Strawberry Milk

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This delicious Korean style Strawberry Milk recipe is sweet, refreshing and the perfect way to welcome spring. If you have been searching for a drink that is pretty in pink, look no further than this lovely-hued diner favorite.

top photo of two glasses of strawberry milk with two strawberries placed at the side on a white marble board

What is Strawberry Milk

Strawberry Milk is a popular beverage sold in South Korea. During his work stay in South Korea, my husband would always order these from his office café or while he was out and about.

Later, he started making these at home and found it was much cheaper and perfectly easy.

Unlike a milkshake or a smoothie, the strawberry milk recipe calls for making a strawberry syrup with fresh (or frozen) strawberries, then stirring it into the milk of your choice.

Why This Recipe is Wonderful

While you might be able to buy containers of strawberry milk wherever you are, chances are those containers are loaded with artificial colors and flavors and a bunch of high fructose corn syrup.

This yummy recipe will take you back to better days, with nothing but strawberries, a touch of cane sugar and a whisper of vanilla. It’s so wholesome that even your grandmother would approve!

While I usually love making this recipe with fresh, ripe strawberries while they are in season, you can absolutely opt to use frozen berries instead.

Frozen berries are picked at peak ripeness and flash frozen, retaining all of their sweetness and nutrition, so this Korean strawberry milk can be a year round treat!

I also love how customizable this strawberry milk recipe is. Feel free to swap out the dairy milk for any of your favorite alternative milks to make a vegan strawberry milk recipe.

You can also choose to switch up the flavors! Lemon, almond, cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon are just a few ways you can customize this tasty beverage.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to Make Strawberry Milk

Macerating Strawberries

1. While it might sound scary or complicated, nothing could be further from the truth. Maceration is the process of softening an ingredient in liquid. In this case, strawberries stew in their own juices that are coaxed out using sugar.

Technically, this is an optional step, but I suggest taking the extra minute of prep time and 20 or so minutes of wait time. The strawberries will be softer, sweeter, and more flavorful as a result.

Rinse 10 to 11 strawberries (150 grams/5.3 oz) and drain all the water. Trim off the leaves and discard. Give the berries a quick chop.

chopped strawberries on a wooden cutting board

2. In a small to medium-sized sauce pan, add 1 cup chopped strawberries and ¼ cup cane sugar or raw sugar. You can also use white sugar.

cane sugar added to saucepan with chopped fresh strawberries

3. Coat the strawberries in the sugar by gently stirring them, and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes. 

chopped strawberries tossed with sugar in saucepan

4. The sugar will dissolve and a syrup will appear. When this happens, you know the maceration has worked. 🙂

strawberries macerating in sugar released liquid

Making Strawberry Syrup

5. Place the sauce pan on the stove over low heat. Stir at intervals as the mixture gets heated up.

silver spoon illustrating properly macerated strawberries having natural juices that are released

6. Let the strawberry syrup come to a boil. 

macerated strawberries coming to a boil in a saucepan

7. When the syrup begins to boil remove from heat and place on your kitchen countertop. Mash with a vegetable masher, fork, wooden spoon or immersion blender until you achieve the consistency you desire.

I prefer my strawberry syrup on the finer side so that it almost dissolves into the milk, but you can opt for chunky if you prefer.

masher in saucepan with strawberry syrup

8. Check taste, and, if necessary, add more sugar. The syrup should have a loose, flowing consistency, and should not be thick like you would want for a jam. Let it cool completely. 

silver spoon in saucepan with strawberry syrup to demonstrate loose consistency

Making Strawberry Milk

9. Before serving, finely chop 4 to 5 medium-sized strawberries – about 6 tablespoons. This will provide an additional bit of texture to your strawberry milk that we find very enjoyable.

The small pops of flavor as you drink remind me of boba tea (bubble tea), the traditional Taiwanese beverage.

While this is more of a Korean preparation, you can opt to omit these chopped strawberries for a version that is closer to American style strawberry milk.

finely chopped strawberries on a wooden cutting board

10. Place 4 tablespoons of strawberry syrup in each glass. The recipe serves three, so that makes it 3 glasses.

strawberry syrup added to a collins glass

11. Top with 2 tablespoons each of finely chopped strawberries (if using) and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract. 

strawberry syrup and chopped strawberries in a clear glass for making Korean strawberry milk

12. Pour in 1 cup cold milk of your choice – any nut milk or dairy milk will work. My personal favorite is almond milk, as strawberries and almonds are a natural pairing, but feel free to experiment to find your own favorite.

close up shot of assembled strawberry milk in a clear glass

13. While drinking, stir with a spoon to blend. If you happen to have wide straws like you would use for boba tea, they would do a handy job of both acting as stir sticks and help you sip up the yummy strawberry pieces. Bonus!

Once you add the milk, it is best to serve immediately. Any leftover syrup can be stored in refrigerator for up to a week. 

two collins glasses with homemade strawberry milk and two fresh strawberries on a white surface
Tips

Tips + FAQs

Strawberries are not yet in season here… can I use frozen instead?

Absolutely! Frozen fruits and vegetables are a great way to have access to out of season favorites. They are harvested and flash frozen at optimal ripeness, and retain all of their delicious nutrition.

While frozen fruits usually have a soft consistency once defrosted, that is actually a benefit for this recipe. Just be sure to defrost entirely before chopping so as not to dull your blade. To double up on time spent, you can toss the frozen berries with sugar to macerate while they defrost.

What is the best kind of milk to use for this recipe?

While I personally love making my strawberry milk with almond milk, you can easily opt for any dairy or non dairy milk that suits you.

There are so many vegan milk options out there nowadays – oat, hemp, chia, macadamia nut, soy, cashew – so have fun experimenting until you find your favorite.

Do I have to make a strawberry syrup? Can’t I just blend milk with the strawberries?

While you can certainly opt to blend milk and strawberries, you will end up with something that is closer to a Strawberry Milkshake or smoothie, rather than Korean style strawberry milk.

The syrup making process helps to concentrate the strawberry flavor, as well as to soften the fruit for better consistency. That said, if you opt to purée or blend the strawberries prior to cooking, the syrup will end up the same.

What else can I use the strawberry syrup for?

I can’t imagine that you will want to do anything else with this syrup once you try how delicious Korean style strawberry milk is!

If you happen to have leftovers, there are plenty of other ways to put it to use. Here are just a few ideas:
-swirled into yogurt/curd or oatmeal
-drizzled as a syrup over waffles, pancakes, ice cream or cheesecake
-use it as a base for smoothies or milkshakes

More Strawberry Inspirations!

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two collins glasses of strawberry milk with the back glass showing the strawberry syrup at the bottom of the glass

Strawberry Milk Recipe

This delicious Korean style Strawberry Milk is sweet, refreshing and can be made with fresh or frozen strawberries. If you have been searching for a drink that is pretty in pink, look no further.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Macerating Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Cuisine Korean, World
Course Beverages
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Difficulty Level Easy
Servings 3
Units

Ingredients

For strawberry syrup

  • 1 cup chopped strawberries (heaped)- 150 grams or 10 to 11 medium-sized
  • ¼ cup raw sugar or white sugar, as required

Other ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons finely chopped strawberries – 70 grams or 4 to 5 medium-sized
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract – divided
  • 3 cups Almond Milk or any vegan or dairy milk – divided

Instructions
 

Macerating strawberries

  • Rinse strawberries and drain all the water. Trim off the leaves and discard. Give the berries a quick chop.
  • In a small to medium-sized sauce pan, add the chopped strawberries and sugar.
  • Coat the strawberries in the sugar by gently stirring them, and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes. The sugar will dissolve and a syrup will appear.

Making strawberry syrup

  • Place the sauce pan on the stove over low heat. Stir at intervals as the mixture gets heated up.
  • Let the strawberry syrup come to a boil.
  • When the syrup begins to boil remove from heat and place on your kitchen countertop. Mash with a vegetable masher, fork, wooden spoon or immersion blender until you achieve the consistency you desire.
  • Check taste, and, if necessary, add more sugar. The syrup should have a flowing, drippy consistency, not thick like with a jam or sauce. Let it cool completely. 

Making strawberry milk

  • Before serving, finely chop 4 to 5 medium strawberries – about 6 tablespoons.
  • Take 3 glasses and place 4 tablespoons of strawberry syrup in each glass.
  • Top with 2 tablespoons each of finely chopped strawberries (if using) and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  • Pour in 1 cup cold milk of your choice – any nut milk or dairy milk will work. While drinking, stir with a spoon to blend. Enjoy!

Notes

Helpful Suggestions

  • Can be made with any dairy or non dairy milk you prefer
  • I prefer my strawberry syrup on the finer side so that it almost dissolves into the milk, but you can opt for chunky if you prefer.
  • Leftover syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week
  • Serve assembled strawberry milk immediately for best results.
  • You can make a large batch of the recipe easily. 

Note on Adding Chopped Strawberries

  • Adding chopped strawberries to your assembled strawberry milk will provide an additional bit of texture to your strawberry milk that I find very enjoyable. The small pops of flavor as you drink remind me of boba tea, the traditional Taiwanese beverage.
  • While this is more of a Korean preparation, you can opt to omit these chopped strawberries for a version that is closer to American style strawberry milk.

Note on Macerating Strawberries

  • While it might sound scary or complicated, nothing could be further from the truth. Maceration is the process of softening an ingredient in liquid. In this case, strawberries stew in their own juices that are coaxed out using sugar.
  • Technically, this is an optional step, but I suggest taking the extra minute of prep time and 20 or so minutes of wait time. The strawberries will be softer, sweeter, and more flavorful as a result.

Best Types of Milk

  • My personal favorite is almond milk, as strawberries and almonds are a natural pairing, but feel free to experiment to find your own favorite. Any dairy or non dairy milk will work.

Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)

Nutrition Facts
Strawberry Milk Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 114 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 164mg7%
Potassium 126mg4%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 21g23%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 9IU0%
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 1mg67%
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1mg59%
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 1mg5%
Vitamin B6 1mg50%
Vitamin C 46mg56%
Vitamin E 1mg7%
Vitamin K 2µg2%
Calcium 165mg17%
Vitamin B9 (Folate) 19µg5%
Iron 1mg6%
Magnesium 11mg3%
Phosphorus 19mg2%
Zinc 1mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Meet Dassana

Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.

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