If it’s cold in the winter, that doesn’t stop me from having a sweet treat! This gingerbread milkshake is the perfect answer to all your winter cravings. It’s sweet, creamy, spiced, and deliciously frothy. You can have your cookie and drink it too! Make it as sweet or spiced as you want, because it’s DIY!

Here’s how to make this delicious gingerbread milkshake at home!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s sweet, delicious, and the perfect Christmas or winter treat!
• You can use store-bought ingredients and throw them all into a blender for the perfect milkshake.
• Save yourself the $12 you would use to buy a milkshake outside and make it for cheap at home.

What is Gingerbread?

Gingerbread is a classic holiday treat with roots that trace back centuries. It was a way for the nobility to show off their wealth in the form of spiced treats, and also aided in digestion and better breath for guests. Traditionally, gingerbread could refer to cookies, cakes, or even bread-like loaves. Today, we often picture intricately decorated cookies or festive gingerbread houses when we think of gingerbread.

Created in Europe, it’s made with a blend of warm spices. Usually, gingerbread has ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and sometimes nutmeg. Its distinct flavor comes from this combination, creating a balance of sweet and spicy that’s become synonymous with the holiday season.

What is in a Gingerbread Milkshake?

Like any good milkshake, a gingerbread milkshake has vanilla ice cream and milk. However, what makes it a gingerbread one is gingerbread or gingersnap cookies, molasses, brown sugar, and a mix of spices. You’re essentially mixing all the ingredients that make gingerbread cookies into a drink.

And like any good milkshake, it has more ice cream than milk! You’re essentially making an ice cream smoothie, which tastes best when slightly thick and frosty.

What Does a Gingerbread Milkshake Taste Like?

It tastes like a gingerbread cookie dunked into milk! Or a warm gingerbread cookie with some vanilla ice cream served with it. This milkshake basically tastes like the name, but because the flavors complement each other, it’s super delicious. Depending on how sweet you make it, it’s creamy, sweet, spiced, and has a nice caramel flavor from the molasses.

Plus, you get these satisfying crunchy bits of gingerbread along with the cold, frothy shake. Just a treat!

How to Add Gingerbread Flavor

Typically, stores will use a gingerbread syrup and some cookies in a gingerbread milkshake for efficiency. I don’t like using syrup because it’s usually super sweet and not as spicy, which are the most important parts of a milkshake.

Instead, I like using molasses, brown sugar, and spices separately as ingredients so I can control the flavor better. Molasses isn’t that sweet; it’s more caramelly and aromatic than it is sugary. But it’s also the key ingredient that makes gingerbread taste like gingerbread!

You can experiment with the amount of each, but generally, you only need a small amount of molasses and brown sugar, followed by a generous amount of spices to get a nice gingerbread flavor in your milkshake.

Gingerbread Milkshake Recipe: What You’ll Need

Equipment:

• A blender

Ingredients:

• 3-4 gingerbread cookies or gingersnaps, keep one for garnish
• 3 scoops vanilla ice cream
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ tsp molasses
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp cloves
• ½ tsp allspice optional
• ¼ cup whipped cream

How to Make a Gingerbread Milkshake

1. Add Ingredients. Add ice cream, spices, molasses, milk, gingerbread cookies, and brown sugar to a blender cup. Add the ice cream last to the blender for the best consistency!
2. Blend Milkshake. Blend the gingerbread milkshake on medium speed until smooth and no big chunks of ingredients are visible. Don’t overblend, or it will be liquid.
3. Garnish. Pour milkshake into a separate glass and top with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon or similar warm spice. Garnish with some gingerbread cookie crumbs or a whole cookie if desired.
4. Mix and Enjoy!

Tips for the Best Milkshake

• Add Ice Cream Last: Personally, I don’t like a liquid milkshake, and the number one way to get that is by using too much milk or using melted ice cream. If you keep your ice cream in the freezer for as long as possible before adding it to the blender, you’ll get a thicker, frothier milkshake!
• Use Less Milk: Less is more! With milkshakes, you want to use a ratio of 3 parts ice cream and 1 part milk for a thick, frothy texture. Too much milk and you’ll get a runnier milkshake, which, if you prefer, is great!
• Avoid Adding Ice: Adding ice will give you a frothy texture at first, but it will slowly melt and make your milkshake liquid and thin later on. It might also separate and give an unpleasant consistency, so don’t use it!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this ahead of time?

I wouldn’t recommend making it ahead of time, as the milkshake will melt and won’t be the same texture. However, if you really want to, you could freeze it, then thaw partially and reblend. But at that point, you might as well make it again, haha.

Can I spike this?

Of course! You can make a boozy gingerbread milkshake by adding your favorite liquor! Most people like using a dark rum or brandy, maybe even whisky, for a rich flavor. You could even use Baileys for extra creaminess, and I’m sure they have a gingerbread flavor, too.

How to make this vegan?

For a dairy-free and vegan version, use vegan vanilla ice cream, plant-based milk, and vegan gingerbread cookies. You could use a combination of milk alternatives like oat, soy, coconut, and almond. Try using something with fuller fat for extra creaminess, though!

Other Winter Recipes to Try

Who doesn’t love a festive sweet treat? Gingerbread is a quintessential winter flavor that reminds everyone of the holidays. But it doesn’t stop here for winter treats. Here are some other festive-flavored recipes to try next:

• Matcha Eggnog Latte
• French Hot Chocolate
• Rosemary Latte
• Peppermint Mocha