Coffee Milkshake
A thick, cold, creamy shake that tastes of coffee rather than of vanilla with a hint of brown. The trick is coffee ice cream, a little cold espresso, very little milk, and a short blend.
At a glance
- Ice cream : liquid
- 3:1
- Active time
- 5 min
- Total time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 1 tall glass
- Serve
- Cold, thick
- Kit
- Blender
Ingredients
Note: Using vanilla ice cream? Increase the coffee to 60 ml and add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder.
Method
-
Chill the glass
Put a tall glass in the freezer for ten minutes.
-
Soften the ice cream slightly
Leave the ice cream out for five minutes until it is scoopable but still firm.
Rock-hard ice cream needs more milk to blend, and more milk means a thinner shake.
Soften 5 minutes -
Blend briefly
Add the cold coffee and milk and blend on low, then medium, for fifteen to twenty seconds, just until smooth.
Every extra second warms it. A blender's motor and friction melt ice cream fast.
Blend 15 to 20 seconds -
Pour and serve
Pour into the cold glass, top with whipped cream if you like, and serve with a wide straw and a spoon.
Why this works
A thick milkshake is mostly ice cream with as little liquid as possible. Ice cream is a frozen foam of fat, sugar, protein and air with ice crystals spread through it. Blending breaks it up and loosens it with a little liquid, and the more liquid you add, the thinner and more watery it gets. Three parts ice cream to one part liquid is about as thick as a home blender can manage.
That is also why the coffee flavour has to come from the ice cream. Adding enough brewed coffee to flavour a vanilla shake means adding a lot of liquid. Coffee ice cream brings the flavour without the water, and a small shot of cold espresso or cold brew concentrate pushes it further. Instant espresso powder is the extra trick if you only have vanilla: a lot of coffee in almost no liquid.
Short blending keeps it cold. A blender heats its contents through the motor and through friction, and ice cream starts melting fast once it softens. Twenty seconds is usually enough. Chilling the glass and using cold coffee help too.
The coffee has to be cold. Warm espresso straight from the machine would melt a good part of the ice cream on contact. Cold brew concentrate is the easiest option, because it is already cold, smooth and strong.
Variations
- Mocha shake: half coffee, half chocolate ice cream.
- Affogato shake: vanilla ice cream blended with a hot espresso poured over the top at the end.
- With malt: a tablespoon of malted milk powder, for a diner-style malt.
- Lighter: the coffee latte shake, made without ice cream.
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Questions
How do you make a thick coffee milkshake?
Use mostly ice cream with very little liquid, about three to one, and blend only until smooth. Coffee ice cream gives flavour without extra liquid.
Can I use hot espresso in a milkshake?
It melts the ice cream and thins the shake. Use chilled espresso or cold brew concentrate.
Why is my milkshake runny?
Too much milk, or too much blending. Use less milk and blend for no more than twenty seconds.
Can I make a coffee milkshake with vanilla ice cream?
Yes. Use more coffee and add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder so the coffee flavour comes through.