Can you make a creamy chocolate milkshake without ice cream? Absolutely! The recipe below is a healthier version of the classic chocolate milkshake you might know.
This delicious milkshake is perfect for everyone who tries to cut back on calories. It can be enjoyed all year round but tastes especially good during hot summer days!
For more creamy milkshake recipes without ice cream check out Strawberry Milkshake without ice cream or Banana Milkshake.
For more chocolatey drinks check out Oat Milk Hot Chocolate, Healthy Chocolate Milk.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's lower in calories and added sugar than regular milkshake recipes.
- There's no chocolate ice cream, no chocolate syrup and no egg yolks included.
- It's ready in a couple of minutes.
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- Frozen Banana: Instead of ice cream, we use a frozen banana. It helps to create a thick and creamy milkshake and also adds some natural sweetness. Don't worry if you're not a fan of bananas, the flavor isn't really noticeable.
- (Medjool) Dates: Dates are the perfect natural sweetener! They also add some fiber and nutrients as well. I highly recommend using Medjool dates because of their gooey texture and caramel-like taste! If you can't find any, regular dates will also work but you will need double to amount! If you don't want to include dates at all, you could use any other sweetener of choice such as maple syrup, honey or granulated sugar.
- Cocoa Powder: We used unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe.
- Melted Chocolate of Choice (optional): For some ultimate chocolatey flavors, can be omitted but the milkshake will taste a bit different. Use vegan chocolate vor a vegan milkshake.
- Milk of Choice: You could use regular cow's milk or a non-dairy milk of choice such as oat milk, soy milk or almond milk. The higher the fat content of your milk, the creamier your milkshake will be! Make sure to use cold milk!
- Ice Cubes: To further thicken the milkshake.
How to Make a Chocolate Milkshake Without Ice Cream
This healthy chocolate milkshake recipe includes only 6 basic ingredients and is ready within 5 minutes.
For best results, you'll need a fairly strong blender. A regular blender won't be able to chop up the dates and create a perfectly smooth and creamy texture.
Step 1: Blend
Add all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
If you prefer a thicker texture, use less milk or add more ice cubes. For a runnier milkshake, gradually add more milk.
Step 2: Assemble
Transfer the shake to a serving glass and add toppings of choice such as whipped cream or cocoa powder. Find more ideas below.
Optional Add-Ins
- Vanilla Extract: Instead of vanilla ice cream, add a dash of vanilla extract to create a delicious chocolate vanilla milkshake.
- Peppermint Extract: For a chocolate mint milkshake, add ⅛ teaspoon of peppermint extract.
- Espresso: Add a teaspoon (instant) espresso powder for some espresso flavors.
- Protein Powder: Turn this into a high-protein milkshake by adding a teaspoon of your favorite protein powder. Make sure to use one with a neutral taste that doesn't interfere with the milkshake flavors.
- Frozen Berries: Chocolate goes really well with berries- feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons of any kind of berries such as frozen strawberries, raspberries or blueberries to the milkshake. You'll need less ice cubes then!
- Whipped Cream: Top with a little whipped cream of choice or try our homemade vegan whipped cream.
Top Tips
- Blender: Make sure to use a powerful blender to avoid ending up with small pieces of dates left in the milkshake. A strong blender is essential for creating a thick, smooth milkshake!
- Soft Dates: The second important thing for the perfect milkshake texture is that your dates are soft before throwing them into the blender. If not, soak them in very hot water for about 10 minutes before using them.
- Full-Fat Milk: The higher the fat content of your milk, the creamier your milkshake will be! If you choose a plant-based milk, coconut milk is higher in fat than other non-dairy milk alternatives. Followed by soy milk. If you're using regular whole milk, try to use the full-fat version if you're after that perfectly thick chocolate milkshake.
- Cold Milk: Make sure to use cold milk (not room temperature) to end up with a refreshing, cold drink!
- Cold Glass: Serve this milkshake in a chilled serving glass. That way it'll stay cold and for longer.
FAQs
Instead of numerous scoops of ice cream, you could use a frozen banana, ice cubes or a mixture of both to create a perfectly thick chocolate shake.
Because it's sweetened with dates and there's no ice cream included, the amount of sugar and fat might be lower than in more regular milkshake recipes.
The dates are used as a sweetener in this recipes- if you don't want to include them you'll need to replace them with another sweetener of choice.
No, you could use more cocoa powder instead, but the milkshake will be less sweet and chocolatey.
If you tried this or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment or rating below! SIGN UP for the WSK newsletter and get the newest recipes delivered right to your inbox!
📖 Recipe
No Ice-Cream Chocolate Milkshake
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- 3 (3-4) pitted (Medjool) dates *or granulated sweetener of choice (brown sugar, coconut sugar)
- 2 teaspoon cacao powder
- 3 ice cubes
- 1 cup (240 ml) cold milk of choice * soy milk, whole milk...
- 2 teaspoon melted chocolate of choice (vegan, dairy...), cooled *optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Top with (vegan) whipped cream and enjoy right away!
- If you prefer a thicker texture, use less milk or add more ice cubes. For a runnier milkshake, gradually add more milk.
Video
Notes
- Blender: Make sure to use a powerful blender to avoid ending up with small pieces of dates left in the milkshake. A strong blender is essential for creating a thick, smooth milkshake!
- (Medjool) Dates: I highly recommend using Medjool dates because of their gooey texture and caramel-like taste! If you can't find any, regular dates will also work but you will need double to amount! If you don't want to include dates at all, you could use any other sweetener of choice such as maple syrup, honey or granulated sugar.
- Melted Chocolate: This is optional but results in some super chocolatey flavors. Skip to keep this a refined sugar-free and add more cocoa powder instead.
- Milk of Choice: You could use regular cow's milk or a non-dairy milk of choice such as oat milk, soy milk or almond milk. The higher the fat content of your milk, the creamier your milkshake will be! Make sure to use cold milk!
- Nutritional values calculated without whipped cream.
Anonymous says
good
Katie Roux says
Thanks!
Liam Labrada says
I loved this recipe was able to make it fast for me and my mom i would give this 5/5 any day of the week would highly recommend
Katie Roux says
Very glad to hear that, thanks a lot for the lovely feedback! 🙂