You’ve had strawberry and chocolate milk separately, but have you ever combined them to make strawberry chocolate milk? It makes a chocolate-covered strawberries drink that tastes like chocolate-covered strawberries! It’s the perfect way to spice up your flavored milk (plus, perfect for Valentine’s Day!)

It’s super easy to make this milk with premade powders or syrups, but it’s also easy to make it with homemade strawberry and chocolate syrup! Plus, it tastes fresher and is healthier!

Here’s how to make creamy strawberry chocolate milk at home!

What is Strawberry Chocolate Milk?

Strawberry chocolate milk is literally milk flavored with strawberry and chocolate. You can make it in so many different ways, from chocolate syrup to cocoa powder to freeze-dried strawberries and strawberry sauce, and each tastes similar yet slightly different.

This recipe uses homemade strawberry and chocolate syrup that are super easy to make and makes the milk perfectly balanced without a sugar overload. It gives you the best chocolate and strawberry flavor that tastes natural yet satisfying.

Basically, fancy strawberry chocolate milk!

What Does Strawberry Chocolate Milk Taste Like?

Honestly, this strawberry chocolate milk tastes like a chocolate-covered strawberry. It has that same burst of tartness from the strawberry with the slightly bittersweet aftertaste from the chocolate. It’s so addicting (much like chocolate-covered strawberries themselves.)

The sweetened milk also makes it so creamy and delicious, and it’s the perfect addition to the juicy strawberry and bitter chocolate. It also kind of tastes like Neapolitan ice cream, but more so if you add vanilla to it.

Do Strawberry Milk and Chocolate Go Together?

100% yes. Strawberry and chocolate are probably the second and third most popular flavors after vanilla. Like, every ice cream store will always have those three flavors on their menu because they’re such popular flavors.

They are already a great pair in other items like Neapolitan ice cream, chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate bon bons, cake, milkshakes, cereal, etc. Something about the sweet fruit and the bitter cocoa makes them taste so good together. I guess opposites attract!

Chocolate goes so well with contrasting bright flavors like raspberry, pomegranate, and strawberry since the sweetness and tartness help balance the bitterness.

Is Chocolate and Strawberry Milk Healthy?

Yes, chocolate and strawberry milk can be healthy if you use real ingredients and add minimal sugar.

Like most foods and drinks, they’re actually quite healthy, until you add a bunch of sugar to them. Think: smoothie shops that say they’re healthy but have 30g of sugar per drink, or frozen yogurt that suffers the same dilemma.

Much of the flavored milk in the store is also made with artificial flavors and tons of added sugar. It’s much healthier to make it with real chocolate/cocoa powder and strawberries without all the added sugar

But besides the sugar, chocolate, milk, and strawberries all offer great health benefits:

• Chocolate: Chocolate is rich in polyphenols (antioxidants) which may help reduce triglyceride levels, have anti-inflammatory properties, and reduce the risk of diabetes.
• Strawberry: Strawberries are rich in phytochemicals and vitamins, which may reduce high-fat diet-related stress and inflammation.
• Milk: Milk has a lot of calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin B12. It also may decrease the risk of childhood obesity as well as increase bone mineral density and reduce stroke.

Can Strawberries be Mixed with Milk?

Yes! You can mix strawberries with milk, especially if you cook them. Most of the time, adding strawberry syrup to milk works smoothly and the milk will stay smooth and silky as it sits.

I’m sure you’ve blended strawberries into smoothies with milk and noticed later that the smoothie separates. This is because strawberries are acidic and milk is neutral, so the acid causes the milk proteins to denature and coagulate and create a weird clumpy texture.

Slightly coagulated milk is still perfectly safe to drink, but it might not be the most satisfying or pleasant. So note that if you add strawberries straight into milk over time it may separate.

How to Make Flavored Milk

Making flavored milk is super easy!

If you’ve ever made chocolate or strawberry milk as a kid (or adult, I don’t judge) you probably use chocolate or strawberry powder or syrup for flavored milk. Things like Nesquick, Milo, and Ovaltine are examples of milk flavor powders brands I’m sure you’ve heard of or even used.

However, sometimes those premade powders or syrups can be really sugary and artificial tasting. You can make this healthier and tastier by making your own syrup or adding cocoa powder straight into your milk.

You can also melt chocolate directly into milk or blend strawberries in it as well.

The methods are endless, but each way gives you a different texture and flavor.

For thinner milk, use syrup. The syrup will add a little more water to your milk which makes it a little thinner. You can also use milk with less fat for a thinner texture as well.

For thicker milk, add melted chocolate and blend strawberries directly into it for a more smoothie-like texture.

How to Make Strawberry Syrup

Homemade strawberry syrup is super easy to make and only takes 3 ingredients: strawberries, water, and sugar.

Add all ingredients to a small pot and reduce until desired consistency. You may want to mash the berries for more juice and flavor. After it’s cooled slightly, strain for a smooth syrup, or you can leave it chunky.

You can also blend strawberries with sugar and a little water to make a no-cook strawberry syrup (thicker). Or, make a macerated version for chunky strawberry sauce.

You can find all the strawberry syrup variations on my blog here.

How to Make Chocolate Syrup

Chocolate syrup is also incredibly easy to make (seeing a pattern here?) All you need is cocoa powder, sugar, and water–that’s it! You want to use a 1:1:1 ratio, so 1 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup water, and 1 cup of sugar, or you can make less with a smaller amount.

This will give you a healthier version of Hershey’s chocolate syrup with a similar consistency. Mix the cocoa powder and warm water with a whisk until you get a smooth mixture, then add sugar and simmer until you get your desired consistency.

You could also just melt chocolate to make a “chocolate syrup”, you it won’t keep as well once melted and you’ll have to remelt it every time you want to use it.

How to Make Strawberry Chocolate Milk

Here’s what you’ll need to make strawberry chocolate milk at home:

• 2 tbsp strawberry syrup
• 1 tbsp chocolate syrup
• 1 cup ice
• 1 cup milk

Strawberry Chocolate Milk Recipe

1. Make Strawberry Syrup. Make or buy strawberry syrup. For homemade strawberry syrup, simmer strawberries, water, and sugar in a small pot until you get your desired consistency. Let cool before use.
2. Make Chocolate Syrup. Make or buy chocolate syrup. For homemade chocolate syrup, whisk cocoa powder and warm water until smooth, then add sugar and simmer until you get your desired consistency. You can also make a single portion for this drink by using 2 tbsp each ingredient (you can use less sugar if you want).
3. Assemble Drink. Add ice, strawberry syrup, and milk, then top with your cocoa syrup. It will make a pretty gradient!
4. Mix and enjoy!

Tips:

Here are some tips for making delicious strawberry chocolate milk at home!

• Use Premade Syrups or Powders: Need a more convenient option? Use storebought chocolate and strawberry syrup or powder. It gets the job done and it’s super easy to use for a fast flavored milk.
• Add Vanilla: Add a splash of vanilla extract to make this milk taste like Neapolitan ice cream! Bonus points if you’re able to make layers in your drink.