Vanilla milkshakes sometimes get a bad rap as being a little boring, a little, shall we say, vanilla. But you know what? A good vanilla milkshake is a thing of beauty, and today we’re going to make a really good vanilla milkshake.
A Really Good Vanilla Milkshake Recipe
There are three things we’re going to do to make the best vanilla milkshake possible:
- Start with good-quality ice cream. I’m usually team cheap ice cream for milkshakes, but since we’re not adding other flavors here, you really want a good base. That chemically artificial vanilla taste you get with some cheap vanilla ice creams is not the foundation we want to build our shake upon.
- Ramp up the vanilla flavor. This is the secret for the best vanilla shake: adding the seeds scraped from half a vanilla bean or a couple drops of vanilla extract can really put that vanilla flavor over the top. If you don’t have vanilla beans/extract, you can totally skip this step, but if you have them, use them!
- Use the right ratio of milk to ice cream. I talk about this in every milkshake post, but this is how to make a milkshake 101. The right ice cream to milk ratio (which is 3 scoops ice cream to 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk) can make or break your shake.
More Vanilla Shake Flavor Combos
Want something a little different? Try the following combos:
Banana Vanilla Bean Milkshake: Add 1/2 to 1 whole overripe banana before blending (check out this post on ripening bananas quickly if your bananas aren’t quite brown enough). For a thicker shake, use a frozen banana. Bourbon Vanilla Bean Shake: Replace 2 tablespoons of the milk in the recipe with 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of bourbon.
More Milkshake Recipes
Chocolate Milkshake Strawberry Milkshake Banana Milkshake Oreo Milkshake Caramel Milkshake
Recipe Notes
To make this milkshake without a blender, simply microwave ice cream in a quart-size mason jar for 15 to 30 seconds, until softened, but not completely melted. Then add milk and vanilla beans, screw the lid on tightly and shake until well-mixed. If there are any bits of ice cream that did not mix in, use a spoon to stir them against the sides of the jar so they mix. Then pour into a glass or two and enjoy!
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