How to Make a Milkshake (2024)

Your complete How to Make a Milkshake Guide with tips and trick for creating the best milkshake possible.

Hey, friends. Summer officially starts this week, so I thought it’d be a good time to have a little chat about one of my favorite summer desserts, milkshakes.

Milkshakes are simple enough to make at home, but if you’ve ever accidentally made a too-milky mess of a shake or stood shouting at your blender full of ice cream as it runs and runs but does not blend, you know that they also have the potential to be a little frustrating.

Which is why we’re chatting shakes today. In this post, we’ll go over how to make the perfect milkshake, some of my favorite milkshake recipes, and extra milkshake tips and tricks.

The Ideal Milkshake Ratio

A good shake starts with the right mix of ice cream to milk for a shake that is creamy, frosty, and easy to blend. The perfect ice cream to milk ratio for a homemade milkshake is about:

1 1/2 cups ice cream : 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk

This is enough milk to blend using home kitchen equipment without making your shake too thin. If you like a thicker shake, go with 1/2 cup milk, a thinner shake, use 3/4 cup.

And no, you don’t need to pack ice cream into measuring cups to get the exact right amount of ice cream in your shakes (unless you want to) 1 scoop of ice cream equals about 1/2 cup so use:

3 scoops ice cream : 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk

Start With Slightly Softened Ice Cream

The second most important tip for making the perfect shake is to start with softened ice cream. This will allow your shake to blend more easily with less milk so you don’t dilute your shake. This tip is especially handy if you’re working with an underpowered or older blender.

Your ice cream doesn’t need to sit out long. Just scoop it into your blender and allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature until it just starts to soften.

How to Make a Milkshake (With a Blender)

1. In your blender, combine slightly softened ice cream, milk and any mix-ins (more on mix-ins in a bit), and blend until well-mixed and pourable.
2. Pour into a frosty glass, add a straw and whipped cream, and enjoy!

How to Make a Milkshake Without a Blender

If you don’t have a blender, don’t let that stop you from making a milkshake. You can make a shake with a large mason jar, your microwave, and a little muscle power.

• Scoop your ice cream into a quart-size mason jar and microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, until ice cream begins to melt but is not completely liquified.
• Pour in milk and mix-ins, screw on lid, and shake until everything is well-mixed. If there are any large bits of ice cream left after shaking, use a spoon to help mix them in. And then pour into a glass and enjoy.

More Milkshake Recipes

The basic milkshake ratio will work for any flavor ice cream, but most classic milkshake recipes start with vanilla ice cream. To make any of these shakes, add these mix ins to the base milkshake ratio before blending:

• Chocolate Milkshake: Add 3 tablespoons of chocolate sauce.
• Oreo Milkshake: Add 3 to 4 Oreos.
• Fruit Milkshake: Add about 3/4 cup of fruit (fresh or frozen) and up to 1 tablespoon of sugar depending on the sweetness of your fruit.
• Caramel Milkshake: Add 2 tablespoons caramel, butterscotch, or dulce de leche.

Milkshake FAQ

And, before we go, some of the most common milkshake questions answered:

How do you thicken a milkshake?

If you’ve made your milkshake and it’s not thick enough, that’s an easy fix. Just add more ice cream and blend. If you’re making a fruit milkshake, you can also add more frozen fruit to help thicken things up.

Which fruits can be used for milkshakes?

You can use almost any fruit, fresh or frozen, in milkshakes. Strawberry Milkshakes and Banana Milkshakes are always popular, but don’t be afraid to try new flavor combos like blueberry or mango. Depending on the fruit and the strength of your blender, you may want to peel fruits with oddly textured skin like peaches before blending.

Using frozen fruit will make your shake thicker and creamier, but may also be more difficult to blend. If using frozen fruit, be sure to start with ice cream that has been slightly softened at room temperature and don’t be afraid to use a little more milk if necessary.

Which milk is used for milkshakes?

You can use any percentage milk for a milkshake. The higher fat milk, the creamier and richer your milkshake will be in the end, but the change will be subtle, so don’t feel like you need to go out of your way unless you really want to.

For more frozen treats, try Frozen Hot Chocolate, Cookies and Cream Popsicles, and Homemade Pudding Pops.

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