‘I Tried the Viral Shaved Ice Trend & Can't Stop Making It'
When is the last time you had a refreshing shaved ice? It's probably been years since this isn't a treat you see all the time. TikTokers, as you know, have a hack for everything and this time, it's this carnival-inspired treat's turn. Users have been making shaved ice with two ingredients and they're probably ingredients you have in your house right now. Perfect for a sunny day by the pool or a lazy night in, this treat will cool you down just in time for the hot weather days ahead.
What is the Viral Shaved Ice?
The TikTok shaved ice trend requires three ingredients: frozen strawberries, a can of sweetened condensed milk and a microplane grater. The recipe appeared on Frankie Gaw's TikTok (@littlefatboyfrankie) and soon after went viral with users commenting on this genius trend saying "You just saved my life. Summer will never be the same," and the entertaining "My jaw dropped!!! What a “grate” idea ??????"—with Frankie replying "Icy what you did there ??."
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Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
How do you make TikTok Shaved Ice?
The process for this recipe (if you can even call it that) is quite simple: grate frozen strawberries with a microplane grater into a bowl, drizzle with sweetened condensed milk (I used sweetened condensed oat milk with great success) and sprinkle with sesame seeds and crushed peanuts. It's a healthier, more elevated, tastier version of the syrupy sweet treat you'd get from a state fair or the ice cream truck. The most difficult part about this recipe (and the messiest) is grating the fruit. Already frozen strawberries work best but fresh strawberries that are then frozen will work too, as long as they're rock hard. TikTokers have created different versions of this recipe, too with some saying "Freeze cantaloupe and grate it! It’s an Iranian treat" and some are even troubleshooting and sharing their tips saying "If anyone has a hard time hand grating I recommend using a food processor with a grating blade! ??"
Some users online are comparing this trend to bingsu or bingsoo, which is a milk-based Korean shaved ice that includes fruit, condensed milk, syrup or red beans as toppings.
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Courtesy of Shaved Ice
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
What Does TikTok Shaved Ice Taste Like?
This is one fluffy dessert. Gaw and others like Alexa Santos (@alexawhatsfordinner) are in love with this light dessert not only because it has a couple of standard ingredients, but because it takes only a few minutes to make. The grated strawberries were sweet and simple and technically, you don't need the condensed milk, but it did add a sweeter creamy quality to my icy strawberries that balanced out the whole bowl quite nicely.
I froze fresh strawberries, grated them and added my sweetened condensed oat milk (although TikTok users are saying that putting the sweetened condensed milk into a squeeze bottle saves time and assists with the artistic drizzle on top). It tasted different than the shaved ice I'm used to, but only because it wasn't artificial tasting whatsoever—after all, the strawberries are the shaved ice part and there is no artificial syrup on top.
The toppings of black sesame seeds and chopped peanuts made the whole thing pretty fancy and I loved the texture variation. Because it was peanuts and strawberries too, it kind of reminded me of a frozen, icy PB&J, but in a really pleasant summery kinda way. The most difficulty I had was getting the frozen strawberries off of my Microplane grater, but I think if my strawberries were frozen a bit more, it wouldn't be as difficult next time.
Next time I make this (and there will be a next time), I'm going to experiment with some of the different combinations of frozen fruit and nut toppings that users are creating so I can have a cool, healthy treat whenever I want all summer long.
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