Banana Milkshake
Blend ∙ 4 min ∙
The Banana Milkshake is a non-alcoholic blended drink of banana, vanilla ice cream, cream, milk, and vanilla syrup, served in a hurricane glass. Thick and creamy with ripe banana up front, a rounded vanilla sweetness underneath, and a cold, milky finish — a treat for kids or brunch.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Blend all ingredients: Banana 80 gVanilla ice cream 80 gSingle cream/half-and-half 100 mlMilk 80 mlVanilla syrup 10 ml
- Pour into the glass
- Garnish with a banana chunk
Tips
- Use a ripe, well-spotted banana so it purees smoothly without leaving fibrous chunks in the blended texture.
- Blend the banana, ice cream, cream and milk first, then add vanilla syrup last so sweetness can be adjusted before final pulses.
- Chill the hurricane glass beforehand since the milk and cream base warms quickly once blended with room-temperature fruit.
- Pulse the blender in short bursts rather than running continuously, preventing the ice cream from over-melting and thinning the shake.
History
The banana milkshake is a flavor variant of the American milkshake, a drink that traces to the soda fountains of the late 19th century. The word "milkshake" first appeared in print in 1885, describing a whiskey-based tonic drink rather than the dessert known today. By 1900 the term had shifted to describe wholesome soda-fountain drinks made with flavored syrups such as chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla, with pineapple, coffee, ginger, banana, and peach also common among the era's offerings, mixed by hand or with early mechanical shakers before ice cream was added as a standard ingredient in the early 1900s. The drink's modern, aerated texture developed after Hamilton Beach introduced its motorized drink mixer in 1910 and Steven Poplawski patented the electric blender in 1922, the same year a Walgreens soda clerk, Ivar "Pop" Coulson, began adding scoops of ice cream to malted milk drinks, a innovation credited with popularizing the ice-cream milkshake nationally. Banana was among the traditional syrup flavors offered at soda fountains from this period onward, rather than a later or separately dated invention, and it remained one of the standard milkshake flavors as the drink spread through American malt shops in the 1930s and diners in subsequent decades.
FAQ
What is in a banana milkshake?
Banana, vanilla ice cream, cream, milk, and vanilla syrup, blended together and served in a hurricane glass with a banana chunk garnish. It is non-alcoholic, vegetarian, and gluten-free, at around 448 calories per serving.
How do you make a banana milkshake?
Blend banana, vanilla ice cream, cream, milk, and vanilla syrup together until smooth, then pour into a chilled glass. Blending, not shaking or stirring, is what gives it its thick, aerated texture; a cocktail shaker cannot break down the banana and ice cream the way a blender does.
What glass is a banana milkshake served in?
A hurricane glass, garnished with a chunk of banana on top or on the rim.
What kind of milk is best for a banana milkshake?
Whole milk gives the richest, creamiest result because its fat content helps carry the banana and vanilla flavors; this recipe also adds single cream alongside the milk for extra body. Lower-fat milk works but produces a thinner, less rich shake.
Is a banana milkshake a good combination?
Yes, banana pairs naturally with dairy and vanilla because its sweetness and soft texture blend smoothly with cream and ice cream without needing much added sugar. The vanilla syrup in this recipe rounds out the banana rather than masking it.
Is a homemade banana milkshake healthy?
It is a treat rather than a health drink: this recipe runs around 448 calories per serving from the ice cream, cream, and milk. It is vegetarian and gluten-free, and made with real banana rather than syrup-based banana flavoring, but the dairy and sugar content make it an occasional indulgence rather than an everyday choice.