This delightfully refreshing Vegan Strawberry Milk is a healthier alternative to the sugary-sweet versions you can buy from the store. There are no refined sugars or artificial flavors in this recipe. Instead, this Vegan Strawberry Milk only has 3 ingredients - strawberries, coconut palm sugar, and almond milk.
As an 80's baby, I grew up with the whole "milk: it does a body good" campaign, which meant my mom made me drink a glass of milk everyday. And I always remembered wanting something tastier than plain milk, so it is no surprise that someone clever (probably a parent) invented and marketed chocolate-flavored and strawberry-flavored milk. Thank you!
Two decades later, the kid inside me still craves chocolate and strawberry milk, but (un)fortunately I've moved on from store-bought syrups. I can whip up a chocolate milk at home no problem, but the thought of making a strawberry milk can be a little daunting - I can't just melt strawberries or go to my cupboard and pull out an imaginary can of strawberry powder.
This Vegan Strawberry Milk only requires three ingredients
Well, it shouldn't be the least bit intimidating. In fact, strawberry syrup is incredibly simple to make, and the strawberry syrup can be used not only in this Vegan Strawberry Milk, but also on pancakes, on oatmeal or even on ice cream.
As with anything homemade, you can control what goes in it. For this Vegan Strawberry Milk, I sweeten it with coconut palm sugar to avoid using refined sugar. When you simmer the strawberry syrup, it will look more brown than red because of the color from the coconut palm sugar, but I promise you your glass of almond milk will turn pink once you strain out the strawberries and mix the syrup in! It is true you'll lose some of the natural red coloring by using coconut palm sugar instead of refined sugar, but you'll gain a more nuanced flavor as the richness of the coconut palm sugar mingles with the sweetness of the strawberries.
Use your favorite milk-alternative to make this Vegan Strawberry Milk
Since it is a strawberry syrup, you can adjust the strawberry-ness of your Vegan Strawberry Milk to your preference (I prefer a lighter flavor), and better yet, you can store it in the fridge and let yourself enjoy a couple of lazy mornings. Cheers!
Ingredients
For the strawberry syrup
- 2 cups frozen strawberries (235 grams)
- ½ cup coconut palm sugar (60 grams)
- ⅓ cup water (80 milliliters)
For the strawberry milk
- 3 tablespoons strawberry syrup (add extra as desired)
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (8-ounces, 240 milliliters) (feel free to use your favorite milk-alternative)
Instructions
Make the strawberry syrup
- In a small saucepan, bring the water, strawberries, and coconut palm sugar to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the strawberries have released their juices and softened, stirring periodically. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Carefully strain the syrup to remove the softened strawberries. I set a colander over a bowl and pour the strawberry syrup through the colander, pressing the strawberries against the sides of the colander with a spatula. Discard the strawberries, or save them for another use, such as topping on waffles. Allow the syrup to cool completely before mixing it into the milk. You should have approximately ¾ cup of strawberry syrup, and it can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.
Make the strawberry milk
- For every 8-ounce glass of almond milk, mix in 3 tablespoons of strawberry syrup. You can use more or less according to your taste. Add ice, if preferred.
Mary * The Goodie Godmother says
I remember drinking pink strawberry milk! It's been years though as we've transitioned away from purchasing commercial syrup. I've been making our own chocolate syrup for ages, but hadn't thought about strawberry. I'm going to try this out and share a nostalgic moment with the rest of the family (well... my husband. The little human will probably just be amused that her milk is pink).
Jennifer says
My kids love strawberry milk but I hate giving them the store bought stuff. I'll have to give this a try since it's much healthier for them.
Jonathan Jui says
Now all we need is some ice cream to turn it into an after-dinner dessert too!
linda says
Love the pink color for Valentine's day! Loevly drink. Thanks for sharing!
Revathi says
I am a big time of strawberry milk ever since I was a kid. This vegan version looks gorgeous and simply yum :-)
Igor @ Cooking The Globe says
This strawberry milk looks amazing! I love that the recipe asks for frozen strawberries so you can make it any time of the year!
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says
I'm a big fan of coconut sugar too-- this milk is so beautiful. I wanted strawberry milk so bad as a kid, but my mom wouldn't let us have the sweetened ones!
Platter Talk says
I love this recipe! It looks so fresh and healthy. I also appreciate the use of almond milk.
Nancy | Plus Ate Six says
I have to admit I was never a big milk drinker but I do remember those adverts and the flavoured milkshake powders. I much prefer your updated take on it - it's so much nicer making things from scratch and knowing what's going into what you're eating and drinking.