This blueberry milkshake is so quick and easy to make, only calls for 5 ingredients and tastes incredible! It can also be made paleo and vegan by using compliant ice cream and milk.
It’s been so hot here lately. I really do not feel like turning on the oven.
I’ve even put the pressure cooker and an induction burner out on the balcony so I don’t heat up the kitchen even more. We don’t have air conditioning so every little bit helps.
So we’re drinking quite a few smoothies, this chocolate banana protein shake, and milkshakes right now. I’ve made this blueberry milkshake several times over the past few weeks and just love it.
I’ve looked at a lot of blueberry milkshake recipes and find it weird that nobody mentions the difference between frozen and fresh blueberries and how they work in milkshakes.
If you use fresh blueberries, you can’t put the milkshake in the fridge for later. It gets weirdly gelatinous.
You can reblend it but that’s kind of annoying. If you drink it right away, it’s not an issue.
If you use frozen blueberries, straight from the freezer, then the milkshake is kind of gritty at first. But maybe after 10 minutes, they thaw and the texture is great.
I prefer to defrost them, drain them of any liquid, and then blend them so I can drink the milkshake immediately.
The color is also much more vibrant with frozen blueberries. At least it is with the small wild blueberries.
I haven’t tried this recipe with fresh blueberries that I froze myself so I have no idea if they’d have that gelatinous issue. If someone tries it, please let us know!
For a paleo, vegan and dairy-free version, just use an appropriate milk and ice cream. There are lots of vegan and even some paleo ice cream brands out there but at about $10 per pint, at least where we live, I just can’t do it.
This paleo vegan ice cream is a great choice! It feels kind of silly to make homemade ice cream only to toss it in a blender for this blueberry milkshake. But it’s what I did.
That homemade vanilla ice cream is maple-sweetened, just like this milkshake. Blueberries and maple syrup are truly delicious together.
This strawberry ice cream would also be a great choice for people who are looking for a traditional ice cream.
My favorite ice cream or cheesecake topping is this blueberry sauce, which is nothing but blueberries simmered with maple syrup and vanilla.
Don’t have ice cream on hand but have too many blueberries to handle? Try my Pineapple Fruit Salad! It’s not your average fruit salad and is so refreshing.
If you try out this milkshake, I’d love to hear what you think!
Questions about this milkshake?
Do I have to use milk?
You have to use at least some to get it drinkable. As little as 1/2 cup might be enough. But you can use whatever type of milk you’d like!
Full-fat or low-fat dairy milk, soy milk, almond milk, oat milk… whatever you’d like. If you use canned coconut milk, there will definitely be some coconut taste to the milkshake.
For paleo vegan, I used almond milk. I used unsweetened, but if you use sweetened, it shouldn’t make the milkshake too sweet.
Can I use other types of fruit?
I think any other fruit would work but you might need to add more or less sweetener.
Can I use frozen yogurt?
I think that would work just fine.
Can I use plain yogurt / vanilla yogurt / Greek yogurt?
Yes, then you’ll have a smoothie. If you use unsweetened plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, you’ll need to add quite a bit more sweetener.
Can I use something other than maple syrup or honey?
Any kind of sweetener should work. Granulated or liquid.
Blueberry Milkshake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 ml) milk + an additional 1/4 cup if needed
- 1 1/2 cups (213 grams) fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries, defrosted
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
- 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup (for vegan) or honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Blend everything until smooth. Add more milk, if needed. Note that if you use fresh blueberries, it gets weirdly gelatinous if it sits for too long after blending. If you use frozen blueberries, it's kind of gritty at first but once the blueberries thaw, the milkshake is smooth. You can defrost the blueberries first to avoid that.
Comments & Reviews
Alin says
You had me at 5 ingredients! ahaha We loved this recipe – so easy and a great summer dessert. Will make it again this weekend!
Erin @ Food Doodles says
Yay! I’m so glad that you liked it and will be making it again! Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Jordan Elbaum says
This sounds so incredible, I love mixing blueberries into things like this because I secretly don’t love them on their own haha
Lisa Kitahara says
I made the vegan version last night and it was incredible! So creamy and not overly sweet!
Erin @ Food Doodles says
Woohoo! I’m glad to hear that. Thanks for your feedback!
Elaine says
What a delicious way to use all the fresh blueberries right now. Yum!
Linda says
What a great looking smoothie! I absolutely love blueberries, Pinning this for when summer comes around! (currently braving an Argentinian winter haha)
Joanna in the kitchen says
I love this smoothie. It would be perfect and healthy breakfast. Yum, yum.
Anny says
Heidi: On foodgawker, your submission said that this shake “has no fat.” That isn’t true; almonds, which are the main non-water ingredient in almond milk, have a considerable amount of fat. As a result, almond milk has fat in it. The shake looks delicious, but be sure to be careful with your nutrition claims.
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I’m very sorry. The amount of characters was too short for me to say “no added fat” instead of just fat although I should have changed the order of my wording to say “no added fat or sugar”. As everyone needs fat in their diet and getting it from natural sources isn’t usually considered as “bad” I thought this would be an acceptable substitute in wording. I did however mention that you can use your favorite kind of milk, so for a no fat version go ahead and use non fat dairy or even water as the banana is what makes it creamy.
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kate says
Yum I love anything blueberry and the rich deep purple color is intoxicating!
kristy says
The colour is absolutely stunning! I need a sip….please. Yumm….yumm….yummm….
Have a lovely day.
Kristy
Bonny says
Hey Heidi, do you need more blueberries? We still have a ton in our freezer from last time G-V was down… And we still have raspberries too if you need them. Let me know and I can bring some to you…
I’m not usually a fan of blueberries, but this recipe is a great way to use them up, and it is so healthy too!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I’ll have to get back to ya, unless you’re still trying to clean out the freezer then we’ll take some. If we wanted to we could go through a ton 😀 I’ll take some raspberries if no one else wants them though.
Just Audrey says
I love the vibrant purple color of the smoothie–so pretty. I will definitely be adding this recipe to my list to try. 🙂
Maryea {Happy Healthy Mama} says
Meghan looooves blueberry smoothies. You’re so lucky to have such a great supply of fresh berries to freeze!
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
Love this as a breakfast, snack or dessert!