The Strawberry Milkshake recipe
for your table
Weigh out 150 grams of strawberries and remove the tops. If they’re fresh, lay them flat on a plate in the freezer for at least three hours. Frozen strawberries chill the shake without needing ice cubes, which would only make it watery.
Put the frozen strawberries, two scoops of vanilla ice cream and 10 cl of cold milk in the blender. Start on the lowest setting until the fruit is broken up, then blend briefly at full power. The shorter you blend, the thicker the shake remains.
Taste it. If the strawberries are sour, stir in a teaspoon of sugar or honey and blend for another two seconds. If you want it smooth without seeds, strain the shake through a coarse sieve; if you want to taste the fruit, skip this step.
Pour the shake into a cold, tall glass and add a wide straw or a long spoon. Serve immediately, because a milkshake settles within a few minutes and then becomes thin.
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The story
At its core, a milkshake is a mixture of ice cream, milk and flavour, and the strawberry version is the best-known of them all. That is because strawberries blend well: they contain plenty of moisture, little fibre and enough acidity to balance the sweetness of vanilla ice cream. The colour does the rest. A handful of dark, fully ripe strawberries turns the entire shake deep red, while barely ripe ones make it soft pink. In the Netherlands, strawberries are in season for only a short time and spend a long time in the freezer, so anyone making one in January almost always uses fruit picked in summer. Here, that is not a drawback but an advantage.
The right glass
A milkshake calls for a tall glass with a wide opening, because the shake is thick and needs to be served with a wide straw or a long spoon. Around thirty centilitres is the most comfortable size: enough for a generous portion, with a finger-width of air above the shake for a swirl of whipped cream. A glass on a foot stands firmly and keeps your hand away from the cold wall, while a straight tall glass is easier to clean. Thick-walled glass stays cold the longest. Shorter models for ice cream and desserts can be found among the dessert glasses.
La Rochère Antillaise Ice Glass 29 cl (6 pieces)
La Rochère Boudoir Highball Glass 35 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 79,90.
The right tools
For a strawberry milkshake, besides the glass, you need a straw that is wide enough for a thick shake and a bar spoon to stir all the way to the bottom. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 71,85.
What shot goes well in a strawberry milkshake?
A strawberry milkshake is alcohol-free by itself. If you want to make an adult version, add a splash of liqueur: Malibu adds coconut, amaretto adds almond, and Baileys makes the whole thing creamier. On each drink page, you'll find the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Swap half the strawberries for raspberries and the shake will have a sharper flavor and deeper color. Melted white chocolate, cooled first and then poured in a thin stream into the running blender, makes it creamier and sweeter. A swirl of whipped cream with half a strawberry in it is the classic finishing touch. Adding half a banana makes it thicker, while a splash of orange juice makes it fresher. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Put the glass in the freezer half an hour beforehand, because the shake stays thick much longer in a cold glass. Pour it just before serving, as a milkshake quickly settles. And use a wide straw: a thick shake barely comes up through a narrow straw.
Good to know
Fresh or frozen strawberries
Fresh strawberries don't taste better than frozen ones in a shake; they only make it thinner. Frozen fruit cools and thickens at the same time, so you don't need ice cubes that dilute the flavor. If you only have fresh strawberries, spread them out on a plate in the freezer and let them freeze solid for at least three hours. Store-bought frozen strawberries are picked ripe and work perfectly here.
The ratio that works
About 150 grams of strawberries, two scoops of vanilla ice cream and 10 cl of milk makes a shake that's thick but still goes through a straw. More milk makes it thinner, while more ice cream makes it so thick that you need a spoon. Start with less milk than you think you need: you can always add more, but you can't take it out.
Strain out the seeds or leave them in
Strawberry seeds are small but remain intact in the blender, and you can feel them on your tongue in a thick shake. If you pour the mixture through a coarse sieve, the shake drinks smoothly and becomes a fraction thinner. If you leave them in, you taste the fruit more strongly and retain its full colour. Both are fine; it comes down to what you find more pleasant to drink.
Sugar or honey, and when
Strawberries vary enormously in sweetness. If they are sour, a teaspoon of sugar or honey brings them back into balance with the ice cream; if they are fully ripe, you need nothing. Add it only after tasting, then blend for just another two seconds, otherwise the shake will become thin. Honey contributes more of its own flavour than sugar.
From soft pink to deep red
The colour says something about the fruit. Just-ripe strawberries mixed with white vanilla ice cream produce a soft pink shake. Dark red, fully ripe strawberries colour the whole shake deep red. Frozen fruit is usually on the darker side because it is harvested when ripe. If you want a stronger colour, use less ice cream and more fruit.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a strawberry milkshake?
Blend 150 grams of frozen strawberries with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and 10 cl of cold milk. Start slowly until the fruit is broken up, then blend briefly at full speed. Taste and, if necessary, add a teaspoon of sugar or honey, then pour the shake immediately into a cold, tall glass.
Can you use fresh strawberries in a milkshake?
You can, but the shake will be thinner. Frozen strawberries cool and thicken at the same time, so you don't need to add ice cubes that dilute the flavour. If you have fresh strawberries, lay them flat in the freezer for at least three hours before using them.
Should you strain the seeds out of a strawberry milkshake?
You don't have to. Seeds remain intact in the blender and are noticeable in a thick shake. If you pour the mixture through a coarse sieve, it drinks smoothly but becomes slightly thinner. If you leave them in, you taste the fruit more strongly and the colour stays richer.
Which glass do you use for a milkshake?
A tall glass with a wide opening of about thirty centilitres. It holds a generous portion, with room above the shake for whipped cream, and can accommodate a wide straw or a long spoon. Thick-walled glass keeps the shake cold the longest.
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