Easy Homemade Mylkshakes (strawberry or chocolate)
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.
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!
Most of us love a milk shake, and yet it’s surprisingly hard to find good ones in shops or eateries. 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.
Keep chocolate, nuts and vanilla away from pets. For tinned ingredients, fully remove lids (put inside) or pop ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch top opening closed) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.
Start with a good blender and tall glasses!
If you are planning to make a lot of homemade shakes (and soups), invest in a decent blender (it doesn’t have to be too expensive, but get one with a glass jug that’s easy to clean and won’t burn out after a few uses).
All stores that sell electronic goods have to take back old items for recycling (even if you don’t buy anything). But it’s a good time to take back the chip fat fryer for a smoothie/shake blender!
Shakes are good in sundae glasses (you can also use them to make knickerbocker glories (layer vegan ice cream with tinned fruits, chopped nuts and syrupy toppings).
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, experiment with different flavours:
- 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
