Easy Strawberry Milk Recipe (Chunky OR Blended)

How to make strawberry milk at home with just 3 ingredients, including fresh strawberries, and prepare it either super smooth or chunky (aka Korean strawberry milk)! Plus, this sweet and fruity homemade strawberry milk can be prepared sugar-free and dairy-free/vegan, if preferred!

Having recently shared my recipe for a simple homemade banana milkshake, I’m back at it again, but this time with fresh strawberries for a refreshing, sweet, and wonderfully pink homemade strawberry milk loaded with fresh berries. With a combination of ripe strawberries, sugar (or sugar-free sweetener), water, and milk, you can learn how to make strawberry milk that’s either smooth or chunky (Korean strawberry milk style!) and ready to impress!

While it’s best to use fresh, ripe, in-season strawberries for this recipe, frozen will work too. I love to stock up on the berries when they’re at their best and freeze them at home. That way, you can store them for up to 6 months and enjoy them all year through – you don’t even need to thaw them first.

When made into chunky Korean strawberry milk, this drink is light and refreshing with swirls of sweet, fruity strawberry syrup. In comparison, the blended version is evenly fruity, subtly sweet, creamy, and beautifully pink to boot. Best of all, though, neither option is loaded with preservatives, chemicals, and artificial flavors, like powdered versions. You get fresh strawberry milk that tastes so much better than any powdered or store-bought version!

And while we’re appreciating strawberries, you might also enjoy these recipes for strawberry chips (dehydrated strawberries), strawberry juice, strawberry sorbet, strawberry jam, or even a simple strawberry vinaigrette.

The Ingredients

This real strawberry milk requires just three ingredients plus water, including:

• Strawberries: you can use fresh or frozen strawberries, though fresh, ripe in-season strawberries are superior.
• Sugar: I used organic raw cane sugar, but you can use the sugar (regular, coconut sugar, etc.) or sugar-free sweetener (erythritol, stevia, etc.) of your choice. Note that different sweeteners will affect the taste and color of the strawberry milk.

Sugar-free strawberry milk won’t be as thick as sweeteners don’t become as syrupy. But this is normal.

• Water: to help break down the strawberries while simmering.
• Milk: use the milk of your choice, dairy or dairy-free, and at the fat level of your choice (whole, semi-skimmed, skimmed).

I used dairy milk this time around, but I’ve had great success with almond milk, cashew milk, and coconut milk. I imagine that oat milk and other dairy-free milks would also work well for vegan strawberry milk.

You’ll also need

• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Blender OR immersion blender (if you want to make the blended fresh strawberry milk).

Optional Add-ins and Variations

There are several ways to adapt this fresh strawberry milk recipe, including:

• Vanilla: a small amount of vanilla extract brings out the berry flavor even more.
• Rosewater: just a tiny amount of rosewater will delicately scent the homemade strawberry milk and will taste lovely with the strawberries.
• Boba: turn this into a strawberry bubble “milk tea” (minus the tea 😝) with the addition of some boba.
• Chia seeds: stirring some chia seeds into the syrup helps to make a kind of strawberry chia “jam,” but also provides the drinks with extra protein, nutrients, and staying power – to keep you full for longer.
• Whipped cream: for serving. Use coconut whipped cream for a dairy-free option.
• Ice cream: in Korea, you can sometimes purchase this drink as a “strawberry latte,” topped with a scoop of ice cream (usually vanilla, but strawberry would also work).
• Keto strawberry milk: use a keto-friendly sweetener (like erythritol) and milk (like coconut milk or almond milk).
• Vegan strawberry milk: ensure the sugar is vegan and use the dairy-free milk of your choice.

How to Make Strawberry Milk?

Step 1: Prepare the Strawberries

First, rinse all the fruit well. Discard any that look under/overripe or have any spoilage.

Then remove the green stems and cut all the strawberries in half (or quarters if preferred).

Step 2: Prepare the Strawberry Syrup

In a large saucepan or skillet, add the strawberries, water, and sugar, and mix.

Bring to a soft boil over medium heat, mashing the strawberries into the mixture as they soften.

Then simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the mixture to reduce and slightly thicken.

When making a smaller batch, the simmering time will also be reduced.

Once ready, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down for a bit.

Step 3: Assemble the Strawberry Milk

Blended Strawberry Milk: transfer all the strawberry syrup to a blender or food processor and add the milk. Then blend until smooth. Transfer to the drinking glasses/jugs of your choice and enjoy!

Alternatively, you could add the milk to the saucepan and use an immersion blender to blend it directly in there (and save extra washing up).

Chunky Korean Strawberry milk: add enough of the strawberry syrup to your glass/jar of choice, filling it halfway or adjusting the amount used based on how subtle/strong you want the flavor to be. You could make it more aesthetic by swirling the syrup up the sides of the glass, too. Then, pour over the milk of your choice, add a straw and enjoy!

You can use the straw to help mix it in. Optionally, before adding the milk, you could add in some additional finely chopped fresh strawberry for a more chunky texture in the drink.

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Make ahead: because you need to wait for the strawberry syrup to cool before assembling the homemade strawberry milk, I highly recommend making it in advance by an hour or two or even up to 3-4 days.

Store: you can store the prepared strawberry mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Depending on the amount of sugar you use, the shelf life is extended. For a 1:1 ratio, it would last up to 2 weeks.

The blended strawberry milk will last 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing the milk as it will separate upon thawing.

FAQs

Recipe Tips and Notes

• For a super-smooth drink: you could use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the seeds and any chunky flesh from the strawberry syrup (like this homemade strawberry syrup does). However, I like the additional fiber and nutrients. Plus, once blended, you won’t even notice the seeds.
• Adjust the amount of sugar: reduce the amount if preferred (especially if the berries are sweet on their own) for healthy strawberry milk.
• When making sugar-free strawberry milk: note that the sweetener won’t make the syrup as thick and syrupy, and the amount of sweetener you use will vary, to taste (so don’t add it all to the pan immediately).
• Adjust the syrup to milk ratio: based on how strong you want the flavor to be, plus how thick you want the strawberry milk to be.
• Experiment with berries: this super simple method will work the same with other berries (blueberries, raspberries, etc.).
• When making dairy-free strawberry milk: I prefer using milk that isn’t too thin and watery for the best results.

More Creamy Drink Recipes

• Creamy Brazilian lemonade
• Healthy blueberry milkshake
• Banana Milkshake
• Homemade Chocolate Milk

If you try this strawberry milk recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!