All You Need For Refreshing Shaved Ice At Home Are 2 Simple Ingredients

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On a hot summer day, an enticing cup of freshly shaved frozen watermelon drizzled with a creamy, sweet topping sounds almost like the stuff of dreams. While this decadent treat seems like something that comes with an eye-watering price tag or requires waiting in a long line, you can actually churn it out at home. All you need is watermelon and a can of sweetened condensed milk.

To create this craveable and remarkably healthy treat, take fresh watermelon and cut it into 2-inch spears. Then, freeze the watermelon in a single layer for at least four hours, or overnight. Once it is rock solid, you can grate it with a microplane directly into your serving bowls of choice. Or, use the Cambom Rotary Cheese Grater from Amazon to make the task more fun (and potentially safer for your fingers).

Once you've amassed a mound of shaved watermelon that feels satisfying, simply drizzle it with sweetened condensed milk to turn the whole thing into a refreshing and creamy frozen delight. You can make sweetened condensed milk at home, but buying a can of the stuff is certainly the easiest choice. Plus, buying your condensed milk at the store means you can keep cans in the pantry for whenever your shaved watermelon craving strikes, as frozen watermelon keeps in the freezer for up to a year.

Besides watermelon, this refreshing and oh-so-summery shaved ice technique also works on a variety of other fruits, and is a great way to enjoy peak season fruit later in the year. You can also mix up the toppings you use to pair even better with whichever fruit you choose. Frozen peaches shine with a drizzle of cream, strawberries have their day in the sun with a few drops of high-quality balsamic vinegar, mango is mouthwatering with a squeeze of lime and condensed milk, and kiwi with lime and mint gives frozen mocktail vibes. But, for peak summer flavors, frozen watermelon is hard to beat.

If you'd like to make the presentation of your shaved ice even fancier, you can garnish it with fresh mint or wedges of lime. Just be warned that the shaved dessert is already so appealing, it might get gobbled up before you have a chance to make it look pretty. It makes a show-stopping poolside treat or a post-barbecue conversation starter — and it's budget-friendly to boot.