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.
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.