Table of Contents
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Slush is not only the brown, wet, snowy ice that accumulates in every parking lot during the winter… at least here in the Midwest. Slush can instead be something utterly amazing!
Slush is a shortened name for a slushy: a sweet, frozen dessert treat. And this pineapple slush is not your average slushy. In our family, my Grandma Conrad made this each year for our family Christmas. While I know that slush is not a typical Christmas treat, this recipe will forever be associated with the holidays since we only made it during this season. The flavor is brightly citrus with lemon, orange, and tropical pineapple. And in a surprise twist, the slush is rounded out with a unique flavoring that completely transforms this into something special.
The ingredients that make for a perfect pineapple slush
- Lemon juice is bright and adds a sharpness to the otherwise sweet side of the slush.
- Gelatin is essential for the correct texture of the slush. Only gelatin can give texture to the liquid that when frozen holds a great texture. My grandma’s orginial recipe used prepared flavored gelatin, but this recipe doesn’t need the added sugar that’s in a flavored gelatin.
- Pineapple juice is the base flavor for the entire slush. Look for a variety that is 100% juice so it will have no additional sugar. This means it will also be full of fresh pineapple flavor.
- Lemonade concentrate and orange juice concentrate each provide a great balance of tartness to sweetness and do not add additional water to the recipe. These two concentrates are in the frozen section of the grocery store. Make sure to not use powder concentrates.
- Almond extract is one of those unusual ingredients that will seem out of place. But never fear: trust the recipe and add the extract! The almond pulls together all of the bright citrus and tropical flavors and creates something completely unique and irresistible!
Once the mixture is frozen, about an hour before it’s served, pull the slush from the freezer to thaw slightly. As it thaws, the slush becomes a scoopable consistency. Add to a glass and pour lemon-lime soda over the top.
Slush may not be something you have ever made… or even thought of making. And honestly, if this wasn’t a tried and true family favorite, I probably would not have made it myself. But I feel pretty confident saying that this recipe will soon become a tradition for you as well!
More New Year's recipes
Puff Pastry Sausage Bites
Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
Festive Pineapple Slush
French Onion Cheese Dip
Watch how to make this pineapple slush
Festive Pineapple Slush
Ingredients
For the simple syrup
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups granulated sugar
For the slush
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice
- 5 tsp gelatin
- 2 qt pineapple juice
- 12 oz lemonade concentrate
- 12 oz orange juice concentrate
- 1 oz almond extract
- 1 gallon water
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and gelatin. Stir until smooth and set aside to bloom. During the blooming process, the gelatin will absorb the lemon juice and become thick.¾ cup fresh lemon juice, 5 tsp gelatin
- While the gelatin is blooming, in a 4-quart saucepan, combine the 3 cups of water and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once at a simmer, continue to stir until the water is clear and all of the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the bloomed gelatin. Stir until the gelatin dissolves into the hot simple syrup.3 cups granulated sugar, 3 cups water
- Once dissolved, add the mixture to a 12-quart container. Add the pineapple juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice concentrate, almond extract, and water. Stir to combine, cover, and set in the freezer. Alternatively, the mixture can be poured into various small containers to freeze faster. Every 1 to 2 hours, stir the mixture.2 qt pineapple juice, 12 oz lemonade concentrate, 12 oz orange juice concentrate, 1 oz almond extract, 1 gallon water
- Once the slush is fully frozen (about 8-12 hours), remove from the freezer 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving to thaw slightly. Once the slush is easily broken up with a spoon, serve in glasses and top with lemon-lime soda.
You state that the water and sugar should be the same amount for the simple syrup, but the recipe states 6 c water and 3 c sugar. Then it has one gal of water at the end of the recipe.
Hello! Thank you for pointing out that error, the simple syrup has 3 cups water and 3 cups sugar to make equal parts. THe gallon of water at the end of the recipe is correct and is not part of the simple syrup.
Thank you for all of your great recipes , I have been trying quite a few of them ! My question is , where in the precess do you add the gallon of water mentioned in the ingredient list ?
It’s in step 3.
I’m diabetic and can’t take the sugars in the concintratred juices. Can use fresh squeezed lemons and oranges?