Did you know you can make your own homemade sno cone syrup in your favorite flavor? Get the easy snow cone syrup recipe — just three ingredients — plus learn how to decorate the bottles. Kids will love making their own sno-cones this summer, and you’ll save lots of money making the syrup instead of buying it.
Wednesdays are my son’s favorite days at camp because that’s when the sno-cone truck comes! With this three-ingredient snow cone syrup recipe, made with sugar and water and Kool-Aid, he can have the sweet icy treats any day of the week!
Planning a backyard beach party? You have to serve sno-cones! This DIY snow cone syrup recipe makes it easy. Just add crushed ice.
And is it sno-cone or snow cone? While I normally have an opinion on such things, in this case, I say to spell it however you like! I’m using both throughout this post.
You can skip ahead to the end of this post for the snow cone syrup recipe. But then you’ll miss the video tutorial for how you can make these cute customized labels for your sno-cone syrup bottles. Plus I have lots of other useful tips for making, using and storing DIY snow cone syrup.
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How to Make Homemade Snow Cone Syrup
We made up several batches of sno-cone syrup: Tropical Punch, Strawberry, Cherry, Orange and Green Apple.
To make this sno-cone syrup you’ll need:
- water
- sugar
- Kool-Aid or another powdered, unsweetened drink mix
To make the now cone syrup, boil the water and sugar in a large saucepan until it thickens. Then remove it from the heat and stir in the powdered drink mix until it has dissolved.
Once the syrup has cooled, pour it into squeeze bottles and refrigerate until cold. Squirt the chilled syrup over crushed ice to make a snow cone.
This snow cone syrup recipe makes enough for 16 servings.
How to Make Cute Labels for DIY Snow Cone Syrup
I decided to make some cute kid-friendly labels to go on our homemade snow cone syrup bottles. That way kids can easily identify what flavor syrup they’re using on their sno-cones.
This project is part of the Crafty Hangouts series of live crafting videos, sponsored by OnlineLabels.com.
If you think office supplies and parties don’t go hand-in-hand, then you need to check out all the amazing labels available from Online Labels. You’ll find all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors of labels for shipping, printing, packaging, branding and crafting. Even labels for sno-cone syrup bottles!
Our group of crafty bloggers has come up with 20 different ideas for how to use labels at parties. You can find all the tutorials on this YouTube playlist.
Online Labels has a free tool that you can use to design and print your labels. But for my project, I decided to break out some of my rubber stamps and ink.
See how I did it here:
I used these cigar band-style soap labels in a white glossy finish for my sno-cone bottles.
Other supplies I used to make the snow cone syrup labels:
- Plastic squeeze bottles (You can find them at Walmart, grocery stores or Amazon)
- Brush markers (You could also use Copic markers) or an ink pad
- Stampin’ Up Tart & Tangy stamp set (This set is retired, but I found other options here and here)
- Assorted washi tape (This fruit washi would be adorable on the snow cone syrup bottles!)
How much syrup should I use on a sno-cone?
This particular recipe calls for about 1.5 ounces of syrup per 6 ounce sno-cone. But the amount you use really depends on personal taste and preference.
If you’re like most kids I know, the more syrup the better! And why limit yourself to just one flavor of syrup when you can mix them all together and make a rainbow snow cone?
Can I make sugar-free snow cone syrup
You can make sugar-free sno-cone syrup although it may not be as syrup-y as the version made with sugar.
To make sugar-free snow cone syrup, dissolve 1 cup of Splenda into 1 cup of boiling water, then add the Kool-Aid mix. You can experiment with other no-calorie sweeteners as well.
Can I make a snow cone without a snow cone maker?
While it’s fun to serve up these icy sweet treats from a snow cone machine, you don’t need any special appliances to make a snow cone. You can use a blender or a food processor to crush the ice for snow cones. (I love my Kitchen Aid K400 for making snow cones. It’s amazing for crushing ice, and you can even get that soft Hawaiian shave ice texture with it.)
If you don’t have a blender, food processor or crushed ice setting on your refrigerator, throw some cubes into a zip-top plastic bag. Use a mallet to crush the ice. (Bartenders love these types of bags for making crushed ice.)
What flavor is Tiger’s blood?
Kid’s love Tiger’s blood snow cones. And mine is no exception.
Tiger’s blood is a deep-red snow cone syrup that is a combination of watermelon and strawberry with a bit of tropical coconut.
To make your own Tiger’s blood snow cone syrup, follow the recipe below using 1/2 packet of watermelon-flavored Kool-Aid and 1/2 packet of strawberry-flavored Kool-Aid. Add up to 1 teaspoon of coconut extract.
Does snow cone syrup need to be refrigerated?
Yes, you should refrigerate homemade snow cone syrup so it doesn’t spoil or go bad.
How long does snow cone syrup last in the refrigerator?
This snow cone syrup should remain good kept in the refrigerator for a week to 10 days. If you don’t use it all up then, you can store in the freezer to preserve it longer.
Can you freeze snow cone syrup?
Yes, you can freeze this snow cone syrup if you’re not going to be able to use it all within a week or so. Just stash it in an air tight bottle in the freezer and pull it out when you want to make snow cones.
Because snow cone syrup has a high sugar content, it may not solidify or freeze completely. It should be good in the freezer for at least a month.
Is Homemade Snow-Cone Syrup Gluten Free?
This DIY snow cone syrup should be gluten free. But it’s always a good idea to check the label on the Kool-Aid or powdered drink mix package to confirm there aren’t any ingredients that could cause any issues if you have gluten intolerance or other food sensitivities or allergies.
We went a birthday party over the weekend, and we we gave Jackson’s little friend his own sno-cone maker, some straws and sno-cone cups, plus an assortment of homemade syrups.
We love coming up with creative birthday gifts for kids, and I’d say this definitely qualifies!
My guy certainly loves his homemade sno-cone!
Shop for Sno-Cone Machines & Other Supplies
Try making your own snow cone syrup at home:
Homemade Snow Cone Syrup
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 packet unsweetened powdered drink mix such as Kool-Aid
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the water and sugar.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add powdered drink mix, stirring until dissolved.
- Allow to cool.
- Using a funnel, pour into plastic bottles or jars. Refrigerate for up to 1 month.
- Serve over shaved ice.
Nutrition
Pin This! Homemade Snow Cone Syrup Recipe
If you like this snow cone syrup recipe, you might enjoy these other fun summer treats and party ideas:
Pink Lemonade Cupcakes in Ice Cream Cones
Backyard Beach Party with Edible Sand Art
Heidi
Living in Arizona we are always looking for treats that also help you cool off in heat and snow cones are a favorite with my kids! They are big fans of these syrups. The adults (aka big kids) love them too!
Mark
Thanks for the simple recipe. I haven’t made snow cones before, but this one looks easy to try out at home. Let me see how good they taste.
Jennifer @ The Jenny Evolution
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Jennifer @ The Jenny Evolution