Snow cones are a variation of shaved ice or ground-up ice desserts commonly served throughout North America in paper cones or foam cups. The dessert consists of ice shavings that are topped with flavored sugar syrup.

Depending on the region of North America, the terms "snowball" and "snow cone" may refer to different things. Where the distinction is made, the former refers to a dessert made of finely shaved ice ("like soft fresh snow"), while the latter contains ground-up ice that is coarser and more granular ("crunchy").