Growing up, I was often asked to babysit my younger brother. One of his favorite treats as a kid was strawberry milk.
Of course, if you were a kid (or a parent) in the 90s, you probably remember the options we had back then. Nesquick strawberry powder out of a tin, or that cloyingly sweet strawberry syrup in a plastic bottle. Not only was it sickly sweet, it was artificial as hell and definitely bad for you.
It’s been years since I’ve made milk for my brother, but as with many formative childhood treats, I still have an urge to make some now and then. So I thought, why not make my own? I don’t need that artificial syrup in a cupboard to make a delicious treat.
Jump forward to today. Every year, my partner and I visit a variety of orchards and farms in the area, buying fresh fruit and vegetables to use throughout the year. We always buy up a huge flat of strawberries (and other fruits!) from one of the local orchards, use a bunch of them right away, and freeze the rest.
Two thoughts combined, and this recipe was born. It’s inspired by Korean fruit milk beverages. These are no milkshakes; they’re a glass of milk flavored with a fresh fruit syrup, easily made in just a few minutes. Thin, rich, and delicious, I’ve added this recipe to my roster of tasty, relatively low-calorie sweets I can make whenever the fruit is available.
There are a LOT of variations you can do with this recipe. I don’t drink cow’s milk anymore, since I have to keep my potassium intake low, so I used almond milk for mine. My partner loves whole milk (he’d drink cream if he could) so he used whole milk. The recipe would work well with any milk you choose, including soy milk or coconut milk.
You can also use other fruits! I made the same recipe later with blueberries, using the same quantities and same process, just whole berries instead of diced.
On top of that, feel free to add toppings. We enjoy ours plain, but you can add chocolate syrup, whipped cream, or anything else you like. It’s a very flexible recipe.
Making the Strawberry Milk
The actual process for making this strawberry milk is easy. All you need is a blender to puree some strawberries, a saucepan to cook up a bit of syrup, and a glass to serve it in.
First, wash and hull your berries. Divide them up and dice them, then puree about half of them. I use an immersion blender to puree the berries, but you can do it just fine in a normal blender, or even use a masher. You can adjust more or less depending on how chunky you want your drink.
Add the puree, most of the diced berries, and sugar into your saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for about a minute, just enough to thicken the syrup. Then, let the mixture cool. You can let it cool on the counter, or put it in the fridge to use later. I chilled it in the fridge for a dessert to rival ice cream.
When it’s time to assemble, just pour the syrup mixture into a glass, coating the sides. Add the remaining diced berries, then carefully pour in the milk. It should leave you with a nice mottled appearance. Of course, when you enjoy it, you can stir it up as well.
Strawberry Milk
Equipment
- Blender
- Sauce Pan
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups Fresh Strawberries Frozen work too, thaw them first.
- ¼ cup Sugar Adjust to taste.
- 2 cups Milk Any milk is fine; we used whole and almond milks.
Instructions
- Dice 1 cup of strawberries into small chunks and set aside.
- Using a blender or immersion blender, puree remaining 1 ¼ cups of strawberries until smooth.
- Add strawberry puree, sugar, and ½ cup of diced berries to a saucepan.
- Heat contents of saucepan until it begins to boil. Boil for approximately 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and let cool. We chilled the mixture in a bowl in the fridge, but you can leave it to cool in the pan or on the counter if you prefer.
- Add half of the strawberry mixture to each glass, swirling as you pour to coat the glass.
- Add remaining diced strawberries to the glass.
- Carefully pour in milk and swirl around gently. This should create the swirled pattern you see in the pictures.
What’s your favorite fruit to make into a delicious beverage? I’d love to hear your ideas below. If you’re in the mood for something else, why not check out some of my other recipes?