Vanilla milkshake

Name: Vanilla milkshake
Prep time: 7 min
Total time: 7 min
Ingredients: 180 ml milk; 280 g vanilla ice cream; ½ tsp vanilla extract; 60 ml heavy cream, whipped (optional); 10 g cherries, rinsed, stalks left on (optional)

Vegetarian

The simplest classic: good vanilla ice cream and cold whole milk blended until thick and frothy, with a touch of extra vanilla.

Vanilla milkshake is an American shake from United States, ready in about 7 minutes and made with vanilla ice cream, milk and vanilla extract. It serves 2 and is rated beginner to cook.

Start cooking

Delicious vanilla-flavored milkshake in a tall glass with a natural beige background, highlighting a fresh vanilla bean garnish. — Photo: Denys Gromov / Pexels · Pexels License

Prep: 7 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 7 min
Serves: 2
Level: Beginner
Calories: 349

Ingredients

2 glasses

180 ml Milk (opens in a new tab)Very cold, whole milk.Contains milk
280 g Vanilla ice cream (opens in a new tab)About 4–5 scoops of good vanilla ice cream, softened for 5 minutes.Contains milk
½ tsp (2 g) Vanilla extract (opens in a new tab)Vanilla extract contains a trace of alcohol from extraction; use vanilla seeds scraped from a pod to avoid it.
60 ml Heavy cream (opens in a new tab), whipped (optional)Contains milk
10 g Cherries (opens in a new tab), rinsed, stalks left on (optional)One or two, to garnish.

Equipment

Blender (opens in a new tab)

Method

1
Step 1
Chill two tall glasses in the freezer. Pour the milk (opens in a new tab) and vanilla (opens in a new tab) into the blender (opens in a new tab), then add the softened ice cream (opens in a new tab).
- 3 min
- Blender (opens in a new tab)
2
Step 2
Blend on low for 15–20 seconds until just smooth and thick.
- 1 min
- Blender (opens in a new tab)
3
Step 3
Pour into the cold glasses, top with whipped cream and a cherry (opens in a new tab) if you like, and serve at once.
- 2 min
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: United States · Commonly attributedA soda-fountain and diner classic in the United States.Also popular in Canada, United Kingdom, AustraliaMore food from United States
Dish: Snack · Dessert · Shakes & lassis
Cooking method: Blended, No-cook
Taste: sweet, creamy, mild
Diet: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Child-friendly
Cook more with: Vanilla ice cream · Milk · Vanilla extract
Techniques: Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

Contains: Milkfrom milk, vanilla ice cream, heavy cream
May contain: Eggsfrom vanilla ice cream

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

349 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 234 g · recipe makes 2

Where the energy comes from

Protein 9%
Carbohydrate 43%
Fat 48%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g*
Energy	349 kcal	149 kcal
Protein	7.8 g	3.3 g
Carbohydrate	37.6 g	16.1 g
Net carbohydrate	36.6 g	15.7 g
Sugars	34.5 g	14.8 g
Added sugars	—	—
Fibre	1 g	0.4 g
Fat	18.4 g	7.9 g
Saturated fat	11.2 g	4.8 g
Trans fat	—	—
Cholesterol	71 mg	30 mg
Sodium	152 mg	65 mg
Salt equivalent	0.4 g	0.2 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 403 mg
Calcium: 284 mg
Iron: 0.2 mg
Magnesium: 29 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 208 µg
Vitamin C: 1 mg
Vitamin D: 1.5 µg
Vitamin B12: 1 µg
Folate (DFE): 12 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
*Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
Optional ingredients are not included: heavy cream, cherries.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Because there are so few ingredients, the ice cream's quality decides the shake — choose one with real vanilla and cream.

Common mistakes

Using fully frozen, rock-hard ice cream: it stalls the blender and you end up blending too long.

Storage

Drink immediately.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 29 Oct 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sip & BlendCompare with

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Milk180 ml · 185 g
Vanilla ice cream280 g
Cherries, rinsed, stalks left on (optional)10 g

Used in steps 1, 3

Less sweet, dairy-free, caffeine-free or for more people — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sip & Blend

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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