Can a Vitamix Crush Ice? Making Shaved or Crushed Ice in a Vitamix

Can a Vitamix crush ice? The short answer is yes, but there is a proper way to get the job done. This article will explain how to make crushed or shaved ice in a Vitamix blender and why you would want to do that.

Shaved ice often has more flavor because the flavors are in contact with more surface area of the cone or cup holding it. It also melts faster than regular crushed ice does when put into hot drinks like coffee, tea, and lemonade.

It has been said that Vitamix blenders are the best blenders on the market, so they are worth the investment if you plan on making frozen drinks often! No matter which way you choose, crushing your own ice in a Vitamix will save money and time while giving you better quality!

Can You Crush Ice With a Vitamix Blender?

Crushing ice in a Vitamix blender is easy and it doesn’t take long at all. In fact, you can probably crush ice for your drinks faster than other blenders because the blade moves so fast!

Blending up some crushed or shaved ice makes frozen cocktails even better. You don’t have to freeze cocktails before serving them either when you use your Vitamix blender. Just blend everything together with a bit of crushed or shaved ice!

Crushed or shaved ices adds an extra cooling flavor to your favorite fruit smoothies too, and you can keep it in the freezer and use it for cocktails. The best part about crushing ice in a Vitamix blender is that there’s no need for ice trays or expensive machines. You simply throw a few cubes of regular tap water, and your Vitamix blender will transform them into crushed ice in seconds!

Is A Vitamix Blender Powerful Enough to Crush Ice?

Vitamix blenders are most definitely powerful enough to crush ice, almost too powerful! You need to use the pulse feature when crushing ice in a Vitamix blender to prevent the ice from turning into snow.

However, even using the pulse feature may be too long if it runs for 2 – 5 seconds. The best thing to do is lightly tap the pulse button and let go as soon as it starts moving. This will ensure that you don’t blitz the ice into snow.

Some Vitamix blenders have a pre-programmed “Ice Crush” setting or pulse feature. You can try this out but most of the time it will over-blend the ice and not leave you with crushed or shaved ice. Don’t walk away during pre-programmed settings as they only last 30 seconds each time after

What about the Heat that a Vitamix Generates?

Most blenders generate heat when they blend, and most Vitamix blenders can even heat soup. This is not something you have to worry about when crushing ice though. It takes several minutes of consistent blending to generate heat and if you are blending ice for that long, you will end up with water.

To crush ice in a Vitamix blender, short bursts of blending is the way to go. This will enable you to monitor the consistency, and will also keep the blender cool.

What Type of Ice is Good for Crushing?

There are three main types of ice cubes that you can use for crushing. These are crescent, cube, and half-cube shapes. Each one has advantages over the others depending on what type of drink is being made or how much it needs to be crushed.

Keep reading below to learn more about each option and which one is best in your situation.

Crescent Ice

Crescent ice is the best type of ice to make crushed ice in your Vitamix blender. Since the crescent shape allows more surface area and friction with blades, it makes for smoother and finer crushing than other shapes like cubed or whole cubes.

The result: perfectly smooth and fluffy crushed or shaved ice that can be added to iced coffee drinks, snow cones, slushies…and much more!

Cube Ice

When making crushed ice in your Vitamix blender, cube ice is a decent option although it is not as good as crescent ice. Cubes of ice can shatter more easily and give you a less uniform texture. The cubes can also clutter up the blades and slow down your blender.

If you want a finer ice texture, then crescent ice is much better as it will give you that perfect crushed texture. While you can make crushed or shaved ice with cube ice, I recommend using crescent ice instead of cubes for the best results in your Vitamix blender.

Half Cube Ice

Half cubes are smaller cubes of ice that are hollowed out in the middle.

Half cube ice doesn’t work well in a Vitamix blender because its hollowed center creates air pockets that prevent an even texture from forming when blended over longer periods of time, causing it to be too chunky instead of crushed.

These ice cubes also tend to shatter easily when put into a blender, creating an unpleasant noise and mess. If you are going to make crushed ice in your blender, using full cube ice or crescent ice is the best way to go.

How to Make Crushed Ice in a Vitamix

Crushed ice is great for summer drinks, and it’s easy to make with a Vitamix blender. The Vitamix is powerful enough that you can crush ice into snow-like consistency in seconds flat.

The best way to go about making crushed ice in your Vitamix blender is to use the pulse button, turning the machine off every few seconds. Use a silicone spatula to move the ice around, moving the already crushed ice to the top.

Continue doing this until the desired consistency of the ice is achieved.

How to Make Shaved Ice in a Vitamix

Shaved ice has a consistency somewhere between crushed ice and blended ice.

To make shaved ice in your Vitamix blender, place the crescent or cubes of ice in the bottom of your container. Add one ounce of water for every eight ounces of ice. Dump in the water and seal the top tightly.

Start a ten-second cycle on medium speed as soon as you drop in the water. If required, add one more ounce of water and repeat step 2 until you have a proper consistency.

Holding the pitcher upside down over the sink will allow any remaining liquid to drain out. After all of the water has run out to a dull drip, pulse once to mix everything together again.

How to Make Blended Ice (Slush) in a Vitamix

Half-fill your container with 2 parts ice and 1 part water. Blend the mixture before it has a chance to completely freeze using the pulse button.

Turn the machine on again and run for 10-20 seconds at a low speed to produce a slush. It’s fine if it pulverizes the ice because we’re going for a more diluted consistency.

Keep an eye on the consistency by pausing the process every 10 seconds, and use a rubber or silicone spatula to check for resistance while stirring. Repeat steps 2 as needed until you reach the desired texture. Place your flavoring or whatever else you want to add in there. Small volumes of liquid should be used. If you’re adding a flavored syrup, reduce the amount of water in step 1 by the same amount as your additives.

Is the Vitamix Ice Blade Nessecary for Crushing Ice?

The Vitamix ice blade is an attachment that can be used to blend harder substances than the standard blender. The ice blade is more durable than the standard blades and is better at crushing and blending ice into a more uniform size and shape.

If you plan on making lots of crushed ice and regularly make frozen drinks, then you will benefit from the ice blade attachment. Regularly blending ice with the standard blades will cause faster degradation and costly repairs.

If you make crushed or shaved ice occasionally, then you probably don’t need to splash out on this expensive attachment.

Can a Vitamix Crush Ice – Final Thoughts

If you want to make crushed or shaved ice, then the Vitamix blender is an excellent choice. It’s extremely powerful and can break down even the hardest of ingredients with ease.

The Vitamix ice blade attachment will allow you to blend ice into a more uniform size than standard blades would be able to do alone. If your goal is to produce shaved or blended ices like snow cones or slushies, then this machine should definitely be considered as it does both jobs very well!

In conclusion, the type of ice you use for your crushed ice matters. And there are different methods of blending depending on the type of crushed ice you want.