10 Reasons Why Bingsu Is THE Dessert Of Summer

by MICHELLE WOO

On hot summer days, nothing makes Koreans squeeeeee in anticipation quite like a glistening mound of shaved ice topped with fresh fruit, condensed milk, red bean, ice cream and other yummy add-ons. ‘Tis the season of bingsu, the Korean ice treat that can’t be devoured without an Instagram. The traditional dessert, most famously served as patbingsu with sweetened azuki beans, has taken on an array of eye-popping variations over the years. Just check out these photos.

And, of course, tackling one of these bad boys is usually a group affair, so grab the nearest spoon and dig in!

Traditional patbingsu

traditional-patbingsuJourney Count

You can’t go wrong with red bean and a sprinkling of crushed and powdered nuts.

Green tea patbingsu 

green-tea-patbingsuAsian at Home

An always-popular variation. Get the recipe here.

Milk tea bingsu

Milktea_binsuWiki user Tmannya

Ohhhh, yes. 

Mango bingsu 

mango-bingsuSulbing

It’s fruit, so it’s healthy, right?

Strawberry bingsu

sulbing-strawberrySulbing

The kids love this.

Melon bingsu

melon-patbingsuWithout Ed

Okay, now we’re getting creative.

Cheesecake bingsu

sulbing-cheeseSulbing

Save lots of room for this one.

A variety of fruit

patbingsu-fishMaangchi

Almost too beautiful to eat. Recipe here.

Patbingsu with cereal flakes

cereal-bingsuyeohanggi-joo.blogspot.com

Tastes just like childhood.

Patbingsu cupcakes

patbingsu-cupcakesShin Shine

Wait, what?! Get the recipe here.