Thick Dairy-Free Shakes (how to make your own!)

Most of us love a milk shake, and yet it’s surprisingly hard to find good ones in shops or eateries. Of course the best-selling milk shake is the McDonald’s McFlurry (which is more of an ice-cream). But it’s made likely with milk from factory-farms (councils increasingly are refusing planning permission to new stores, due to health and litter concerns.

This strawberry milkshake (The Simple Veganista) is made with non-dairy milk, bananas, vanilla and maple syrup, topped with non-dairy whipped cream.

Strawberries are one of England’s favourite fruits (the only ones with seeds on the outside). Related to roses, they are one of the so-called ‘dirty dozen’ that are often sprayed in chemicals, so splurge on organic. If the underside of punnets are stained, that means lower berries are crushed. Smaller wild strawberries tend to have more flavour.

Before making, read up on food safety for people and pets (vanilla and chocolate are unsafe near animal friends). Bin citrus scraps, as acids may harm compost creatures (same with rhubarb, tomato and alliums – onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives). It’s okay to put them in food waste bins (made into biogas).

For tinned foods, fully remove lids (put inside) or pop ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch top opening closed) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.

Back in the 1950s, milkshake bars were all the rage in the USA, and there’s something nice about sitting on a high stool sipping a dairy-free shake. So let’s learn to make your own. Made with sustainable oat drink and fresh fruits, it’s almost health food!

Start with a good blender and tall glasses!

If you are planning to make a lot of your own shakes, soups and other food, it pays to invest in a decent blender. This does not have to be a £200 Vitamix, but do go to a kitchen shop (even if it’s ARGOS) and get one with a glass blender that’s easy to clean (cheap plastic jug blenders tend to burn out and then will sit in cupboards, gathering dust).

All stores that sell electronic goods have to take back old items. So now’s the time to take back any electrical appliance gathering dust in your kitchen cupboards (swap that chip fat-fryer for a new blender!)

Next, there’s no point in whizzing up lovely dairy-free shakes, if you don’t have a nice glass to drink them from. You can also use these glasses for knickerbocker glories (just layer vegan ice cream with tinned fruits, chopped nuts and syrupy toppings). Just look in stores for any good ice-cream sundae glasses.

A shake is one of the few times when you may wish to drink with a straw. So make it a reusable one. Or just use your lips!

Dairy-free chocolate shake recipe

Vegan chocolate mylkshake (The Simple Veganista) can be made with frozen banana or vegan vanilla ice cream, along with cocoa powder and natural vanilla.

A simple dairy-free shake recipe

Many shakes use frozen bananas. To do this, slice them first and freeze on a tray. Then pop in a plastic-free freezer bag, so they are easy to remove (1 large frozen banana should be good to add to 250ml of oat drink).

• 250ml chilled oat drink
• 1 to 2 cups frozen fruit (thaw for a few minutes first)
• (or 2 to 3 scoops of vegan ice-cream)
• Add optional nut butters and cocoa
• Blend on low, then increase speed.

Once you’ve grown into your smoothie pants, you can start experimenting with flavour combinations:

• Chocolate PB: Oat drink, frozen banana, 1 tbs each nut butter & cocoa
• Strawberries and Cream: Oat drink, 1.5 cups frozen strawberries, few scoops ice cream
• Salted Caramel: Oat drink, frozen banana, 2 soaked pitted dates, pinch of salt & vanilla
• Coffee Mocha: Oat drink, frozen banana, 1 tsp each coffee & maple syrup, 1 tbsp cocoa

Roasted Strawberry Coconut Milk Shake

This roasted strawberry shake (The First Mess) is a unique shake, made by blending fresh strawberries (that have been roasted with oil and maple syrup) with non-dairy milk and coconut ice cubes).

4 ingredient hydrating banana shakes

These banana shakes (Ele Vegan) use fresh bananas which despite their opaque appearance, are mostly water. Made with just 4 ingredients (frozen bananas, oat drink, peanut butter  (choose organic to avoid palm oil) and vanilla. Drizzle the glasses with optional peanut butter or chocolate sauce.

Easy Vegan Snickers Shake!

This high-protein Snickers shake (Notably Vegan) gives all the taste and protein benefits of chomping down on a Snickers bar, but none of the animal ingredients, bad-for-your-teeth ingredients or plastic packaging.

Made with almond milk (you can use oat drink if preferred), it combines vegan protein powder with soaked pitted dates, cacao nibs and crunchy peanut butter.

Avoid stainless steel straws for children, dexterity issues or on the move, due to not being able to bend.