Fruit slushes
Classic cherry slush
The seaside favourite made at home: cherry squash, water and enough sugar to slush properly.
Photo: ShakataGaNai, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ice lab · UK edition · specs checked 4 October 2026
Home slush machines, minus the guesswork
The Ninja SLUSHi range and the other home slush makers sold in the UK, compared on the makers’ own figures. Plus recipes written to actually freeze, units worked out for every frozen cocktail, and the Food Standards Agency’s glycerol advice in plain English.
The line-up, by the cupful
Each cup is filled to scale with the machine’s maximum liquid fill, as the maker states it. Tap a cup for the full spec sheet.
Lab note 01
Why a diet cola won’t slush
Slush is a soft mush of tiny ice crystals floating in syrup. Dissolved sugar lowers the temperature at which water freezes, which stops those crystals knitting together into a solid block. Without enough sugar you get ice, not slush — so the makers set a minimum.
- Ninja SLUSHi
- 4% sugar, at least, in everything you pour in
- Tower Slushie Fusion
- 5% sugar, minimum, for best results
- On a label
- 4 g sugars per 100 ml ≈ 4% — the line to look for on the label
The recipe shelf
Every label is colour-coded like a syrup bottle. Cocktail labels carry their UK units per serving.
- Fruit & frozen wine
- Citrus & cocktails
- Kids’ party
- Cola, coffee & shakes
Kids’ party
Blue raspberry party slush (glycerol-free)
The bright blue party classic, made with a sugar-based, glycerol-free syrup — the right choice when young children are drinking it.
Photo: Entheta, CC BY-SA 3.0
Citrus & lemonade
Fresh lemonade slush
Sharp, proper lemonade slush from lemons, sugar and water — no fizz needed.
Photo: André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5
Fruit slushes
Watermelon & lime slush
Blitzed watermelon with lime and a little sugar — summery, pink and properly slushy.
Frappés & milkshakes
Iced coffee frappé
Coffee-shop style frozen coffee from strong coffee, milk and sugar, on the Frappé setting.
Frozen cocktails (18+)
Vodka & lemonade slush
The classic “vodka slushie”: lemonade, a little lemon and a measured amount of vodka — about 1 unit a glass.
18+1.1units / serving
Photo: Lutoma, CC BY-SA 3.0
Frozen cocktails (18+)
Cherry vodka slush
A red, grown-up party slush: cherry slush syrup, lemonade and vodka, coloured differently from the kids’ blue batch on purpose.
18+1.1units / serving
Photo: Bin im Garten, CC BY-SA 3.0
Frozen wine (18+)
Frozé (frozen rosé)
A bottle of rosé with strawberry and sugar syrup, slushed — around 1.5 units a glass.
18+1.5units / serving
Before you pour for the kids
Glycerol, under-7s and slush
Some slush syrups and concentrates use glycerol (E422) instead of sugar to stop the drink freezing solid. The Food Standards Agency’s advice, published 16 July 2025, applies to home kits containing glycerol too.
“Children aged under seven should not consume these drinks, because they may cause side effects, particularly when consumed in high levels”
Lab notebook
Guides that explain the why, not just the how.
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01
How slush machines work: sugar, freezing point and alcohol
Why slush needs sugar, what Brix means, why alcohol stops a drink freezing, and what is going on inside a compressor slush machine — explained without the jargon.
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02
The Ninja SLUSHi range explained (UK, 2026)
Original, SlushAssist, XL, MAX and Twist: what each Ninja SLUSHi model is, its UK model number, how much it holds and how strong a cocktail it takes.
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03
Choosing a slush machine: size, cocktails, one flavour or two
Five questions that narrow the choice: how many drinks per batch, one flavour or two, frozen cocktails or not, presets or one button, and whether you also want soft serve.
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04
Frozen cocktails and vodka slushies: strength, units and machine limits
How strong a frozen cocktail can be before it won’t freeze, how to dilute spirits properly, and how to work out the UK units in every glass.
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05
Sugar-free and low-sugar slush: what works and what doesn’t
Why diet drinks won’t slush in a home machine, which sugar alternatives Ninja lists, why glycerol isn’t the answer for children, and how to keep the sugar per cup down.
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06
Cleaning & troubleshooting: icy slush, no slush, flashing lights
How to clean a slush machine after each batch, what the Ninja SLUSHi’s warning lights mean, and how to fix slush that is icy, runny, slow or stuck.
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07
Slush party planning: batches, timings, labels and keeping it safe
How many batches you need, the running order that keeps children’s slush and cocktails apart, labelling, allergens and what to know if you are selling slush at an event.
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08
Commercial granita & slush machines: are they worth it at home?
What the big two-bowl “2 × 12 L” slush machines are, what to check before buying one online, and the glycerol warning rules if you sell slush.