Ultimate Guide to Making Milkshakes

Strawberry? Peppermint fudge? Banana? Any flavor you like! Learn how to make milkshakes from scratch with our step-by-step guide.

Milkshakes are one of the most iconic American desserts, but you don't need to belly up to an all-night diner and slide into a vinyl booth to enjoy one. Learning how to make a milkshake at home is incredibly easy and will quickly relieve the craving—so long as you have some type of milk, ice cream and a blender on hand.

There are so many ways to make a milkshake. Different ice creams and mix-ins create all kinds of flavors. For some, the texture is the main draw. I prefer a super sippable milkshake, but I know someone who orders theirs "triple thick." It's all personal preference!

This milkshake recipe creates your most traditional milkshake: a basic milk-and-ice cream treat with a texture somewhere in between sippable and spoonable. Once you've mastered the classic recipe, zhuzh it up to your preference and go as crazy or conservative with the toppings as desired.

How to Make Milkshakes

To learn how to make a milkshake in a blender, all you need to do is blend enough milk and ice cream together until they become one smooth, sippable mixture. At Taste of Home, that Goldilocks ratio for us is 1/3 cup milk and 1-1/2 cups ice cream. Pour the milkshake into a glass and sip away!

Homemade Milkshake Ingredients

Whole milk: Whole milk loosens the ice cream into a sipping consistency. While you can use any type of milk or cream here, we love whole milk the best for its richness.
Ice cream: Pick your ice cream with your milkshake in mind. The ice cream's flavor will be the base or main flavor of the milkshake, unless you throw in other mix-ins while blending. When in doubt, go for something simple like vanilla or chocolate ice cream, or opt for a homemade ice cream.

Directions

Step 1: Put everything in the blender

Add the milk and ice cream to the blender. For the best results, put in your milk first. That will get the blender mixing quickly.

Editor's Tip: Be sure to let your ice cream soften before scooping. If it's too hard, you might end up having to add more milk, which thins the shake.

Step 2: Blend 'til smooth

Puree the milkshake ingredients together until they become a smooth consistency.

Editor's Tip: The perfect consistency is totally up to your preference. Use less milk for a thicker, spoonable shake, or more for a thinner, sippable one.

Step 3: Pour and enjoy!

Pour your milkshake into a chilled glass to serve. It tastes great straight-up or topped with a tower of whipped cream.

Recipe Variations

Once you have the framework down on how to make a milkshake, a whole world of new milkshake recipes opens up! Here's a few ideas to shake things up:

Add berries: Toss in fresh fruit like strawberries, peaches, mangoes, bananas, blackberries, blueberries or raspberries for a fruity upgrade. Keep in mind that frozen fruit will make the milkshake thicker and fresh fruit will loosen it a bit.
Change the flavor with mix-ins: There are seemingly endless ingredients to blend into a milkshake. Add favorites like chocolate syrup, nut butters, Nutella, salted caramel sauce, Oreos, chocolate chip cookies, brownie pieces, Thin Mints and chopped candy bars. Also, remember that any ingredients you add will be pulverized in the blender. If you want to keep the size and shape of mix-ins, it's best to reserve them as a garnish.
Use another milk: Skim, 2%, or a blend of milk and half-and-half can be used in place of whole milk. However, never use heavy cream. If you send that through the blender, it'll create little bits of butter.
Go dairy-free: Thankfully, it's super easy to make a milkshake dairy-free! Simply swap in your favorite nondairy milk alternative and use your favorite brand of dairy-free or vegan ice cream.
Whip up a low-fat milkshake: Substitute frozen yogurt or sherbet for the ice cream or fruit juice for part of the milk.
Make it a malt: It's easy to mimic those old-fashioned malted milks you get at a restaurant. Simply pick up malted milk powder from the store. It's usually found near the breakfast and chocolate milk mixes. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons per 1 cup of milk.
Try an old-fashioned soda: Stir in ginger ale or soda after making the milkshake. Just make sure not to blend; it'll cause a fizzy mess! Check out our recipe for old-fashioned strawberry soda to see how it's done.

How to Store Homemade Milkshakes

Store any homemade milkshake leftovers in the freezer for up to two days. Before enjoying again, let the milkshake sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then stir it with a spoon or straw.

Can you make homemade milkshakes ahead of time?

Since milkshakes are fairly quick to put together, we'd suggest making them fresh for the best results.

That said, yes, there is a way to make a milkshake ahead of time. Transfer your prepared milkshake into a paper or plastic cup and pop it into the freezer. To use, remove the milkshake from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes or so, then give it a good stir.

Tips for Making Homemade Milkshakes

How do I make a milkshake without a blender?

If you don't have a blender, you can make a milkshake with an immersion blender or even a food processor. With either of these alternative methods, make sure you keep an eye out for consistency. Blend the milkshake slowly, in bursts, until it reaches the right texture for you.

How do you thicken a milkshake?

It's incredibly easy to accidentally blend too much milk into a milkshake, but luckily thickening it back up is just as easy. Simply add an additional scoop or two of ice cream to your blender and process until the shake has thickened up.

What toppings can you add to a milkshake?

Classic milkshake toppings are freshly whipped cream and a cherry, but there are so many more ideas to play with! Try sprinkles, chopped candy, a drizzle of a dessert sauce, cookies, Pocky sticks, chopped fruit, crushed peanuts, shredded coconut or crushed graham crackers. Or, find outrageous inspiration from these crazy milkshakes!