5 Best Slush Maker Machines of 2023

No establishment that serves frozen beverages is complete without a slush machine. Being able to make a variety of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, slush machines are absolutely necessary for any establishment that serves such beverages.

Slush machines are not only for establishments, however. Certain ones are designed for homes and certain ones are designed for an establishment. This is just one fundamental difference among slush machines that you should know about.

Some of these machines specialize in making a certain frozen beverage or frozen dessert and some of them are capable of making any kind of frozen beverage or dessert.

The following featured slush machines were chosen with these differences as well as quality in mind. Take some time and explore what they have to offer.

Our 3 Favorite Slush Machines

Best Slush Maker Machines Reviews

1. Shaved ice and snow cone machine by Hawaiian Shaved Ice

Hawaiian Shaved Ice S900A Shaved Ice and Snow Cone Machine, 120V, White

Making shaved ice, snow cones, or any kind of dessert that resembles these is not easy to do in most cases. Most of the machines that allow you to make these kinds of things are either difficult to use or difficult to come by. This is especially true if you want such a machine for the home, which is practically impossible to come by.

Hawaiian Shaved Ice has solved this issue with its shaved ice and snow cone machine. You have found what you are looking for if you were ever looking for a snow cone maker for the home. It takes up very little space and can easily go into a corner of your kitchen. Cleaning it is really easy as well, unlike most other shaved ice makers.

Being composed of only three pieces, you will not have any trouble putting together or taking apart Hawaiian Shaved Ice’s snow cone machine, either. This makes it much easier to carry around and transport if you are using it to host a party or some other social event at the home.

However, you’ll need to look elsewhere if you are looking for a snow cone maker that you can use for an establishment. Although Hawaiian Shaved Ice’s slush machine is capable of creating up to 5 servings, this is certainly not enough for any big crowds. You’ll need to wait about 7 minutes for the ice inside of it to thaw, as well, making it take a little longer than others of its kind.

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2. “Little Snowie Max” premium shaved ice maker by Snowie

Little Snowie Max Snow Cone Machine - Premium Shaved Ice Maker, With Powder Sticks Syrup Mix,...

The majority of shaved ice makers take forever. This is one of the most inconvenient things about any given shaved ice maker whether you have one for your home or an establishment that sells shaved ice products. Another inconvenient thing about most shaved ice makers is that they often require you to pre-freeze specifically shaped ice cubes. This is also very frustrating to deal with.

These two common and frustrating issues surrounding shaved ice makers are completely solved with the Little Snowie Max, by Snowie. First, it is compatible with ice cubes from your freezer or from a bag. This makes it easier to use. Also, its 301 hardened stainless steel blade will turn the ice you put into the machine into snow in seconds. This is probably the most impressive thing about the Little Snowie Max.

Making shaved ice with the Little Snowie Max is incredibly easy. All you need is a 16-ounce bottle and some granulated sugar. Everything else is done with a flavor pack and some water. Very few shaved ice machines are this easy to use.

There are a couple of things that you do need to look out for with the Little Snowie Max, however. First, it is extremely loud. This is because of the stainless steel blades. While this might seem negligible to some, others may find it unpleasant.

Also, the hardened steel blades have a tendency to break if the ice you put into the machine is too cold. You might need to thaw out your ice cubes a little longer than you want to before getting your shaved ice ready here.

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3. “Tahiti frozen concoction maker” by Margaritaville

Margaritaville Tahiti Margarita Machine-for Margaritas, Smoothies, and Frozen Drinks, 3 24-Ounce...

Finding frozen beverage machines that can make multiple beverages that you can also use for the home is not just difficult, it is practically impossible. At best, they’ll come in the form of frozen beverage machines that require all kinds of piping and other infrastructure that your home just does not have.

Margaritaville’s frozen concoction maker solves this surprisingly common problem. It comes with three separate 24-ounce blending jars, allowing you to make up to three different kinds of frozen beverages with a decent amount of volume per beverage. Even though the frozen concoction maker looks like it is designed for the home, it can work in dining establishments as well.

Being a little over 19 inches in height, width, and length, the Tahiti frozen concoction maker can fit into almost any corner of any kitchen easily as well.

Never again will you need to use more than one frozen beverage maker when hosting large-scale social events at your home or office. The Tahiti frozen concoction maker also comes with a list of frozen beverage recipes if you ever want to get a little creative.

There is only one major issue with the Tahiti frozen concoction maker: It is not easy to clean. The jars are all really close to each other, making cleaning a little difficult. You’ll need to remove each jar and clean the bottom of the machine where the drink mix can get into.

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4. 64 ounce margarita and slush maker by Nostalgia

Nostalgia 64-Ounce Margarita Maker & Slushie Machine Easy-Flow Spout, Perfect for Slushies,...

One of the biggest issues that stand-alone slush makers that are designed for the home face is that they are severely lacking in terms of volume. Most of these slush makers can indeed make frozen beverages, but they usually can only do it one serving at a time. Sometimes you might get lucky and find a slush maker that can make a few servings at a time but this is rare.

Nostalgia’s margarita and slush maker solves this issue by having an impressive capacity of 64 ounces. No longer will you be stuck making frozen beverages one serving at a time; with Nostalgia’s maker, you can make up to 5 or even 6.

Being designed like a blender, Nostalgia’s slush maker is very easy to use. Add the ingredients to your beverage, some shaved ice, and mix it. It doesn’t get much more simple than that. Nostalgia’s slush maker is perfect when you are hosting a small gathering at your home.

However, you need to be aware that Nostalgia’s slush maker can only make one particular frozen beverage at a time. There exist other machines out there that have different containers for different beverages. Also, Nostalgia’s slush maker will not shave ice for you. Make sure you are putting in ice that has already been shaved when using it.

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5. Hard and sugar free countertop cotton candy maker by Nostalgia

Nostalgia PCM405RETRORED Hard and Sugar Free Countertop Cotton Candy Maker, Includes 2 Reusable...

Cotton candy makers in and of themselves are difficult to come by. Whenever you are lucky enough to come across one, most of them present a major problem: They can process either hard candy, floss sugar, or sugar free candy, but never all three. If you are very lucky, you might come across one that can process two of these three.

Nostalgia’s countertop cotton candy maker solves this problem in a big way. It is probably one of the only ones of its kind to be able to process and make cotton candy out of floss sugar, hard candy, and sugar free candy.

Very few cotton candy makers have this ability if any of them do. No longer will you be stuck being able to make cotton candy from only one or two kinds of candy.

Another nice thing about Nostalgia’s cotton candy maker is that its rim guard allows for a lot of room for the cotton candy to be made. No longer will you need to worry about candy particles spilling out of the sides of the cotton candy maker. That issue does not exist with Nostalgia’s machine. The retro look adds a nice touch, as well.

There are two things you need to watch for with Nostalgia’s cotton candy maker, however. First, it takes a very long time to cool. While it is somewhat easy to clean because you can take it apart easily, you’ll still need to wait for it to cool before doing this. Also, it takes a lot longer to make cotton candy compared to other machines of its kind.

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Best Slush Machines – A Buying Guide

Because slush machines come in many different forms and can do many different things, it helps to consider a few things before buying one.

Will you need the slush machine for your home or an establishment?

This is the first consideration you should have and it makes the most sense.

Some slush machines are designed specifically for the home, some are designed specifically for an establishment, and there also exist slush machines that you can use for either.

The other considerations all revolve around this one consideration, as you will see.

What kinds of beverages or desserts will you be making with the slush machine?

As mentioned earlier, slush machines are capable of making nearly any kind of frozen beverage and they can even make desserts such as cotton candy.

One thing that you need to do is figure out what kinds of beverages or desserts you need a slush machine for, this way you’ll know exactly which slush machine to pursue.

Will you be making different kinds of beverages and desserts with your slush machine?

Some slush machines can only make one kind of beverage or dessert. For example, you shouldn’t expect a cotton candy maker to also make a frozen beverage.

However, some of them are designed to make all kinds of beverages or desserts and while this might not be important if you want such a machine for the home, it is absolutely necessary if you need a slush machine for an establishment.

How much space do you have for the slush machine?

While most slush machines do not take up too much space, you need to consider what it takes to clean most of them.

Cleaning most slush machines will require you to take the machine apart, and this causes the machine to take up more space than you might have thought. Consider that fact when determining how much space you have for a slush machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why do some add salt to a slush machine?

A: The mixes, syrup, and other substances that most frozen beverage and dessert mixes are composed of can be extremely adhesive. Adding just a little bit of salt to a slush machine will loosen up all the substances that these mixes are made of and will make the machine itself a lot easier to clean without sacrificing the taste of the beverage or dessert too much.

Q: Can you put Coca-Cola in a slush machine?

A: Some claim that adding Coca-Cola or any other given a carbonated beverage to your frozen drink mix can improve the taste of the frozen drink. They are correct in their observation, but this needs to be done very carefully.

Don’t forget that these beverages are carbonated meaning that they have pressure. Put too much of any carbonated beverage in your slush machine, and the contents will combust.

Q: Can you put alcohol in a slush puppy machine?

A: It actually is possible to make a margarita type of drink by doing this, since the only thing that a slush puppy machine really does is keep already mixed frozen beverages cold.

However, you need to be aware that putting in any alcohol in these machines will make the entire substance in the machine alcoholic since slush puppy machines are constantly mixing the substances in them.

Q: How long does a slush machine take to finish making a frozen beverage?

A: The answer to this question really depends on what kind of frozen beverage you want to make and what goes into making said frozen beverage.

Something like a snow cone can take a long time since you need to wait for the ice to melt a certain way before shaving it. Something like frozen drink mix, however, can only take a few minutes, especially if the drink mix is already frozen or extremely cold.

Q: Do you add water to slush syrup?

A: This is possible and even necessary for some frozen drink mixes, but the general answer to this is “no.” A more detailed answer has to deal with how much water you need to add to the drink mix.

A good rule of thumb is to only add water as the drink mix dictates. If you do not need to add any water to your drink mix, do not add any water at all even if you think it might help.

Conclusion

Slush machines give you access to an entire world of beverages that you can enjoy both for your home or any given dining establishment that you happen to own.

Just like there are dozens of hundreds of different kinds of frozen beverages that can be made, there are also dozens of hundreds of slush machines that can make these frozen beverages.

Make sure you know exactly what kind of slush machine you need and for what kind of setting or occasion you need one for.

Resources:

  1. https://slushiemachineguide.com/
  2. https://foodsguy.com/best-slushy-makers/
  3. https://didyouknowhomes.com/10-best-slush-machine-reviews/
  4. https://icemakergeeks.com/the-best-slushy-machine-for-your-home/

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FAQ:

Q: How much does a slurpee machine cost?

A: People also ask, how much does a Slurpee machine cost? The machine, which retails for $49.99, is endorsed by 7-Eleven, which means every order comes with 1 coupon for a free 7-Eleven Slurpee. Also, how bad is a Slurpee for you?

Q: What is a commercial machine?

A: A Commercial Ice Machine is a piece of foodservice equipment that produces ice for a foodservice environment including but not limited to restaurants, cafeterias, hotels and motels, medical and healthcare facilities, supermarkets and convenience stores.

Q: What is a slushie machine?

A: A commercial slushie machine is a versatile addition to any snack shack, concession stand, convenience store, gas station, or bar.