Korean cafes always sell a version of fresh strawberry milk because it’s sweet, creamy, fresh, and one of the most popular non-caffeinated drinks. Korean strawberry milk made its waves in the States from popular Korean shaved ice cafes, and now it’s everywhere on social media! It’s one of my favorite flavored milks to make and perfect for parties, homecafes, and meal prep!

Here’s how to make delicious Korean strawberry milk at home!

Key Recipe Takeaways:

• Macerate fresh strawberries to make the easiest and most delicious strawberry syrup for milk.
• Korean strawberry milk has diced strawberries as a topping.
• Bottle it in a glass bottle for the cafe aesthetic!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• It’s fresh, creamy, and delicious.
• This strawberry milk is healthier than other kinds you’ll find at the store.
• Experience a part of Korean cafe culture in your own kitchen!
• It’s super easy and doesn’t require any cooking.

What is Korean Strawberry Milk?

Korean strawberry milk, otherwise known as 딸기우유 (ttalgi oo-yu), is a popular staple in Korean cafes. Unlike store-bought strawberry milk, it’s made from fresh strawberries and milk, so it has a different (and much better) flavor. Usually, it also has small bits of strawberry for a nice texture.

Some cafes will call it a strawberry latte while others call it strawberry milk, but even though the former says “latte”, there’s no coffee in this drink! They both refer to fresh strawberry milk.

It’s a super easy recipe that doesn’t require any cooking or heat, so you can make this without a stove (like in a dorm room) and enjoy it quickly!

What Makes Korean Strawberry Milk Different From Regular Strawberry Milk?

Store-bought strawberry milk in America is normally made from artificial flavors and colors for a candy-like taste. Nesquick, which is a flavored strawberry powder, also uses artificial flavor, but is most nostalgic for many kids. While you can find milk made with real strawberries, it’s not common, or it’s a gourmet beverage at a higher price point.

Korean strawberry milk is different because it’s made from fresh strawberries and also has bits of strawberry pieces in it. You’ll always see diced strawberries floating in Korean strawberry milk! You won’t ever find strawberry milk made from frozen strawberries, as it tastes different. And normally it’s always made with dairy milk, although you can easily request a dairy alternative.

What Does Korean Strawberry Milk Taste Like?

It tastes like milk if it came from a strawberry, seriously! Since macerated strawberries draw out a lot of the strawberry juices, you get more fresh fruit flavor. If you’ve ever had strawberry jam, you’ll find that the flavor is more muted and you lose some of that strawberry essence. It’s also typically less sweet than commercial flavored milk, so it’s more balanced.

Korean Strawberry Milk Recipe: Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make fresh strawberry milk:

• Fresh Strawberries — Any fresh, ripe strawberry works here. But the most important thing is that it’s fresh, no frozen or freeze-dried fruit. That’s what gives Korean strawberry milk its signature flavor. I just grabbed a carton from the grocery store, but you can get it from the farmer’s market or even your own backyard!
• Dairy Milk — Dairy milk works best here, either 2% or whole milk. But you can swap for your favorite non-dairy milk. I recommend oat milk as it’s creamy!
• Sugar — White granulated sugar or powdered sugar works best. But you can swap for brown sugar, honey, or agave; the flavor might change slightly, but it’s still delicious.

You’ll also need some sort of bottle to store the strawberry milk. Cafes like to use a cute glass bottle for their milk, but you can use anything you have.

How to Make Korean Strawberry Milk

1. Wash and Dice Strawberries: Wash and remove the tops from the strawberries. Then, cut the strawberries in half lengthwise and dice them into small cubes, around 10 mm each side.
2. Macerate Strawberries: Add about 80% of the diced strawberries to a bowl and add sugar. Toss the fruit and sugar together with a spoon until evenly coated. Let them hang out for 20 minutes until the sugar draws most of the juice out.
3. You can extract more juice by mashing the strawberries with a potato masher or other blunt object.
4. Assemble Drink: Add strawberry syrup to the bottle, then add the diced strawberry topping. Fill the bottle to the top with milk, then cap and shake the bottle to mix the milk and fruit. Store it in the fridge until ready to serve.
5. Bottle and Enjoy!
6. Optional Matcha Variation: You can add whisked matcha to one bottle to make a matcha strawberry milk! Whisk 1 ½ tsp of matcha powder with ¼ cup of hot water until frothy, then add to your milk. You can double the amount to get more matcha flavor.

How to Bottle Korean Strawberry Milk

Most cafes like to bottle strawberry milk in glass milk bottles so that you can see the diced fruit inside. You can use any glass bottle as long as it has a sealable cap on it. Most bottles will also have a cute label on them saying “strawberry milk” and a picture of a strawberry.

This would make great gifts or party favors, especially since guests can take it home and enjoy it the next day.

You can also store the milk in a pitcher or large jar, and keep it in the fridge until you want to drink it.

Tips for the Best Korean Strawberry Milk

• Use Old Strawberries for the Syrup: Some of the strawberries in your box are bound to be mushy, old, or less red. Use those for the syrup! The flavor is just as good as the pretty strawberries, which you should use as the diced fruit garnish instead.
• Make Syrup Ahead of Time: You can enjoy this fresh strawberry milk easily by making a big batch of syrup ahead of time and storing it in the fridge. When you want to enjoy this drink, add the syrup and milk to a glass and enjoy!
• Add Beetroot Powder for Color: Normally, the color after you mix the fruit and milk turns into a very light pink, but if you want a vibrant pink color, add some beetroot powder to the strawberry syrup. It’s all natural and doesn’t affect the taste! A little goes a long way.

FAQ’s

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Yes, if you don’t have fresh strawberries, you can always use frozen. It’s super easy to cut frozen strawberries, but you’ll have to wait for them to thaw with the sugar to get a syrup. You could also cook them if you’re pressed for time, but the flavor will change a little bit.

Can I use strawberry syrup?

While you can always use store-bought strawberry syrup for strawberry milk, it won’t be the same as Korean strawberry milk. Most strawberry syrups are made with artificial flavors and are sickeningly sweet, so they will end up tasting more like mass-produced strawberry milk. Which is still yummy, but it won’t taste like the ones from the cafes.

Other Milk Recipes to Try

You seriously can make so many delicious flavored milks at home, including this Korean strawberry milk! Here are some other flavored milk recipes to try next:

• Korean Mango Milk
• Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Milk
• Brown Sugar Milk
• Pumpkin Spice Milk
• Sweet Corn Milk
• Ube Coconut Milk