A Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri only works if the strawberries are already frozen when you blend. Fresh strawberries plus ice produce a watery smoothie with a puddle at the bottom; frozen strawberries plus crushed ice produce a proper slushy texture that holds its shape in the glass.
We have served this drink at every summer party for years, and by now we have learnt exactly one thing: the texture comes not from blending longer, but from the ratio of 500 g frozen strawberries to 250 g crushed ice and a short, powerful blend at speed 8. Blend too long and the whole thing warms up and turns liquid. Blend too briefly and you get chunks of ice in your glass.
Strawberry Daiquiri (Thermomix®)
Ingredients 0 / 9 ✓
- 500 g strawberries fresh or frozen
- 250 g ice cubes
- 120 g lime juice
- 200 g Pitú Cachaça
- 100 g sugar syrup
- 80 g strawberry syrup
- 1 lime to garnish the glasses
- sugar to garnish the glasses
- 4 straws
Instructions 0 / 3
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1
Blend the ingredients.
Wash the strawberries, remove the hulls, place in the mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients and blend for 30 sec / speed 7.
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2
Slice the lime.
Slice the lime.
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3
Serve.
For each glass, first moisten the rim with a little syrup or water, dip into
sugar and then fill with the Daiquiri. Place a lime slice
on the rim of the glass and serve immediately with a thick straw.
Tip: You can also make this drink with raspberries. Increase the amount of sugar slightly, as raspberries contain less natural fruit sugar than strawberries.
Nutrition per serving
Why frozen strawberries are the key
Fresh strawberries are around 90 per cent water. In the mixing bowl, that liquid immediately transfers to the ice, the ice melts faster than it is crushed, and you end up with a pink juice full of ice crystals. Frozen strawberries, on the other hand, behave like ice themselves. They break down together with the 250 g of ice cubes and form a homogeneous, cold mass.
We buy frozen strawberries in 500 g bags all year round, because they are picked in season and frozen straight away. The flavour compounds are preserved, pesticide residues are well controlled thanks to EU standards, and the price in winter is a third of fresh strawberries. During strawberry season we pick our own, clean the berries, pre-freeze them in a single layer on a baking tray, and then pack them into a freezer bag. That way they do not stick together.
Lime balances the sweetness
The 120 g of lime juice is non-negotiable. Strawberries bring plenty of fruit sugar, and then you add 100 g sugar syrup and 80 g strawberry syrup on top of that. Without the acidity from the lime, the Daiquiri tastes like sweets; with it, the drink becomes refreshingly drinkable. We use freshly squeezed organic limes, because the aroma from the zest oils carries through into the juice. Pasteurised lime juice from a bottle tastes flat and often slightly bitter.
You also need an unwaxed lime to garnish the glasses. Moisten the rim with syrup or a wedge of lime, dip into fine sugar, then fill with the Daiquiri. The sugared rim is not just for looks; it adds a small sweet-sour element to every sip.
30 seconds at speed 8 is all you need
The Thermomix® has a clear advantage over a standard blender here. The blade is sharp enough to crush frozen berries and ice in a single pass, the bowl is large enough for five servings, and the speed at speed 8 shatters the ice without warming it up. 30 seconds at speed 8 is our tested setting. We tried speed 7 and were left with coarse strawberry pieces. We tried speed 10 and the drink became too liquid because the heat from the motor transferred through. Speed 8 hits the mark.
If you have a TM31, check after 20 seconds and scrape the mixture down from the sides with the spatula if needed. The TM5 and TM6 rarely need this, because the mixing bowl is shaped slightly differently and the mixture circulates more cleanly.
The non-alcoholic version
The 200 g of Pitú Cachaça can easily be replaced. For a mocktail, use 200 g strawberry nectar, or a mix of 100 g strawberry nectar and 100 g tonic water for a slightly more bitter note. We have made a version for the kids in summer using 150 g apple juice and an extra 50 g lime juice. It tastes a little fresher and less sweet, because the apple juice partly replaces the strawberry syrup.
For the alcoholic version, we also tested white rum instead of Cachaça. Cachaça has a grassier, almost earthy note from the sugar cane juice; white rum is cleaner and sweeter. With strawberries, Cachaça works better because its herbal quality gives the fruit some depth. With white rum the drink is more classically sweet, but also good.
What often goes wrong
The slush separates after 5 minutes in the glass
This happens when the strawberries were not fully frozen, or when there is too much lime juice and too little ice in the bowl. Our solution: leave frozen strawberries in the freezer for at least 12 hours and add them straight from the minus 18°C compartment into the mixing bowl. If you used fresh strawberries, add an extra 200 g of ice cubes.
Chunks of ice in the glass instead of a creamy slush
Too little blending time or ice cubes that are too large. Our solution: if the ice from the freezer comes in large cubes, crush them first for 5 sec / speed 5, then add the remaining ingredients and blend for 30 seconds at speed 8.
The Daiquiri tastes bland despite the strawberry syrup
Frozen fruit tastes less intense to the palate because cold dampens the taste receptors. Our solution: add one extra fresh strawberry to the mixing bowl along with 5 g of lemon juice. The acidity lifts the flavour of the frozen berries. We also avoid industrial strawberry syrup with added flavourings, and instead use one with a high fruit content such as Monin or Giffard.
Variations we blend often
Raspberry Daiquiri: 500 g frozen raspberries instead of strawberries, plus an extra 30 g sugar, as raspberries contain less natural fruit sugar. The result is slightly more tart and has a more intense colour.
Strawberry and basil: add 4 fresh basil leaves to the mixing bowl. It sounds unusual, but this is our summer favourite. The basil adds a green, slightly peppery note that pairs surprisingly well with strawberry.
With proper Daiquiri mint: true Daiquiri mint, sometimes called Hemingway mint, is more bitter than the Moroccan mint commonly sold in supermarkets. Add 5 leaves during blending and run for 30 seconds at speed 8. Apple mint or garden mint will also work in a pinch, though the flavour is milder.
With tequila instead of Cachaça: 200 g silver tequila creates a drink that sits somewhere between a Daiquiri and a Margarita. A salted rim then works better than a sugared one.
White or brown sugar
We use white sugar syrup because it lets the strawberry flavour come through cleanly. Brown sugar or demerara brings a caramel note that tends to clash with a classic Daiquiri. Cocktail books often specify brown cane sugar, but that is a German tradition from the post-war period when white cane sugar was hard to come by. Today white sugar syrup is available in every supermarket and tastes better with strawberries.
Snacks and nibbles alongside the drink
We serve the Daiquiri at barbecues alongside cold snacks. A Whiskey Sour made in the Thermomix® is our second cocktail for anyone who does not like strawberries. For something creamier and more tropical, we blend a coconut liqueur in the Thermomix® to serve after the meal. We have put together a full overview of all liqueurs made in the Thermomix® on a dedicated page.
Blend and serve immediately
A Frozen Daiquiri cannot be made in advance. If you blend it 10 minutes before serving and leave it standing in the glass, you end up with a liquid strawberry punch. We blend only once the guests are seated. That means 30 seconds blending, 30 seconds sugaring the rims, 30 seconds filling and garnishing. After 90 seconds the drink is fresh on the table.
You might also like: Wine Slush in the Thermomix®.
Leftovers cannot be stored usefully. In the fridge, the slush breaks down into juice and ice. In the freezer, the mixture sets into a solid block that would need to be blended again, at which point the alcohol evaporates and the drink tastes watery. It is better to blend smaller portions and do a second round if needed; it takes less than two minutes.
For frozen cocktails on a larger scale, there are dedicated machines available. Our comparison shows whether the Ninja Slushi is worth it.
More fruity summer drinks and ice recipes: Whiskey Sour, Coconut Liqueur and Advocaat in the Thermomix®.
