A good milkshake is one of the most photographed drinks in any café, and one of the highest-margin. Anyone trying it at home tends to have the same complaint: "it never gets thick enough". This guide answers how to make a milkshake from the professional side, with the right ratios, the right equipment and 3 tried-and-tested recipes you can make in 5 minutes.
What Is a Milkshake, and Why Does It Go Thin?
A milkshake is a thick cold drink made by blending ice cream, milk and a flavour component (powder, syrup or sauce). There are three classic reasons the texture fails:
- The wrong ratio: Too much milk and the drink turns into flavoured milk. The golden ratio: 100–120 ml of cold milk to 2 scoops of ice cream.
- Ingredients that are not cold enough: The milk should be straight out of the fridge; chilling the glass beforehand also makes a noticeable difference to the texture.
- A weak flavour component: Fruit or cocoa alone rarely reaches that rich café flavour. The café secret is a formulation built to work in balance with milk and ice cream — milkshake and frappé powders.
What You Need for a Milkshake
- 2 scoops of plain (vanilla) ice cream
- 100–120 ml cold milk
- 2 tablespoons (about 25 g) Saphori milkshake powder — strawberry, chocolate, banana or caramel
- A blender (600 W or above is ideal)
- Whipped cream to finish and topping sauce
Making a Milkshake Step by Step
- Chill the glass in the freezer for 10 minutes.
- Add the milk to the blender first, then the milkshake powder, and blend for 5 seconds so the powder dissolves completely.
- Add the ice cream and run for 20–30 seconds, until the texture is smooth and thick but still pourable. Over-blending warms the drink and thins it.
- Pour into the chilled glass, pipe on whipped cream and drizzle bar sauce over the top.
3 Tried-and-Tested Milkshake Recipes
1) Strawberry Milkshake
The classic of classics. Vanilla ice cream + milk + strawberry milkshake powder. Drizzle strawberry bar sauce around the inside of the glass before serving and you have the café look.
2) Chocolate Milkshake
Add half a spoonful of cocoa topping sauce alongside the chocolate powder; it lifts both colour and richness. Grated dark chocolate on top suits it perfectly.
3) Caramel Frappé (bonus)
Make it with 6–7 ice cubes instead of ice cream and you get a frappé rather than a milkshake: ice + milk + frappé powder through the blender. It is a lighter, fresher alternative. Coffee lovers can add a shot of espresso — for more coffee recipes, see our guide to café flavours at home as well.
For Cafés: Why a Milkshake Menu Is Profitable
The raw-material cost of a milkshake is mostly ice cream and milk; the flavour component costs little per portion but is the element that sets the selling price. Working to a standard recipe means every barista produces the same drink. Saphori's milkshake & frappé range comes in 1 kg packs designed for high-volume venues; for the wholesale price list, get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make a milkshake without ice cream?
You can: increase the ice and milk and you move towards a frappé texture. For the classic thick milkshake texture, though, ice cream is essential.
Can syrup be used instead of milkshake powder?
Yes: use 20–30 ml of flavoured syrup in place of 2 spoons of powder. Powder is the first choice in cafés because it supports the texture as well.
Which milk gives the best result?
Whole milk gives the creamiest result. It also works with lactose-free and plant-based milks; oat milk is the best plant-based option for texture.
Café-quality milkshakes, now at home. To see the full range of flavours, browse the Milkshake & Frappé collection today.
