Homemade Strawberry Milk

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
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Homemade Strawberry Milk is made by blending your favorite fresh milk with a scrumptious, made-from-scratch strawberry simple syrup. Kids and grownups alike will absolutely love this dreamy drink – I guarantee it!

Homemade Strawberry Milk, Creamy and Sweet!

Strawberry milk is a favorite of mine, bringing back good memories of relaxed after-school snacking and lazy summer afternoons. You can’t beat the wholesome taste of sweet milk blended with homemade strawberry syrup! It’s a special treat that will make you smile, and bring on a good mood! 

I first developed this recipe one afternoon after swimming some serious pool laps. As it happened, I had to swing by the grocery store, and as I grabbed a gallon of regular milk from the refrigerated case, I also spotted a big pink jug of strawberry milk. One glance at the nutrition label… and I promptly put the whole thing right back. There was NO way I was going to drink half a glass of strawberry milk for over 300 calories and almost 50g of sugar! Dream on, strawberry milk company – I can make it myself for fewer calories, less sugar, and less money!

Two glass milk bottles with strawberry milk and candy-striped straws.

This Recipe Is Awesome Because…

  • It’s wholesome and simple to make.
  • It has fewer calories and less sugar than store-bought strawberry milk.
  • There are no gums, additives, or artificial flavors to worry about!
  • Homemade strawberry milk has a beautiful pale-pink color (and if you want it to be even pinker, you can always stir in a drop or two of red food coloring – easy!)
  • It tastes amazing! Sweet, fruity, and oh-so-creamy.
Milk, water, sugar, and sliced strawberries, on a white work surface.

What Is Strawberry Milk Made Of?

The actual ingredients you’ll need? Just four basic items! Let’s take a closer look at each one. You might be surprised at how simple it is to make homemade strawberry milk!

  • Strawberries: Your strawberries should be sliced, with the stem ends removed. This is a great way to use up extra strawberries before they go bad. Frozen berries are good, too!
  • Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is fine.
  • Water: To dissolve the sugar and turn the strawberries from fruit, into simple syrup!
  • Milk: Whole milk makes the richest strawberry milk, but you can definitely use any kind of milk that you prefer. 

How to Make Strawberry Milk from Scratch

Now, on to the part where you actually make this recipe! If you’ve ever made jam or simple syrup, this will be very familiar to you. Essentially, we’re going to simmer the ingredients together until thick, and then strain. Easy peasy!

  1. Heat the Ingredients to a Boil. First, combine the strawberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Use a medium one in case of bubbles – you don’t want this boiling over! Starting on medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.
  2. Simmer. Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat so that everything is simmering instead of boiling, and allow it to simmer for roughly 15 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, mash the strawberries from time to time, to release their juices.
  3. Strain. Now you need to remove the seeds and pulp from the syrup. Using a mesh strainer, strain the strawberry syrup into a bowl, and let it cool down. You can discard the seeds and pulp left in the strainer.
  4. Combine with Milk. Once the syrup is cool, pour it into the bottom of a large jar, or a pitcher. Add the milk, and stir well to fully combine. 
  5. Enjoy! Serve your homemade strawberry milk cold.

My Favorite Tips

Are you excited to try this recipe? I promise you, it’s going to be one of your favorite easy indulgences to whip up, especially during strawberry season! But before you get started, I hope you’ll take just a second to check out these easy tips for success:

  • Make It Creamier: Whole milk is pretty creamy, but if you want a true strawberries-and-cream experience, try combining your strawberry syrup with half and half, or with milk that has had a dash of heavy cream stirred in! Yum.
  • No Strainer, No Problem: If you don’t have a really fine strainer, don’t worry about it. Use clean cheesecloth, or just use whatever strainer you have – a small-holed colander would be fine. If a little bit of fruit or seeds makes it into the strawberry milk, they will sink to the bottom, and the milk will still taste great!
  • Use Other Berries: You can make many variations of strawberry milk using this same method, substituting other fresh or frozen berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or cherries.
  • Syrup Options: If you like, you can also use the strawberry syrup to drizzle over your favorite vanilla ice cream, or even over pancakes!
Pale pink milk in two small glass milk jars. Strawberries and paper straws are on the table as well.

Yummy Serving Suggestions

Because I think of strawberry milk in terms of snacking, I recommend having a savory snack on the side! Think after-school-snacks… but elevated. Here are some easy ideas for fantastic snacking.

Pale pink milk in glass milk jars.

Storage Instructions

To store, just refrigerate any leftovers for up to one week. I recommend storing them well-covered, so that no other food odors can seep into the syrup and/or milk.

Can I Freeze This?

Actually, yes, you can! Strawberry milk is fun to freeze in popsicle molds, resulting in creamy, dreamy popsicles you can feel good about serving to your kids (and yourself). I don’t recommend freezing and thawing, as the milk may have an undesirable texture when thawed.

Two servings of strawberry milk, with red-and-white straws. A pint of fresh strawberries is in the background of the shot.
5 from 2 votes
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Homemade Strawberry Milk

Homemade Strawberry Milk is made by blending your favorite fresh milk with a scrumptious, made-from-scratch strawberry simple syrup.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups strawberries, sliced (fresh or frozen)
  • ΒΌ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups whole milk

Instructions 

  • Place the strawberries, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan. Starting on medium heat, bring the fruit mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for roughly 15 minutes. With a wooden spoon, occasionally mash the strawberries to release the juices.
  • Using a mesh strainer, strain the mixture into a bowl, and let it cool. Once cool, add the strawberry liquid into the bottom of a large jar or pitcher. Add the milk and stir to fully combine. Serve cold.

Video

Notes

You can make many variations using this same method with other fresh or frozen berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cherries.

Storage:

Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week. You can store the syrup separately or mixed in the milk already. Shake before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 301kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 24mg, Sodium: 112mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 46g

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More Easy Sweet Drinks

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30 Responses
  1. Chocolate Chip Croissant French Toast Bake – Recipes For Your Granny

    […] eggs and bacon. Paired with yummy drinks, it’s the perfect way to start the day. I recommend my Homemade Strawberry Milk, Vanilla Cinnamon Iced Coffee, and Dalgona Coffee with […]

  2. Erin

    Thanks! I have the syrup thickening on the stove top right now. This reminds me of what I’ve done to make raspberry coulis for my cheesecakes. Glad you shared it.

  3. Melissa

    My 6 yo daughter just asked me tonight at the grocery if I would buy her strawberry milk. I told her no, but may surprise her in the morning with this! Imagine a sweet suprised little girl. She will love it! Thx!

  4. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

    I am in love with this idea! I buy the powdered stuff to make strawberry milk, but this is so much better!

  5. Lori @ RecipeGirl

    Since I’ve been known to sneak some of that really bad-for-you Strawberry Milk in the cold case, I could totally get into a healthier, homemade version!

  6. Sues

    Pretty and delicious! And so funny because when we were at the grocery store this week, my husband picked up a container of Strawberry Quik and I told him to put it down because we could make a much better one at home! And you proved me right :)

  7. Heather of Kitchen Concoctions

    Strawberry milks reminds me of being a kid too! My Mom never let us have flavored milk (chocolate or strawberry) but my Dad did. It was always a special treat!

  8. Joanne

    I definitely reminisce over strawberry milk often but never let myself buy it because of the calorie content. Totally making this!

  9. Katrina

    I can’t express how excited I am for your cook book. Can.Freaking.Not. BUT! I can make blog recipes like this doozie in the meantime. Hurray!

  10. Mindy

    I’m not a strawberry milk afficionado, so this may seem obvious to everyone else. Why do you have to strain the mixture? I was wondering about a possible puree after the mixture cools a bit instead to use as the syrup. Thanks for the beautiful (and yummy) idea!

    1. A woman holding a camera standing in front of some shelves.
      Jessica

      Hey Mindy,

      If you wanted to, you could puree the strawberries in. It would just make the milk have a different texture and you would have bits of strawberry and strawberry seeds floating around. :)

  11. Heidi @ Food Doodles

    Now that is my favorite color! So pretty! And it looks so delicious! I was going to say I need to make this for my kids, but who are we kidding, it would totally be for me :D

  12. Jessica@AKitchenAddiction

    This sounds way better than the store bought stuff! Much healthier than all that strawberry milk I drank as a kid!

  13. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious

    So my schools never had strawberry milk (I actually don’t think I’ve ever even tried strawberry milk before) but I am thrilled to make this. Plus, it’s so easy!

    And I’m totally not judging you about the 4 lb of butter in the shopping cart. I do the same, and I’m not even writing a cookbook!

  14. Ala

    I just looked up the ingredients for store-bought strawberry milk: competing for first place were our good friends high fructose corn syrup, Lowfat milk, propylene glycol, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, carrageenan, and guar gum. Yum. Yeah, I’m only making your version from now on–thanks so much for sharing this homemade gem!

  15. loulou

    Wow, I am so going to try this! I’ve never had strawberry milk before but my doctor recently advised me to make sure I’m getting enough calcium. Since I don’t drink milk normally, this might be ideal. It sounds so good!

  16. Erin @ Texanerin Baking

    What a pretty pink! Love that you can control how much syrup you put in. I tried making strawberry milk last month just by blending strawberries, milk and some honey. Yeah. That didn’t work out so well. This sounds much better. :)

    And good for you for putting that milk back! Things that are half sugar kind of scare me. Unless it’s an actual dessert!

  17. DessertForTwo

    I love this!
    Please tell me Jorge is blowing into that straw in order to make the bubbles in the photo! :)

Welcome!

Jessica
I'm a trial & error, self taught, sugar addict who thankfully learned how to survive in the kitchen! I am also a wife, mama of 3.