Homemade Stacked Milkshake Recipe

Transform simple ingredients into a creamy homemade stacked milkshake! Then get creative with our gorgeous topping tips for an Insta-worthy wow factor.

Our homemade milkshake recipe delivers a punch of strawberry and vanilla flavor!

We top it off with all our favorite treats for a one-way ticket to sugary heaven. Think ice cream sundae meets strawberry milkshake – and they’re in full party mode as the fanciest stacked milkshakes you’ve ever seen!

Come back anytime for the ultimate milkshake recipe and topping tutorial! Pin our show-stopping shake to your favorites board on Pinterest and milk it for all it’s worth! 

We made these fancy milkshakes for our Labor Day celebration, but you can swap out the colors and shapes of your toppings to make them fit any occasion.

This is definitely not your everyday classic milkshake, it’s a fabulous celebration creation! We made a strawberry milkshake for our theme, but we also love a chocolate milkshake for uber-decadence or a vanilla milkshake that goes with just about any theme.

FAQs

How can I adapt this recipe for different milkshake flavors?

You can easily create your favorite flavor of milkshake with simple ingredients. Change up your ice cream, milk, syrup, or mix-ins. Make sure to use full-fat ice cream and adapt your milk-to-ice cream ratio if you’re using ingredients that affect the consistency.

For example, if you’re adding fruit then you’re adding liquid to the mix. Start out with less milk and gradually add more until you reach the right consistency. Conversely, if you’re adding peanut butter, you’re mixing in some thick and dense texture, so you will definitely need more milk.

Check out our variations list for lots of great ideas!

How can I make a thicker milkshake?

Easy – adjust the ratio of ice cream to milk! Start off with half as much milk (use whole milk!) and gradually add a little more at a time until you find that perfect consistency your heart desires.

If you want your shake crazy thick, you can use heavy cream instead of milk, full-fat ice cream, cocoa powder, malt, powdered sugar, or cornstarch. (Trust me, a little cornstarch goes a long way. Start with a teaspoon!)

Supplies for this creamy stacked milkshake:

• blender or food processor
• measuring cups and spoons
• ice cream scoop
• bowls for candy melts
• piping bags
• star piping tip (we love the Wilton 1A)
• small, round piping tip – or spoon for drizzling

Homemade Milkshake Recipe

Ingredients for our crowd-pleasing milkshake:

• 2 cups Vanilla Ice Cream (about 4 scoops of ice cream for me)
• 1/2 cup Whole milk
• 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh strawberries

Ultimate toppings:

• Chantilly cream (see recipe on our blog) FABIANA ADD LINK
• Wilton sprinkles
• Wilton candy melts
• Wilton decorating ice cream
• whole fresh strawberries
• rice crispy treats
• dark chocolate Milano cookies
• Oreo Cakesters
• rolled filled wafers
• turtle brownie cookies
• strawberry creme wafers
• hostess bouncers
• mini chocolate donuts
• Nutella

Directions for making this social media magnet milkshake:

1. Add all ingredients to the blender and pulse until there are no large clumps of ingredients. Blend on low.

If this is your first time making this variation, start out with half of the milk and add a little more at a time until you hit the right consistency!

2. Frost the rim of your tall glasses with Wilton Creamy Decorator Icing and garnish with Wilton sprinkles.

3. Pour milkshake into glasses up to about an inch from the top.

4. Pipe a base of Chantilly cream in a swirl on top of the shake and add your “decor”

Wilton Candy Melts: Red, White, and Blue
Wilton Red Decorator Icing
Sprinkles (we used Wilton Star Mix and Nonpareils Mix)

Decorating the cookies

To decorate the cookies that we added on top, we melted the candy melts in the microwave for 45 seconds and then stirred.

Add an additional 30 seconds, stirring after each cycle, until there are no lumps. Pipe seasonal or themed designs onto a variety of treats and decorate with sprinkles.

Enhance your theme by cutting out different shapes of cookies or brownies. For extra goodness, mix in the scraps from the cut-out treats and enjoy a chunky milkshake. 

Stack your treats on skewers, trimming the skewers to the right length to make a well-balanced design. (We don’t skewer some of them, like the rolled-filled wafers. They are their own skewer!)

Working from the outside in, stick the skewered treats straight into the milkshake. Don’t think too much about the final look, just jump in and have fun! You can always adjust the design as you go.

Pipe more Chantilly cream into the gaps between the treats and top with sprinkles.

Show off your shake! Take a few pictures and post them online, or just keep them in your gallery for the memories. You can almost satisfy your sweet tooth just by looking at them!

Variations for different milkshake flavors:

There are no rules when it comes to milkshake flavors as long as you don’t add too much liquid upfront! You can create the best milkshake ever with a little inspiration and creativity.

We highly recommend using a good quality ice cream, but bargain or store brand ice cream will work too!

Our favorite variations for the milkshake base:

• chocolate ice cream
• chocolate peanut butter ice cream
• rocky road ice cream
• cookie dough ice cream
• mint chocolate chip ice cream
• strawberry ice cream
• pineapple ice cream

Favorite milk variations:

• banana milk
• strawberry milk
• chocolate milk
• horchata
• coconut milk
• almond milk
• oat milk

Favorite mix-ins and toppings:

• peanut butter cups
• chocolate shavings
• Oreo cookies
• malt powder
• cookie chunks
• cookie dough
• graham crackers
• chocolate syrup
• strawberry syrup
• caramel sauce
• candy bars
• chocolate chips
• maple syrup
• peanut butter
• pineapple chunks

Tips and Tricks

• Use our Chantilly cream recipe instead of regular whipped cream. Chantilly is much more stable, so it will hold it’s shape and look pretty way longer!
• If you’re new to piping, practice some designs or swirls on a sheet of wax paper. You can scoop them back into the bag when you’re ready to make it official with the shake. Remember to squeeze and slightly rotate your piping bag with your dominant hand, then guide the tip with your other hand. It might sound counter-intuitive, but it works better for pretty much everyone!
• Milkshakes do not keep well. Milkshakes with tons of toppings really, really don’t keep well! Serve your shakes immediately if you can. But if you end up waiting on guests or kids before serving, pop these in the freezer for 10-30 minutes in order to preserve the designs and textures.

Any take on our fun seasonal shake will absolutely satisfy every sweet tooth! It’s the perfect milkshake for a hot day, an Instagram story, a holiday… there are just so many different ways to create a celebratory milkshake experience!

You’ll love showing off this fab creation. Whether you’re serving children or serving up a drool-worthy social media post, this dessert is bound to make you and yours smile!

These fully loaded stacked milkshakes spark joy in just about everyone.

Did you recreate our recipe? Or shake up our shake? Share a picture with us on Instagram, we can’t wait to be wowed! Then show your support by giving this perfect milkshake a 5-star rating and spreading the sugary decadence on Facebook.

Don’t forget to pin that jaw-dropping pic to your favorites board on Pinterest for later inspiration!

Need more patriotic dessert ideas? Check out our Easy Trifle Recipe, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, and 4th of July Cookies.