intense red color on the ice, making it a nice alternative to pomegranate. 
  • Apple juice or cider: deliciously sweet and cider is great for the fall!
  • Pear juice: usually sold in glass bottles in the drinks aisle is delicious in an icee.
  • Peach juice: sweet and with a nice texture, this juice is great for icees.
  • Juice concentrate: more potent than regular juice and usually frozen. Use 4 ounces of concentrate + ½ cup of water per cup of ice. 

How to Make an Icee in a Blender

Using a blender that can crush ice is the trick to making perfect homemade icees, and the step-by-step process is a breeze!

  1. Measure the ingredients
    Make sure you have 1 cup of ice and ⅓ cup of fruit juice. 
  2. Combine and blend
    Add the ingredients to your blender, cover with the lid, and process until you have a slushy-like consistency. 
  3. Serve & sip
    Pour the icee into your favorite glass, add a straw, and sip away!

That’s it! If you want to make more than one icee, simply double and triple the recipe as needed or adjust it in the recipe card below.

More Fun Summer Treats

In the market for more easy frozen treat ideas? My Greek Yogurt Popsicles and Greek Yogurt Fruit Bark are sweet alternatives to the originals and are made with wholesome ingredients. 

These mini ice cream sandwiches dipped in chocolate hit the spot for a more dessert-like option, and my Homemade Pineapple Whip is also a favorite for good reason. 

Real Homemade Icee

Laura Fuentes
4.96 from 22 votes
This homemade icee recipe will show you how to get that perfect ice-y consistency using a blender!
Servings: 1
Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Ingredients

  • 1 cup crushed ice
  • ⅓ cup 100% fruit juice

Instructions
 

  • In a blender, combine ice and fruit juice. Blend until you have an even slush consistency.

Notes

Nutrition facts will vary by juice selected. Some great juice options are pomegranate juice, blueberry juice, grape juice, cherry juice, apple juice or cider, pear juice, and peach juice.
If using a frozen juice concentrate, first dilute the frozen concentrate with water to make juice, then blend.

Equipment

Clean Treats Cookbook
Blender

Nutrition

Calories: 38kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 0.1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.03gSodium: 15mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.1mg
Like this recipe?Rate and leave a comment below

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Reader Interactions

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Libby

    March 22, 2022 at 5:54 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you

    Reply
  2. Hannah

    March 28, 2015 at 2:59 pm

    5 stars
    I <3 THIS DRINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  3. katherine

    January 02, 2015 at 11:10 pm

    5 stars
    my mom doesn’t buy me icees because they have too much sugar, now i can’t wait to make this!

    great recipe!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      April 27, 2015 at 11:23 am

      Enjoy!!

      Reply
  4. Norma Yera

    May 26, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    5 stars
    This was great.I just smashed up ice a bit in a Zip lock bag before putting in my b lender…as I’ve killed a few blenders before. lol I’ll be busy making these for my grands this summer. Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      April 27, 2015 at 11:23 am

      your grands are going to love it. hurray!

      Reply
  5. jamarys hwang

    May 12, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    5 stars
    hi. would u thicken the juice to pour over sno cone?

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      May 12, 2014 at 2:47 pm

      to pour over a snow cone, I use regular grape or pomegranate juice.

      Reply
      • jamarys hwang

        May 12, 2014 at 2:50 pm

        5 stars
        thx

        Reply
  6. Matt Robinson

    April 22, 2014 at 12:58 pm

    5 stars
    Both of our sons LOVE icees and we give in a little too often. I have to admit, I love them too. The simplicity of this is awesome and I can’t wait to make them with them. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      April 22, 2014 at 2:44 pm

      Glad you liked these Matt!

      Reply
  7. Denise

    July 14, 2013 at 7:03 pm

    5 stars
    Mine turned out too watery the first time… so instead I froze my 100% juice in cubes. My blender is pitiful, so I put the cubes in a baggie and smashed them with my mallet. My son loved to eat the “purple snow” with a spoon. In hindsight, I will save some juice to pour over the top to make is slushy….

    Thank you for the recipe… I NEVER would have thought to do this without it!!!

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      July 16, 2013 at 10:35 pm

      maybe because my blender is SO CRUMMY it came out perfect? either way, the concept is simple. a little bit of juice to a lot of ice. 🙂 thank you for coming by!

      Reply
  8. Katie

    July 14, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    5 stars
    Pomegranate… yum! Made homemade “smoothies” for breakfast – fresh strawberries, oj, ice… Blend! Delish.

    Reply
  9. Sarah

    July 11, 2013 at 11:07 am

    5 stars
    This is fantastic. If only my blender would crush ice consistently. As a closet Slurpee addict, it may be worth a new one just for this! Thanks!

    Reply
  10. Tammy

    July 10, 2013 at 7:04 am

    5 stars
    It’s so refreshing to see another Mom that feels the same way about feeding our children the “junk”! I have a child with life threatening food allergies and when you start reading labels you really start opening your eyes to what is in the food you are eating and really start making better choices. Thank you for this idea! I love it and will be trying it. Maybe a lemonade icee? Sounds great for summertime! 🙂

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      July 10, 2013 at 10:37 am

      yes, I would rather not make junk a regular thing at our house… 🙂

      Reply
      • Jasmin

        April 26, 2015 at 4:41 pm

        5 stars
        It’s not all that bad it’s made out of juice it’s not like icecream or sugar

        Reply
        • Laura Fuentes

          April 27, 2015 at 11:26 am

          the real icees are not made out of juice. they are made of high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and artificial sweeteners. Those are things I rather not feed my kids. I’m not concerned with ice cream that is made with real ingredients. Artificial ones, yes.

          Reply
      • brooklyn

        June 20, 2016 at 7:15 pm

        4 stars
        I just wrote it down I am gonna try it and see if I like it the way it sounds it sounds good I hope I enjoy it

        Reply
  11. Rachael

    July 09, 2013 at 10:46 pm

    5 stars
    How have I not thought of this? Genius! Icees are my kids guilty pleasure (although the guilt is all mine, mind you!)

    Reply
    • Laura Fuentes

      July 10, 2013 at 10:37 am

      haaahaaa. now you an make them at home and save money too Rachael!

      Reply
  12. Stephanie

    July 09, 2013 at 2:53 pm

    5 stars
    Yum this looks delicious! I will have to make this for my kids!

    Reply
  13. Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.

    July 09, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    5 stars
    My kids will LOVE This

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 1-Ingredient Watermelon Icee - MOMables® - Real Food Healthy School Lunch & Meal Ideas Kids Will LOVE says:
    July 11, 2016 at 9:07 am

    […] love making this Real Homemade Icee in the summer, so I wanted to try something similar with watermelon. The result? A naturally […]

    Reply

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