No-Ice-Cream-Needed Vanilla Milkshake

Founder of From Scratch Fast, Nicki is a trained chef, cookbook author and recipe developer. Her mission is to help busy families get fresh, wholesome and downright delicious food on the table any night of the week. All of her recipes are naturally gluten-free.

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Vanilla Milkshake with a red and white straw.

You don’t need ice cream or any added sugar to make an irresistible vanilla milkshake! This lightened-up shake is made with just frozen milk cubes and medjool dates, which provide caramel-like sweetness. For a richer shake, swap out ¼ cup of the milk for heavy cream—add it when you blend the shake.

PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES, PLUS 3 HOURS FREEZING TIME
2 Servings
Vanilla Milkshake with a red and white straw.
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES, PLUS 3 HOURS FREEZING TIME
2 Servings

You don’t need ice cream or any added sugar to make an irresistible vanilla milkshake! This lightened-up shake is made with just frozen milk cubes and medjool dates, which provide caramel-like sweetness. For a richer shake, swap out ¼ cup of the milk for heavy cream—add it when you blend the shake.

Cooking Mode

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Ingredients

  • 3 pitted Medjool dates (choose plump, soft ones for easier blending)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

  1. Pour 1 cup of the milk into an ice cube tray. Freeze until solid, about 3 hours (or overnight).
  2. Transfer the frozen milk cubes to a high-speed blender. (If they stick to the tray, run warm water over the back of the tray). Add the remaining 3⁄4 cup milk, dates, vanilla paste and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
  3. Serve the milkshake on its own or garnish with whipped cream! Makes two 8-ounce servings.

Directions

Cooking Mode

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. Pour 1 cup of the milk into an ice cube tray. Freeze until solid, about 3 hours (or overnight).
  2. Transfer the frozen milk cubes to a high-speed blender. (If they stick to the tray, run warm water over the back of the tray). Add the remaining 3⁄4 cup milk, dates, vanilla paste and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
  3. Serve the milkshake on its own or garnish with whipped cream! Makes two 8-ounce servings.