Raspado: the shaved ice treat for a "melting" summer ☀️🍓🍇🥭
I’m from Italy, I live in LA, and I thought I knew how to handle heat. But then, last summer in Milan, I met Sofia from Panama, and she told me I had NO idea what real heat felt like.
She described Panama’s sticky, humid, sweat-through-your-shirt-in-two-minutes kind of heat, and I immediately regretted ever complaining about a “hot” day in California.
“But don’t worry,” she said with a grin. “We have Raspado.”
“Rasp-what?”
Sofia gasped. “You’ve never had Raspado?! It’s the ultimate heat cure. Shaved ice, tropical syrup, and sweet condensed milk on top. You can eat it with a spoon or a straw—it’s magic.”
I was sold. And when she sent me her family’s Raspado recipe, I knew I had found my new summer obsession.
What is Raspado? (and why it’s the best summer treat ever) 🍧
Raspado is Panama’s take on shaved ice, and it’s not just a dessert—it’s a survival strategy for hot, humid days. Imagine light, fluffy shaved ice soaked in tropical fruit syrups like strawberry, grape, or passion fruit, then topped with a drizzle of condensed milk for that extra sweetness.
It’s refreshing, fruity, sweet, and just melts in your mouth. The best part? You get to choose how you eat it:
🥄 With a spoon (if you want to savor every bite)
🥤 With a straw (if you want to drink the sweet, icy goodness at the bottom)
In Panama, Raspado carts are everywhere, and locals swear that no beach day, market stroll, or festival is complete without one.
My first attempt: a kitchen snowstorm ❄️😂... But it worked!
Making Raspado sounded easy enough. You just need shaved ice + syrup + condensed milk. Except… I forgot one small detail. I don’t own an ice shaver.
So, naturally, I tried to crush ice in a blender (bad idea), then with a rolling pin (also bad), and finally with a metal spoon against a cutting board (absolute chaos). At one point, my kitchen looked like a snowstorm had hit LA.
Eventually, I got something close to fluffy ice and poured on the syrup. One sip, and I was in tropical dessert heaven.
How to make Sofia’s family Raspado recipe
🍧 What You’ll Need:
✔️ 2 cups shaved ice (use an ice shaver… trust me)
✔️ ½ cup fruit syrup (strawberry, grape, or passion fruit)
✔️ 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
✔️ A spoon AND a straw (because choices are important)
🥄 How to Make It:
1️⃣ Shave the ice – If you don’t have an ice shaver, crush the ice as finely as possible. (Or, if you want the real experience, find a Raspado cart in Panama).
2️⃣ Pour the syrup over the ice – Go for classic flavors like strawberry, grape, or passion fruit (or mix them because why not?).
3️⃣ Drizzle with condensed milk – This is non-negotiable. It adds the perfect creamy sweetness to balance the fruity syrup.
4️⃣ Enjoy immediately – Spoon or straw? Your choice.
Why you NEED to try Raspado this summer
✨ It’s light, refreshing, and perfect for hot days.
✨ You can customize it with any fruit syrup you love.
✨ It’s a tropical vacation in a cup.
I sent a picture of my finished Raspado to Sofia, and she replied:“Looks good. But next time, get a real ice shaver, amiga. Your kitchen doesn’t deserve this abuse.” Lesson learned. Next summer, I’m buying an ice shaver and making Raspado on repeat.
If you’re looking for a fun, easy, and ridiculously refreshing treat, trust me—this is it. Just maybe… don’t try to crush ice with a spoon. 😅
¡Buen provecho! 🇵🇦✨