How to Make Chocolate Milkshakes without Ice Cream

In short, a chocolate milkshake is nothing more than a blend of milk, ice cream, and chocolate syrup. However, it’s not all the time you’ll have a container of chocolate ice cream sitting in the freezer. So, it would be more than gracious if you learned how to make chocolate milkshakes without ice cream.

Of course, you could also use any ice cream available for another milkshake flavor. But kids can be very picky about what they share with their tongue. And just like you can’t spell Halloween without the candies, you can’t separate their love for chocolate.

Anyways, this article is all about chocolate milkshakes without ice cream, specifically how you can have one without the ice cream shop. But again, you probably don’t have the countertop drink mixers they usually have at those ice cream shops. So, we’ll make the milkshake with a blender, assuming you have one in the kitchen right now.

Can I Use My Regular Blender To Make Milkshakes?

Technically, a milkshake machine is the best to make a high-quality milkshake without taking any chances. The machines are more like large electric mixers with a long shaft that will whip up the ingredients much faster and to richer consistency.

However, you necessarily don’t need to buy a milkshake machine if you already have a Calphalon blender or Vitamix, or any other blender for that matter. Of course, the results won’t be instant as with a dedicated milkshake mixer but still can produce a tasty product.

Meanwhile, a machine like Calphalon falls in the category of regular blenders, just like Nutribullet and Magic Bullet and Ninja. So, the creaminess and consistency might be different from that of a high-power blender like Vitamix E320 and other series from the maker.

Even so, high power isn’t the only reason Vitamix is good at making milkshakes. The patented container and its tornado-style blending is another factor in play. Why?

In the case where you’re making the chocolate milkshake without ice cream, you’ll need frozen fruits and or ice cubes. So, the blender you have must also have sturdy blades that will handle this stuff with ease and without compromising durability.

Therefore, you might need to crush the ice and frozen fruits first if you’ll be using an Oster or any other blender under $50 or even a hundred.

How To Make Chocolate Milkshakes Without Ice Cream

As was said earlier, you can make an easy chocolate milkshake with only some milk, chocolate syrup, and chocolate ice cream. Sadly, however, we don’t have any ice cream left, yet it’s the characteristic ingredient. Thus, we must find a way to incorporate it in the recipe, or else there won’t be a milkshake.

But again, simple ice cream is a compound ingredient with only milk, sugar, and ice. So, it’s something we can make together with the milkshake.

Regardless, our milkshake might not be as thick as we may want when using the basic ingredients in place of the brand ice cream. So, we still might need to tweak our homemade recipe a little bit to transform it into something you and the kids can enjoy.

How To Make A Basic Chocolate Milkshake Without Ice Cream

In this recipe, we’re going to make a simple milkshake while using only the basic compound ingredients of ice cream. However,  we still need to bring out that unique chocolate flavoring. So, you’ll add that fudge sauce/ syrup that remained when making a chocolate milkshake with cocoa powder.

If you also have none left in the icebox, we’ll have to make another that we can also use as our mix-in.

Therefore…

You’ll Need:

• 2  cups milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons granulate sugar
• 1 full tablespoon cocoa powder
• 10-12 ice cubes
• Whipped cream (optional topping)
• Tools: saucepan, blender

What to Do:

• Put the butter in a saucepan, then melt it at a medium heat
• Add  cups of milk and whisk the mixture
• Now add the cocoa powder and sugar and whisk continuously
• After all the powder lumps and grains mix and turn smooth, remove the saucepan from the heat. Then, allow the product (chocolate sauce) to cool
• Once the chocolate syrup cools down, take the remaining milk (2 cups) and add it into the blender. Then, add 6 tablespoons of the homemade syrup and the ice cubes.
• Turn the machine on and blend the mixture well until smooth.
• Finally, stop the blender and pour it into the cups. If preferred, garnish with whipped cream and serve immediately.

**When done right, the milkshake recipe should be enough for two servings. You can also use the homemade fudge sauce that remained as topping in place of the whipped cream.

How To Make A Creamier Milkshake Without The Ice Cream

If you notice your milkshake is a little thin after blending, you can try thickening by adding whipped cream and then blend. Even so, I personally don’t like the idea of adding ingredients into my milkshakes. In what started as a plan to improve the thickness, I usually end up adding the rest of the ingredients too.

Therefore, it’s usually best to prepare a creamier milkshake from the beginning if that’s what you want.

To do that, we’re going to drop some of our previous ingredients and introduce frozen berries and heavy cream.

What You Need:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 6 tablespoons homemade chocolate syrup
• 1 cup frozen blackberries
• 5-6 ice cubes

What To Do:

Put all the ingredients into the blender while arranging from the soft to the hardest. Then, blend until all the ice and fruit chunks dissolve into a smooth texture.

In case there are no blackberries, you can use bananas and your milkshake will be creamy as well. In fact, the blend will be more creamy but the chocolate flavor will also be different from that of berries.

How To Make A Healthy Chocolate Milkshake Without Ice Cream

If you’re on a diet or as a vegan, you can also make a healthy chocolate milkshake without ice cream. Of course, the dessert recipe will still be high in sugar. So, the “healthy” term here simply means the use of natural ingredients that are lactose-free, gluten-free, and low in cholesterol but still sweet.

For instance, you can use coconut milk instead of dairy and the sweetness dates replaces white sugar.

Therefore, our new healthy chocolate milkshake without ice cream will look like this:

What You Need:

• 1¾ Cup(light) coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 Medjool dates
• Coconut milk ice cubes
• Chocolate chips (optional toppings)

Instead of frozen fruits, these recipes will have ice cubes of coconut milk. So, you’ll need to prepare the extra fraction of coconut milk into an ice cube tray (4 hours or overnight before use). The remaining milk will need to be in the icebox to delay souring.

Moreover, the dates are part of the stone fruits. So, you’ll need to pit them before you add them into a blender. Once done with that, you can now go ahead and prepare your milkshake, provided the ice cubes are also ready.

What to Do:

• Combine all the ingredients into a blender, with the light foods at the bottom and heavy on top. That means you start with the preserved coconut milk, then the cocoa powder, pitted dates, vanilla extract, and ice cubes
• Power on the blender and blend the mixture until it’s uniformly smooth
• Pour the milkshake into the cups. Decorate with the coconut chips if desired and serve immediately.

 Note, the recipe should give you at least 2 cups servings when you follow everything to the letter. It should also have the nutritional value of all the whole foods used, including carbohydrates, dietary fiber, potassium, magnesium, Vitamin B6, and protein.

Other healthy milkshakes you can switch with the chocolate flavoring are:

Milkshake Recipe	Ingredients	Tools Needed	Servings
Basic Strawberry Milkshake with Avocado	1 ripe, sliced avocado2 tsp strawberry syrup4 Tbsp honey2 cups milk6 ice cubes	Blender	10 minutes
Basic Vanilla milkshake with corn oil	1 cup milk¼ cup sugar½ tsp vanilla extract2 Tbsp corn oil (with non-stick oil spray)	Blender	10 minutes
Sweet Banana Milkshake	2 cups milk3 ripe bananas1 Tbsp honey or maple syrup	Blender	6 minutes
Chocolate Cherry Milkshake	1-1/2 cups coconut milk1-1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder3-1/2 cups frozen Montmorency cherries1 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup maple syrup1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips	BlenderSaucepanHeat source	15 minutes
Acronyms:	Tbsp- tablespoontsp- teaspoon

Is It Healthy To Use A Chocolate Milkshake Every Day?

Similar to most desserts, a chocolate milkshake, whether prepare with or without actual ice cream, can be addictive. It’s usually rich in sugar, which, of course, is flavorful and helpful in boosting energy.

Even so, various experts have linked some sugars like fructose to obesity and diabetes. The milk used on the milkshake can also have high saturated fat, which in hand with added sugars, can compromise normal heart function.

As such, it’s not the best idea to drink a chocolate milkshake every day as a beverage. Just like with biscuits and cookies, it should be used as a dessert for children and adults alike. Or do you give your kids candies and biscuits during every meal?

Recommended Blender for Chocolate Milkshake:

1. Best of under $100: Nutribullet 1200 Watts Combo Blender

Key Features:

• 3 precision speeds
• 1200 watt power
• 64-oz blending jar
• Dedicated pulse button
• 32-oz, 24-oz personal cups
• Nutrient extractor blade

The Nutribullet Combo can make a really great machine for a home kitchen. And not just for making milkshakes but also for smoothies and various food processor tasks. The power base houses a 1200 watt motor which is quite enough for soft ingredients and small-sized ice or frozen fruits.

As its name, the device has a combination of features, whereby you can use for full-size or single-serve blending. It comes with all the accessories that you might need for these tasks, including multiple personal cups and an extractor blade.

More on that, the blender also includes two to-go lids that you can use to secure your smoothie cups when traveling.

Pros:

• It’s very affordable
• Can blend in varying speeds
• Straightforward to set up and operate
• Effortless to clean (dishwasher-safe)
• Has suction cups to avoid moving over counter
• It can fit in the standard 18-inch cabinet well

Cons:

• It’s excessively loud when blending
• The lowest speed setting is relatively high
• Struggles to work on large/ many ice cubes at once

2. Best of Value: Vitamix Pro 750 Pearl Grey blender

Key Features:

• 5 preset programs
• 10 incremental speeds
• 2.2-peak power output
• 64-oz low-profile pitcher
• Dedicated pulsing switch
• Noise-dampening technology

If you’re not interested in the bells and whistles of the Ascent or Venturist series, the Pro 750 is more than a blender for milkshakes and smoothies. It features a classic but subtle design that can still look nice even in a modern kitchen.

Like most from the maker, this blender primarily depends on its power to blend instead of blades. The motor itself rates 2.2 horsepower, which we could say’s equivalent to 1640-watts output when you convert. So, it can pummel through even large bits of ice or whole frozen strawberries without any stress or bogging down.

Furthermore, the blender is one of the few added with noise-dampening technology and redesigned airflows. Thus, you can make your chocolate desserts any time of the day with minimal noise and vibrations.

Pros:

• It has a well-made and durable design
• Delivers velvety blends and fast
• Easy to clean the blending container
• the variable speed ramps up well
• Supports automated/ walkaway blending
• It comes with an extended warranty

Cons:

• It’s very expensive
• Stressful to blend small amounts
• It’s hard to tell if the lid is properly secured.

Conclusion:

It’s no doubt worthwhile when you can make your own milkshakes instead of going to Mitchell’s Ice Cream shop all the time. It’s not just cost-effective but also you can customize your formulas however you like. If you feel you need to stick to your healthy diet, you can incorporate whole foods as we’ve done with the Recipe (3) above. Or else keep it as chocolatey as possible if it’s your cheat day.

Speaking of diet, a milkshake can be an excellent idea if your kid fusses a lot about taking certain fruits or plant-based milk. You just need to blend up these foods with his favorite chocolate milkshake flavor in a way his tongue won’t detect it.

But then, don’t forget obesity still likes high-fat foods and cavities are into sugary stuff. So, do make sure you monitor and control how much chocolate milkshake the kids and you as well take.