Put Down That Cow: Here's How to Make a Milkshake

We love ice cream all year long, but especially in the heat of summer. Milkshakes are one way to enjoy ice cream that we haven’t yet covered. You can make them as simple or as elaborate as you please, and you’re only limited by the size of your glass. Start by mastering the milk-to-ice-cream ratio, and then branch out to try new and different flavor combinations and mix-ins. We’ve got all the do’s and don’ts right here to help you along the way.

The Key to a Good Milkshake: Proper Ingredient Ratio

All you really need to make a milkshake is milk and vanilla ice cream. But the ratio of milk to ice cream will make or break your shake. If you add too much milk, you’ll end up with a runny shake. Not enough milk will make your shake impossible to drink until it’s reached room temperature.

How much milk is just right? Unlike pasta dough and quiche, which have standard ratios that multiple sources agree upon, there’s a bit of guesswork in gauging how much milk to add. Plus, it’s not feasible to scoop ice cream into measuring cups, so you also have to estimate your ice cream quantity too. Generally speaking, one scoop of ice cream is about 1/2 cup.

We found ratios ranging from 1/4 cup of milk to as much as 3/4 cup milk for every three scoops (or 1-1/2 cups) of ice cream. Baking Mischief is on the thinner end; they call for adding 1/2 to 3/4 cup of milk to 1-1/2 cups of ice cream. Delish errs on the thicker side; they specify 1/4 cup of milk for 1-1/2 cups of ice cream. Wide Open Eats is right in the middle at one cup of milk for five scoops (2-1/2 cups) of ice cream.

Our advice? Start with a quarter-cup of milk for every 1-1/2 cups of ice cream. You can always add more. But keep reading the do’s and don’ts ahead, because they’ll help you make the most of that milk.

Milkshake Do’s and Don’ts

One key reason people make the mistake of adding too much milk is that their ice cream is too cold and hard to blend. Adding milk will help initially, but once the ice cream begins to soften and melt, you’ll find your shake is too liquid.

Start by letting your ice cream soften before trying to blend it. Don’t leave the whole container on the counter, and never put it in the microwave. Instead, add a few scoops to your blending container and let it sit for a few minutes. Then add your milk and begin mixing. If you find the ice cream is still hard, let it sit a few minutes more. If it’s blending easily but the consistency is too thick for your taste, that’s when you should add another splash of milk.

Next, consider the mix-ins you plan to include. Some mix-ins are better when blended, such as chocolate or caramel sauce, peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, bananas, and booze, if you’re making an adult milkshake. Others are better crumbled or chopped into chunks, like cookies, brownies, or candy bars. Stir those into your fully blended milkshake, or add them in layers to individual glasses.

What shouldn’t you add to a milkshake? Most shakes don’t need added sugar or flavoring like vanilla or other extracts. Taste your shake first to see if it needs extra oomph. But whatever you do, please don’t add ice to a milkshake. When it melts, you’ll find your shake is thin and watery, even more so than if you added too much milk.

Milkshake Recipe Ideas

Are you craving a milkshake yet? Good thing we’ve got plenty of ideas ready for you. But if you’d like to start easy, we recommend combining vanilla ice cream with milk and a simple mix-in like chocolate sauce or fresh fruit. Blend chocolate sauce with the ice cream and milk. You can blend some of the fruit with the ice cream and milk, and save some to stir into your shake, or you can blend it all together.

The Spruce gathered over a dozen milkshake recipes in one post, and we can hardly wait to start trying them. For one, they each call for a pint of ice cream. That means you don’t have to worry about measuring your ice cream or wonder if your scoops are too large.

Which milkshake recipes are at the top of our list? The Key Lime Pie Milkshake is perfect for summer, and not just because it’s a shake. Mix vanilla ice cream and milk with Rose’s Lime, and stir in some crumbled graham crackers. Best of all, you don’t have to wait for your pie to bake and cool before enjoying that cool, crisp flavor.

We’re also eyeing the Pecan Praline Milkshake, which calls for French vanilla ice cream, milk, brown sugar, and pecan halves. We’re tempted to candy those pecans ahead of time and stir them in while omitting the brown sugar.

For two great tastes that taste great together, combine chocolate ice cream with milk, and blend in some chocolate sauce and peanut butter. Go overboard and chop up some peanut butter cups to stir in as well. This Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshake is a real treat, after all.

Finally, for those with refined tastes who still enjoy a milkshake now and then, try the Tiramisu Milkshake. The recipe on The Spruce doesn’t include milk, but it does combine coffee ice cream with mascarpone cheese. Blend those ingredients, and see if it looks like it needs a splash of milk. Then add chocolate sauce and a dash of cinnamon. We’d also suggest stirring in some crumbled ladyfingers.