Give In to Your Craving: How to Make a Milkshake Without a Blender

Last Updated on January 10, 2023

If you’ve never made a delicious milkshake from scratch before, we have all the tips and tricks ready for you. No blender? No problem. We don’t want you to miss out on a tasty shake because you don’t have a plethora of kitchen appliances. In this article, we’re focusing on how to make a milkshake without a blender. Here are some easy-to-follow steps.

Steps in Making a Milkshake

Step 1: Place Your Ice Cream in a Jar

Place your ice cream in a heatproof jar. Then, to achieve the right consistency, microwave the ice cream until it starts to melt, and you can press it down with a fork.

Step 2: Add Your Milk

Once the ice cream has a creamy consistency, it’s time to add the milk. You’ll also want to add any other ingredients at this stage, such as strawberry or caramel syrup. You can even add pieces of Oreo, chocolate or peanut butter.

Step 3: Shake the Jar

Once you’ve added all of your milkshake ingredients, it’s time to combine everything by giving it all a good shake. So, close the jar and put some effort into this stage. Don’t just shake the milkshake recipe lightly, as you want to make sure you mix everything in the jar. You’ll likely end up with a thick clump at the base, for which we recommend using a long-handled spoon to stir to scrape all ingredients together.

Step 4: Finish Up

Now you’ve made your milkshake without a blender. It’s time to serve it up. Pour the shake into a cup and add some whipped cream, sprinkles and toppings such as chocolate syrup, nuts and sprinkles. Serve it with a straw, and don’t forget – presentation is just as important as the flavour.

Common Items to Use Instead of a Blender

To help you achieve that perfect shake, even without a blender, here are a few options you can use instead.

Shaker

If you’re an avid gym-goer, you likely have a protein shake bottle lying around at home. This bottle is the perfect item for shaking up your milkshake recipes without a blender.

Jar

Ensure that the item is large enough for all of your ingredients by taking some measurements first. You’ll also want to have some spare room inside when you shake the ingredients together in step three.

Bowl and a Whisk

There’s nothing wrong with an old-fashioned bowl and whisk combo to help you blend all of your milkshake ingredients into a delicious treat. Whisk vigorously to blend the ice cream so it’s soft but still thick. Then, slowly add the milk into the mix and continue whisking until the shake has your desired consistency.

Ingredients for Making a Milkshake

Ice Cream

Choosing your favourite ice cream flavour, including vanilla ice cream, strawberry or chocolate, will be down to your personal choice and whichever flavours take your fancy. It doesn’t matter, as long as it tastes good to you. You’ll also want to ensure that the ice cream you choose is smooth and has a creamy consistency to it. If it’s too thick, you’ll struggle to mix the ingredients for the desired texture. Or, if the ice cream is too soft, it’ll melt straight away.

Milk

If you are using cow’s milk, choose whole milk as this will provide an incredible flavour and a thicker consistency. But if you’re on a plant-based diet, we recommend almond, coconut or oat milk. These types of milk also make a healthier, low-fat alternative to cow’s milk.

When deciding on the ratio of ice cream to milk, we recommend 2 cups of milk for every one spoon of ice cream. And, for a creamy milkshake that’s smooth in your mouth, you’ll need to add more milk than any other ingredient.

Other Ingredients

The beauty of making a homemade milkshake is that you can experiment with different ingredients as much as you like. Add fruit, chocolate chips, nuts, and more to your recipe to make it as delicious as possible. In terms of fruits, we highly recommend strawberries, and they work particularly well with dark chocolate chips. Don’t forget that you can add a thicker texture by adding whipped cream, too.

Toppings

Make a milkshake without a blender the easy way and scatter your favourite toppings to complete the look or complement the shake’s flavours—experiment with sweets and other delightful ideas to make your milkshake to your liking.

General Tips to Make a Milkshake

Buy Fresh Ingredients

When purchasing ice cream and milk, ensure that they’re fresh for the best taste. That means purchasing fresh milk rather than one that’s unopened in your fridge (even if it’s still in date). The same goes for any mix-ins that you’ll use in the milkshake.

Add Milk Slowly

Don’t tip in the full amount of milk you think you’ll use because this could make the texture too thin. Instead, begin with a small amount of milk. You can then add small amounts slowly, gradually building up the texture to your desired preference.

Avoid Ice

You might have seen people add ice cubes to their shake when using a blender, but this is something you want to avoid. A shake without ice will still be cold to keep you cool in summer. Adding ice will simply make your shake thinner.

Serve Soft Ice Cream

If your freezer presents you with rock-hard ice cream that has clumps of ice in it, you’ll want to soften the ice cream for half an hour first by leaving it out of the freezer on your kitchen top. If the ice cream is too hard to begin with, you might end up adding too much milk, which you want to avoid.

Freeze Your Glass

Nobody likes warm milkshakes, and a hot temperature will also make your drink go runny. It may even turn into a thin liquid before you can drink it. You can prevent this from happening by freezing your glass beforehand. A day before you plan to make milkshakes, place your glass in the freezer to give it enough time to be freezing cold when you’re about to serve your shake.

Garnish for Presentation

After all of that hard work, you want your shake to look the part, and that involves setting aside some time to make your drink look presentable. Purchase some thick straws to help make drinking the shakes easier. But you can also play around with some quirky straws that add a little character to your drink.

Don’t forget to place any garnishes such as strawberries, cinnamon shavings, or healthy cherries. Additionally, you can go the extra step by dipping your glass in some milk and dipping it again into coloured sugar for the extra wow factor.

Try Making a Shake Today

Learning how to make a milkshake without a blender is very simple. Use your imagination, and you’ll be able to create different flavours and combinations. How about making a chocolate shake topped with whipped cream and nuts? What about a vanilla shake with strawberry pieces and dark chocolate chips? The possibilities are endless.

Got some milkshake recipes you’d love to share with others? Leave your favourites in the comments for others to try.