Make a Slurpee (no special equipment required)

What’s the story behind the Slurpee? And, more important, is it possible to make your own without an industrial frozen carbonated beverage machine? In this video, I uncover a long-forgotten and expired patent that describes a recipe and method for turning ordinary soda into a Slurpee without any special equipment.
RECIPE
500mL Coca Cola or similar soda (ice cold)
28g Sugar
1.5g Low-methoxyl pectin: amzn.to/3ODUwth
0.4g Guar gum: amzn.to/3qylOJw
1.0g Yucca extract: amzn.to/3OYE6g9
1. Weigh and combine pectin, guar gum, yucca extract, and sugar. Blend these powders thoroughly, and then add to an empty and dry soda bottle.
2. Pour 100g of ice cold CocaCola into the bottle with the gums and sugar, cap the bottle, and then shake aggressively to disperse the sugar and gums. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the gums to rehydrate.
3. Pour out 150g of the remaining CocaCola, then slowly pour in the hydrated gum syrup from step 2 into the bottle. Try to have the gum syrup just flow across the surface of the soda without mixing to avoid the soda foaming up and making a mess.
4. Cap the bottle, shake it vigorously to mix the gum syrup into the remaining soda. You will feel the bottle re-pressurize. Carefully crack open the bottle slightly to allow CO2 to force all of the air out of the “headspace” above the liquid. Tighten the cap firmly as soon as soda starts to leak out.
5. Freeze for approximately 4 hours, shaking the bottle after the first hour to break up the ice. Shaking the bottle as it freezes from time to time will result in a finer texture of ice. When the bottle feels slushy like it’s filled with heavy wet sand, crack the bottle open to let the DIY slurpee foam up and enjoy.
NOTE: You can use other carbonated sodas, but may need to increase or decrease the amount of additional sugar to achieve a 16 to 18 °Brix sugar concentration in the final recipe.
PRODUCT LINKS
Combustion Predictive Thermometer: combustion.inc
Acaia scale: acaia.co/collections/coffee-s...
Alternative scale: amzn.to/3R7xzSb
Refractometer: amzn.to/3QKX0Zl
FIND ME HERE
Combustion Inc: combustion.inc​
Twitter: / chefchrisyoung
Instagram: / chrisyoungcooks
PAST WORK
ChefSteps: chefsteps.com​
ChefSteps Joule: amzn.to/3jSxpvg​
Modernist Cuisine: amzn.to/2MXB5zR​
The Fat Duck: thefatduck.co.uk
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
2:15 History of the Slurpee
4:15 The frozen carbonated beverage machine (FCB)
5:31 Why does the DIY Slurpee need more sugar?
8:31 Adding plenty of fizzy bubbles
8:58 The (expired) patented idea behind the DIY Slurpee
10:10 Making a DIY Slurpee start to finish
CREDITS
Quillaja saponaria in bloom image by Amber Kerr

[@andrewb9942]

Nice work! As a patent attorney, it's good to see the public disclosure aspect of patents being put to good use.

[@malvunctiongamers3141]

Imagine being a patent attorney 🤓

[@Bittamin]

@@malvunctiongamers3141if this ain’t the MOST cringe comment I’ve seen this year 😂

[@vincentstriqe]

​​@@malvunctiongamers3141 i'd even say it's one of the more interessting attorneys.

[@gregorybond5760]

​@@malvunctiongamers3141 for your own sake, go offline

[@andrewb9942]

Haha, I am a patent LITIGATOR. So only 70% the nerd level because we have to look normal in court. 😀

[@WarEagle1023]

As a chef of 10 years who was inspired by the exploits of Alton Brown and Good Eats, I can truly say you are bringing forth a Good Eats for a modern generation. Definitely earned my subscription.

[@sdivine13]

Good eats started my love for cooking too

[@ZestiFPV]

Favorite show on the food network

[@Chocolatepain]

This video reminded me of Good Eats as well.

[@derekbass2966]

This video popped up on my TL today, but your comment (and the others agreeing with you) have me even more interested in exploring this channel! I'm (yet) another Good Eats-inspired cook, so this has definitely piqued my interest. Thanks!

[@leahdavis9434]

Good Eats is still on, but yeah

[@apparentlyretrograde]

I know you have other financial and personal interests than to make pure documentaries on food science and food history/culture, but your research is top notch and your presentation style is informative. I enjoy your videos.

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Lifelong passion. Glad you enjoy them

[@marmalar]

​@ChrisYoungCooks I also really love your videos... but as a native Spanish speaker, Yucca is pronounced YOU-KAH . Hearing you say YUCK-AH made me wince everytime. Other than that slight nitpick, I love love love your videos! Finally have a justified reason to by a kitchen scale!

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

@@marmalar 5 years living in New Mexico could get rid of my Midwestern accent 🤷‍♂️

[@nailinthefashion]

We really feel the passion. The production value of the shot compositions is SO cool but then you script it perfectly toooooo ugh I'm in hog heaven rn

[@Sunny-jz3dy]

😂😂😂

[@AppliedScience]

I never knew sugar was the antifreeze in slurpees. I've been enjoying your videos and the thermometer! Great stuff.

[@KainYusanagi]

Sugar and salt work much the same, chemically speaking, for a lot of things; that includes food preservation as antimicrobials!

[@ulogy]

Other FCB systems sometimes use calcium chloride in small doses for the same effect. Suspect you could also make ethanol suffice, if you're into that kind of thing.

[@AustynSN]

@@ulogy Calcium chloride? I'll have to look into that. Thank You.

[@ulogy]

@@AustynSN Yup, just realize it's like, milligrams, not grams of the stuff.

[@AustynSN]

@@ulogy That makes sense given it's used as a salt substitute. However, is the small amount just for flavor reasons, or is it also extremely potent as a food antifreeze?

[@OddWoz]

This killed me to watch you pour that much extra sugar into bottle of coke and having the sinking realization of just how much sugar we’re talking about in a slurpee… and even the average soda in general. It just never loses the shock factor for me when visualized/demonstrated.

[@nailinthefashion]

That's why I always dilute a coke with sparkling water, I just can't handle it! Makes me squint like a lemon hahaha

[@edntz]

Sugar ain't all bad. Don't worry too much about it. Worry more about total surplus calories consumed. That's what caused weight gain.

[@AggressiveSpaghetti]

insulin takes care of that flawlessly

[@OddWoz]

@@AggressiveSpaghetti I consume far more sugar than I should, but no way I would ever unnecessarily pump myself with insulin so I could consume more. 🙄

[@OddWoz]

@@nailinthefashion good way to go. I agree the sugar content of many common sweets is hard to bear once you’ve weened yourself off of it.

[@unrelentingduress]

I learned that I'm going to go down to 7-Eleven buy a slushie because that seems far more convenient than doing this

[@danhayabusa]

Chris has a very special energy. It reminds me of a brilliant junior highschool teacher that's way overqualified to give math and physics lessons, gets disappointed that you're not getting the material but still tries his best to make you learn and do in fact you end up understanding enough to pass the subject with a good (not great) grade and years after you went to his lessons you'd still run into at school him from time to time and he'd give you this little look to say to you "You made me very proud"

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

That is a weird but incredibly nice complement. And, yes, I love this stuff. Fun fact: the highest grade I got for math or physics in high school was a C+, and now I have degrees in theoretical math and physical chemistry-so it’s never too late!

[@bostonbesteats364]

I trust anyone who carries a thermometer around in his pocket.

[@iTzDritte]

A new Chris Young video always equals a good day 🎉

[@austingavent]

I am instantly loyal to a youtuber that makes interesting content while respecting my time and intelligence. Love your videos, looking forward to more!

[@afrogedon]

Your quality of videos and presentation are outstanding and the way you structure your videos is entertaining, makes sense and is still to the point.

[@mooses21]

The pacing is awesome! I appreciate that the quality of your content keeps going up!

[@nancybyrd2221]

Absolutely fascinating Chris! You never fail to amaze me!

[@ijustifymylies]

This was way more detail than I was expecting, bravo.

[@furrymessiah]

Hey, thanks, Chris! As a diabetic, I now have another drink I can add to my DO NOT CONSUME list! 😂

[@MrJimYves]

Videos are getting better and better. Please keep it up, love it! 🎉

[@specialk22tt]

Always enjoy your videos. Great work. Thank you.

[@mkplante]

I usually look at linearity and dynamic range on scales. For about the same price as the Acacia scale, and both linearity and resolution at 0.1g, the Myweigh i5500 seems to handle nearly 3x the max weight, which can be nice when putting a half-gallon pyrex on it. Top is removable and washable. I've been happy with that scale. Anyway, love your videos and like others I'm glad you put the extra time in instead of releasing frequently!

[@withaph24]

Great stuff! I always learn so much from this channel. Can’t wait to try!

[@Sveakungen]

Another excellent video! Such a joy to watch 😃

[@OhiaderByeder]

What a great video! I love the format of history and methodology.

[@LuckSpinner]

Love hearing the history & the science is so cool! We're not that fancy but have been playing around making slushies. We freeze 1 can of soda (fits perfect in 1 ice tray) and throw the cubes in the blender, add 1 can soda and its an awesome blend. I'll try adding your ideas to make it foamy-er! 😎

[@michaelp9238]

I get excited when this man makes a video.

[@raidcrhonos]

Amazing production!

[@vanakornsirijongprasert1726]

🎉 This is what I’m looking for, very formative.

[@user-iq2qd8by7g]

Kids love slurpees in the middle of summer, yes. And here I am, a 39 year old here in the middle of winter because I want to make some slurpees (no kids, it's just me!) Lol!

[@aedwa021]

You cannot understand how much I appreciate and fear this knowledge, I definitely had a problem. For years, I would refill my team gulp (the gallon refill cup) with Slurpee every day

[@timoteiafanasie4894]

Wow, thank you very much for this recipe!

[@Whatlidell]

Such great and informative videos, love it!:)

[@mejasiu]

Another great video! Looking forward to the next one

[@jodolski]

Love this video! Gotta make my own!

[@Ike.V]

What an interesting video! I'm always fascinated by the chemistry of the food industry lol

[@VinegarAndSaltedFries]

Great video. Appreciate your slurpee pain and suffering for us. I know becoming Millhouse and Bart couldn’t have been easy.

[@joethompson11]

Well this was a fantastic video. Thanks for creating it

[@jackninja1]

OMG! Inb4 this goes crazy viral! Hope everyone will give you the credits you deserve!

[@johnpelter]

This is an incredible video. You just got another subscriber. Thank you!

[@Zarazkowy]

I found your channel yesterday and I was like 'Nothing posted in 4 months? Huh, let' s give him a bell', and... Not disappointed.

[@tomwadek]

Great Video Cris! Well Done!

[@YAMZOOON]

This is amazing! Might try this out in the future

[@davidrahn9903]

I love that you don't put out often. You're videos are always great quality, well shot, thoroughly researched, and very entertaining. I doubt anyone could do all of this if they were putting out videos every 3 or 4 days, or even weeks.

[@nailinthefashion]

It's sooooo much effort. The script alone but then all the props too like 😭 he's a gift to the platform

[@stockicide]

Great video! Thanks for the research.

[@MikeM-qy9zz]

Good video for the summer

[@skougi]

Thank you for posting this! I had a ton of fun watching. there was so much packed in. reminds me of webspoon's style of shots. lovely. not supersaturated. juicy!

[@anon_y_mousse]

I haven't been keeping up with my subs feed, and I forgot I was even subscribed, but clearly you keep making videos I want to see because I clicked on it from a side panel recommendation.

[@severoon]

This is very cool, in the past I've played with creating my own sodas using Modernist Pantry, oleo-saccharum, and my iSi whipping siphon and this adds a whole new dimension for experimentation. I wonder if this might have some frozen cocktail applications too…

[@neospiderman2165]

Thank you thank you THANK YOU I LOVE SLURPEES man you have idea thank you for this

[@nby578]

AMAZING I've been working on a slushie machine for the last month -- tearing apart multiple free Craigslist fridges for a viable compressor, 3D printing connection pieces for a motor, putting copper coils around a bain marie, etc etc. From your video though I'm only now realizing that slurpees have a CO2 component where run-of-the mill slushie machines do not. So... maybe I side step this project completely and just use your method! Thanks for your work on this

[@iTzDritte]

6:28 “No special equipment required” … “this is a refractometer” 😂 your dedication to food science is wonderful. Thanks for sharing the gift of homemade Slurpees with us.

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

You don't really need the refractometer. Most soda's are similar to CocaCola at around 10.6 to 12 Brix, so I used it to figure it out the first time. The recipe will work for nearly any soda (other than diet sodas).

[@JamesChurchill3]

Would a hydrometer work? Or is it too far beyond the range of these to work?

[@redshirt256]

​@@ChrisYoungCooksDoes using the refractometer give you any information different from the sugar percentage listed on the packaging?

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

@@redshirt256 if the only sugar in the soda is sucrose then you can back it out well enough from the calories, and even if it's fructose/glucose, it'll be close enough. Most sodas I measured seem to be around 10.5, although Fanta was sweeter at around 12. You don't need to be exactly at 18°Brix for the Slurpee either. 16 to 18 is workable, so the recipe should work well enough with most sodas without needing to measure the exact starting sugar content.

[@redshirt256]

​@@ChrisYoungCooks Thank you for the reply, I live in Sweden where domestic soda almost always use table sugar for sweetness, the sugar in grams per 100g is also listed on every food product including soda so this should make things easier! Sadly many types of mainstream soda here including pepsico & fanta orange have reduced their sugar content and replaced some sweetness with artificial sweetener so I would have to choose carefully.

[@PlankGFX]

Thank you for this! Ive been looking into buying an industrial slurpee machine, this saves me money! haha

[@jamesjpak]

great video. Lots to learn here

[@arasgonul75]

good videos man keep them coming

[@KimberlyGraciesJourney]

So impressive! As a Slurpee/Icee enthusiast this is interesting and I am trying it!

[@snowby4723]

Let me know how it goes!

[@AlanRob666]

I don't know why I didn't sub to this channel after the Pacojet video. Glad I found it again!

[@kurtpenner2362]

OMG! I live in the Slurpee capital of the world and this vid drops today! Yay!

[@konradnewman]

So glad I found this gem of a channel some time ago. And again, the video didnt disappoint! I love the care and production value that goes into each of those. And also: When you upload, you have something to say. Which isnt true for most videos these days.

[@gabelstapler19]

Not the recipe we deserve, but the recipe we need! With the impending heat dome hitting the Midwest (and no 7-11s in Iowa) this is perfectly timed!

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Wait… there are no 7-Elevens in Iowa?!

[@gabelstapler19]

​@@ChrisYoungCooksnot sure why, but it's true. Casey's actually has a knock-off Slurpee that's fine...but I still appreciate you!

[@enokii]

This is seriously amazing, and thanks for the scale recommendations.

[@hexiestmanintheworld]

Great video!

[@RacingByNight]

I tried this today and it actually worked! The only slight variation was I had to wait until the 2nd hour to shake mines up for the fridge I was using and was ready to serve after another 2 hours. I did however made the mistake of not pouring out enough of the soda I was using and ended up with a huge volcano of a mess in front of my computer while playing Armored Core 6. In the end, it was worth the treat!

[@monhi64]

That comment kinda makes it sound like you have all those chemicals casually laying around which would be wild and a lil funny. That can’t be it

[@zot2698]

Amazing video! subscribed!

[@adamk-paxlogan7330]

Great video also i love slurpsys

[@marsvoltian]

Speaking of the sugar molecules as antifreeze and experience with making ice cream, no artificial sugars won't help there, but alternative sugars will. The most commonly used one is dextrose which boasts 1.9x antifreeze to sucrose (table sugar) and is only 70% as sweet so you can add more mass for the antifreeze without it becoming too sweet. Erythritol even more so but you can only use ~2% weight of it before running into problems of bloating and a cooling sensation in the mouth

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Yup, glucose (dextrose) is a good alternative for keeping the perceived sweetness down while still getting the freezing point down and having enough dissolved solids. But alternative sugars gets into a whole different video on its own.

[@galimir]

how bout good old raw cane sugar.Its actually good forya 😀 Instead of these junkfood American drinks with tones of white sugar,I will go raw cane sugar and real rasbery or strawbery sirup😉

[@gilbert2720]

@@galimirsugar is sugar and is not good for you

[@kirbovidsreal]

Bro I just clicked a random button on KZbin that said “I’m feeling lucky” and it brought me to this 💀

[@ryo1549]

How does this channel not have more subscribers?!?!

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

These things take time. (But tell your friends ;-)

[@FLFOREVER]

guy is a genius

[@burgosco7024]

This is awesome🎉

[@jasonhernandez6291]

Dad of the year ... my will finally love me

[@B4475]

I ❤you. This is awesome!! Thank you

[@kevo2488]

ow do you not have thirty eight bajillion subscribers? You have at least one more now, but damn. This is quality stuff!

[@yanguskhan8513]

you sir, gets my sub. informative, education, and diabetes all in one!!!

[@dexterm2003]

I was with until the very end. There is no such thing as too much slurpee ;) i will definitely have to try this out with my kids soon!

[@ohsweetmystery]

You need to package your mixture of chemicals and sugar in bulk and sell it to help finance your channel. It's also a lot easier to deal with the smaller amounts if your viewers make the mixture in bulk and just store it for future drinks in a sealed bag.

[@Zenith_Star69]

tbh I don't think he struggles with finances lol

[@brendank]

I know this is extremely obscure. But you remind me of Sean Turner from the show Servant, master chef that is innovative and extremely knowledgable.

[@darkpatches]

Ladies and gentlemen, the first human to cross the Slurpee Event Horizon. Who knew you could have too many Slurpees?

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

😂

[@darkpatches]

@@ChrisYoungCooks Ya know, is there anything better, other than a Slurpee, than a content creator replying to a comment on a video with >214K views? Nope. You win: Subscribed.

[@SL-vs7fs]

Maybe not for kids, but slurpees spiked with alcohol might be a good route to not have something super sweet and super sugary. I have not done the math on this one, but fun foods lower in sugar and glycemic index should be something to aim for. Personally, I find most desserts are far sweeter than I want them to be - in my case, the sweetness overwhelms all the flavors. I say this as a guy in his 40’s with quite a well developed sweet tooth.

[@acidnine3692]

Yes please! I deflated when I heard it was sugar

[@jscalla]

Yeah, I'm curious as to what kind of reduction in sugar you could do if you incorporated some booze. Wish this video came out earlier in the summer!

[@ntimsalazar]

Chris your hair looks crazy. I love it. ❤😂

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

😂🙏

[@ex-nerd]

Insulin is too expensive (and nowhere near fast enough) for me to use sucrose here but it would be interesting to try this with a diet drink and use allulose (still sugar but not absorbed into the blood stream). It has stronger antifreeze properties and is not as sweet as sucrose, so it might work out.

[@darkwood777]

Thanks for putting yourself through all of the slurpee brain-freezes.

[@Ana198]

The day someone figures out a way to make a diet slurpee i will be a happy camper

[@Reddotzebra]

The "wait an hour for reconstitution" step reminds me of freeze dried reagents at work.

[@FuriousCheddar]

Interesting, I didn't consider pectin. I always thought they used gelatin and have been using that. Will give your ratio a try! Also haven't considered adding a foaming element !

[@louissteinmeister510]

I wonder if you have tips for sugar free ice cream (sweetened with erithol or xylit and stevia) or low sugar versions given what you said about the importance of sugar in this recipe. Love the spirit of these videos!

[@twistedsim]

Would be awesome to make cocktail using this technique

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Seems to be a popular idea. Perhaps a follow up video in the future-the recipe will get a bit more complicated.

[@patrickhouchins9074]

Fluffy flavored ice

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Fluffy, fizzy flavored ice 😉

[@zorksox]

Pouring sugar into coke just feels so wrong.

[@kubenoz]

Nice tip with preventing nucleation, I always wanted an energy drink slurpee and your sugar idea should work with caffeine.

[@guapodel]

My hypothesis has led me to the same conclusion. Careful with the 3rd electron from the left. It can release extra foliage

[@GardenArcade]

I subscribed as soon as he said Chicago

[@csabo1725]

I Thailand we have beeya woon. It's a beer frozen to just the right temperature to make it slushy.

[@bobodapopper]

Awesome video as always 👏👏👏

[@crashline]

thanks for slurping all those bespoke slurpees!

[@frankocharles8467]

GREAT VIDEO! Thank you!

[@selcatron]

if i had found aa genie lamp as a kid i probably wouldve asked for slurpees for life. cant thank you enough

[@ernestestrada2461]

I remember in Japan I was visiting my cousin and he opened this can and it started foaming out. The texture was somewhere between sherbet and a slurpee.

[@1utube01]

The ole Kmarts had Icees, we never could afford it, so it was just there, taunting us as my mom was looking at some blue light special. Eventually we could afford those and the slurpees and all the rest. Good summer relief, for sure.

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Yup, remember those! ICEEs we’re the other name for these frozen carbonated beverages because 7-Eleven owned the Slurpee trademark.

[@melaniesmith1313]

Great video! Subscribing.

[@terablast]

Woah, as someone from Canada in a place with no 7/11s, I always assumed Slurpees were just Slushys! I've never seen carbonated frozen beverages here, except for some places that just dump shaven ice into soda... I'll try making some!

[@nicoleorton5299]

You are a genius! Thank you. newsub

[@secondsaint214]

I always thought the freezing point was suppressed with salt. Don't know why I never considered that it was actually just more sugar. Great video with strangely good timing, since not even two weeks ago I tried to make a DIY slurpee, and it was basically just frozen Dr. Pepper, like in the video.

[@westsidestudioimages]

salt, sugar they both suppress the freezing point in the same fashion.

[@bradleykreider3358]

Most solutes will depress the freezing point. Normal ice melt can be made with different kinds of salt.

[@rttakezo2000]

Icee baby! Icee Company

[@thatoneguy7597]

Amazing work! Thanks so much for sharing. Do you happen to know how much alcohol you could add before it affects crystal quality? 😅

[@ChrisYoungCooks]

Alcohol is going to lower freezing point faster than sugar, so you’ll want to reduce the sugar. BUT then you have less dissolved solids from the lack of sugar so it’ll melt quickly and get icier. You can replace sugar with maltodextrin to get rid of sweetened, but still have solids, and then use alcohol to get the freezing point and flavor right. Lot of trial and error, but that’s how I’d do it.