Slushie: Calories, Nutrition and Health Benefits

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A 12 fl oz slushie (ICEE or 7-Eleven Slurpee style) has about 95 calories, 24g of carbs and 24g of sugar, with no protein, fat or fiber and 5mg of sodium. It is sugar water frozen with air, so a small cup has less sugar than a 12 oz soda, but a 32 oz cup lands around 250 calories and 64g of sugar.

Quick Nutrition Facts

Per 1 small cup (12 fl oz frozen slush, ICEE Cherry or Cola)

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	95 kcal
Protein	0g
Carbohydrates	24g
Fiber	0g
Sugars	24g
Fat	0g
Sodium	5 mg

Macronutrient Breakdown

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NUTRITIONIST'S INSIGHT

A slushie is a sugar delivery system with a cold temperature. Everything on the label is carbs, and all of it is sugar, so nothing slows it down on the way to your bloodstream. The useful detail is the 12 oz figure: ICEE labels 12 fl oz of frozen product, which is only about 6 oz of actual liquid, so a small cup carries about 60% of the sugar in a 12 oz can of regular soda (24g vs 39g). That advantage disappears with size. A 32 oz cup is about 64g of sugar, close to twice the American Heart Association's daily added-sugar limit for men (36g) and well over the 25g limit for women. If you want one, pick the smallest cup, drink it with a meal instead of alone, and do not count it as a cheap drink because it feels light.

Myth Busters

MYTH #1: A slushie is mostly ice, so it has almost no calories.

TRUTH: The ice is frozen sweetened liquid. ICEE lists 95 calories and 24g of sugar for a 12 fl oz cup, and the ingredients are a sucrose and corn syrup blend plus sugar. The only thing that is mostly air and water is the volume. ICEE: flavors and nutritional information (per 12 fl oz frozen product)

MYTH #2: A slushie has less sugar than soda, so it is a lighter choice.

TRUTH: Only at the smallest size. A 12 oz ICEE has 24g of sugar, about 60% of the 39g in a 12 oz can of regular cola, because the cup is partly air. Order a 32 oz and you get an estimated 64g, more than a can and a half of cola worth of sugar. ICEE: flavors and nutritional information (per 12 fl oz frozen product); American Heart Association: How much sugar is too much?

MYTH #3: The flavor changes how many calories you are drinking.

TRUTH: Mostly it does not. ICEE lists 95 calories for Cherry, Cola, White Cherry, Pina Colada and Frosted Lemonade, and 23g of carbs for Cherry Lime against 24g for the rest. Cup size moves the number far more than flavor does. ICEE: flavors and nutritional information (per 12 fl oz frozen product)

MYTH #4: One cup now and then does no harm to blood sugar or weight.

TRUTH: A single cup will not change your health, but the habit does. The CDC links frequent sugar-sweetened drinks to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay, and Harvard cites a Nurses' Health Study finding that one or more sugary drinks a day roughly doubled type 2 diabetes risk. CDC: Fast facts on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Sugary drinks, The Nutrition Source

NutriScore by Health Goals

Health Goal	NutriScore	Why This Score?
Weight Loss		A small cup is only 95 calories, but all of them are liquid sugar with no protein or fiber, so they do not fill you up. A 32 oz cup is an estimated 253 calories you will not feel in your appetite. ICEE: flavors and nutritional information (per 12 fl oz frozen product); CDC: Fast facts on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption
Diabetes		All 24g of carbs are sugar and there is no fiber, fat or protein to slow absorption, so it hits blood glucose fast. People with diabetes mostly use drinks like this only to treat a low. ICEE: flavors and nutritional information (per 12 fl oz frozen product); Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Sugary drinks, The Nutrition Source
Heart Health		One 12 oz cup uses nearly all of the AHA 25g daily added-sugar limit for women, and the CDC ties frequent sugary drinks to heart disease. American Heart Association: How much sugar is too much?; CDC: Fast facts on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption
Muscle Gain		It has 0g of protein, so it does nothing for muscle repair. The sugar is a poor trade for the same calories from a protein shake or a meal. ICEE: flavors and nutritional information (per 12 fl oz frozen product)
Dental Health		Sugar sipped slowly through a straw keeps teeth bathed in sugar for the whole drink, and the CDC lists tooth decay among the outcomes of frequent sugar-sweetened drinks. CDC: Fast facts on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption
Quick Energy		The 24g of sugar gives a fast lift, which can help during a hot-day workout or when you need quick carbs. It brings no other nutrients, and the energy usually fades with a drop afterward. ICEE: flavors and nutritional information (per 12 fl oz frozen product)

PERSONALIZED NUTRITION

Track your meals with NutriScan for personalized NutriScores based on your specific health goals!

Blood Sugar Response to Slushie

All 24g of carbs in a 12 oz cup are sugar with no fiber, fat or protein, so glucose climbs within the first 30 minutes and peaks around 45 to 60 minutes. A 32 oz cup carries about 64g and would push a much higher and longer peak. The cold temperature does nothing to slow absorption. ICEE: flavors and nutritional information (per 12 fl oz frozen product); Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Sugary drinks, The Nutrition Source

Estimated Blood Sugar Response (1 small cup, 12 fl oz)

Modeled estimate for a person without diabetes, not a measured trace. Responses vary with what else you ate, your activity and your insulin sensitivity.

How to flatten the spike

Choose the smallest cup, since each extra fluid ounce adds about 2g of sugar.
Drink it with a meal that has protein and fiber instead of on an empty stomach.
Take a 10 to 15 minute walk afterward to help muscles use the glucose.
Sip it over 20 to 30 minutes rather than finishing a large cup quickly in a few minutes.
If you track carbs, log 24g for a 12 oz cup and scale up by size.

Cultural Significance

The frozen carbonated drink started in the 1950s when Kansas Dairy Queen owner Omar Knedlik served sodas chilled in a freezer until they turned slushy, and the machine that made it became the ICEE. 7-Eleven began selling its own version, the Slurpee, in the 1960s and still builds a yearly event around it: 7-Eleven Day on July 11 hands out free small cups. In the US it is a convenience-store, movie-theater and summer-heat staple, and flavors range from cola and cherry to cereal collaborations like Froot Loops.

Compare & Substitute

Slushie vs Similar Foods

Nutrient	Homemade frozen strawberry slush (75 g unsweetened frozen strawberries blended with ice and water)	Diet soda poured over crushed ice (12 oz)	Regular cola (12 fl oz can)
Calories	26 kcal	0 kcal	140 kcal
Protein	0.3g	0g	0g
Carbohydrates	6.8g	0g	39g
Fat	0.1g	0g	0g

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories are in a slushie?

A 12 fl oz ICEE-style slushie has 95 calories. At roughly 8 calories per ounce, a 16 oz cup is about 127 calories, a 20 oz about 158 and a 32 oz about 253. CalorieKing lists a 12 oz Coca-Cola Slurpee at 97 calories.

How much sugar is in a slushie?

A 12 fl oz cup has 24g of sugar, about 6 teaspoons, and every gram of carbohydrate in it is sugar. A 32 oz cup has an estimated 64g, which is nearly twice the American Heart Association's 36g daily added-sugar limit for men and about two and a half times the 25g limit for women.

Does a slushie have less sugar than soda?

At 12 oz, yes: 24g in a slushie against about 39g in a regular cola can, since a slushie cup holds about 6 oz of liquid plus air. The gap closes at larger sizes, and a 32 oz slushie has more sugar than a can of cola.

Are slushies bad for you?

An occasional small cup is fine for most people. The risk is the habit: the CDC links frequent sugar-sweetened drinks to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and tooth decay. A slushie has no protein, fiber or other nutrients to offset the sugar.

Does the flavor change the calories in a slushie?

Barely. ICEE lists 95 calories for Cherry, Cola, White Cherry, Pina Colada and Frosted Lemonade, with 23 to 24g of carbs. Dairy-based flavors that use an ice cream mix can differ, so check the label on those.

Can people with diabetes drink slushies?

Regular slushies are all fast sugar with no fiber, so they raise blood glucose quickly and are a poor everyday choice. Some people with diabetes use a small amount of fast carbs to treat a low, but that is a decision for your care team.