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Super-Thick Strawberry Milkshake

I don’t know what season it is.

vegan-strawberry-milkshake

First it’s cold, and my body says:

Girl, please give me some Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal.

Then the very next day is bright and sunny; over 100 degrees again. Yesterday was one of those hot days, which meant the canned pumpkin in my fridge didn’t receive any love. (Sorry, pumpkin.) Instead, I went with something cool and refreshing: a thick strawberry milkshake.

healthy-dessert-milkshake

It’s so thick you can even opt to eat it in a bowl, like ice cream!

Strawberry Thickshake

  • 1 cup frozen strawberries (160g)
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk (you can use lite, but it won’t be as rich)
  • optional: stevia or other sweetener to taste (agave, sugar, etc)
  • optional: cocoa powder

Thaw your strawberries until they’re *just* soft enough to blend. Then blend everything until smooth and serve with a spoon—this shake is thick! (Have I mentioned how thick this is yet? Only about 100 times?)

This milkshake is another one of my Vita-Mix Recipes.

But it works in a regular blender, too. My Magic Bullet was easily able to handle it.

vegan-strawberry-shake

Why not also bake some Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets

McDonalds of the Future?

Maybe in ten or twenty years, places like McDonalds will be serving healthy foods, as opposed to Big Macs and McFlurries. They’re already heading in that direction, with new menu offerings such as apple dippers and oatmeal. Consumers have become increasingly more health-conscious in the past decade, and movies and books like Super Size Me and Fast Food Nation are swaying public opinion even further towards the side of health. I really feel like the growing demand for healthier restaurant options will soon render obsolete our current definition of “fast food.” But maybe I am just an idealist?

Question of the Day:

Do you think fast food places will become healthier in the future?

Can you imagine Burger King serving lentil curry? Or Wendy’s giving out Spinach Frostys? (Hmm, maybe Spinach Frostys is taking it a little too far…)

Published on September 16, 2011

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103 Comments

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  1. Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table says

    Unfortunately I don’t see fast food becoming healthier. The public votes with their dollars and there are still way too many people out there who want their happy meals. I do like that there are some “better for you options” so in a pinch I can find something on grab on the road.

  2. Qi Ting @ Misadventures of Fat free Baking says

    Congratulations!!!!! 😀 😀 So happy for you! 😀 The fast food places of the future may sell healthy food, but I don’t know, unhealthy food has lots of fans, so its surely a large source of profits… hmmm…. but I really really wish McDonalds in Singapore would start having vegan options. The only food I want and like enough to eat is the fries… with garlic chilli sauce and curry dip. Ohhh… 😀

    PS: I love the strawberry milkshake! Its so pink and pretty!!!! 😀 😀 And with that strawberry hand in hand? Just divine!

  3. katie @KatieDid says

    I think that will take a huge cultural shift that our country is very resistant too. As part of the blog world its easy to get caught up thinking everyone is on their way to healthy lifestyle but I think we (or at least I) forget that so much of the country is on the other end of the spectrum. We can only hope (and keep creating fun healthy recipes like you do) that more and more people will eventually make better choices…

  4. Riri says

    Unfortunately I doubt fast food places would ever be healthy. It wouldn’t be “fast” food if it was. I do see them providing a couple better options so that they’d potentially have health-concious customers as well, which I suppose is already somewhat being done. But do we *really* think the better options are actually healthy and not just lower-calorie? another question to ponder…

  5. saskia says

    hey katie! 🙂
    this shake looks YUM! 😀

    healthier fast-food menus? i think this is gonna take some more decades(ok, maybe i’m being pessimistic here;))..

    i would love if you’d put my blog in your blogroll, you’re already in mine!
    oh, and if you’re interested, go & check out my band: facebook.com/ohitastethequeen

    🙂 have a nice day, whether sunny or chilly!

  6. Katie @ Peace Love and Oats says

    I definitely think fast food places will be come healthier, but I think spinach smoothies and lentils is definitely pushing it. They’ll probably start with healthier versions of what they already serve to keep their customer base. Although I would LOVE some indian-inspired fast food! Also, I know you use a Vitamix, but do you happen to know of any other really good blenders that aren’t as expensive? I want to ask for one for my birthday next month but the vitamix is the only one i hear about (haha yes, i realize that’s because it’s probably like magic).

  7. Jenny says

    Lovely pictures in this post. Just had to say that first. Great food styling!
    I hate to be a downer, but, although fast food places are offering healthy options, I highly doubt that fast food will disappear altogether. Especially in third world countries, there will always be a demand. Well, at least until those countries become more developed. I don’t know for sure of course, but it seems like there will always be some people, somewhere, that refuse to give up their supersized burgers and coke and fries, etc. I think fast food could even be made healthier if it was just once again made with REAL ingredients as opposed to corn-everything! Of course, then it’s too expensive, time-consuming, (insert other excuses from the fast food industry) and so on. Oh well… It’s nice that more and more people are picking healthier options, though!

  8. Sarah says

    I’m sorry, but i would pass out if burger king sold lentil curry because i HATE lentil anything, or if Wendy’s served spinach frostys. If that EVER happens, Wendy can kiss her little pigtail braids goodbye. Sometimes a little fast food is that little indulgence i love to have on road trips, you know like to the grocery store 🙂 Anyhow, i would REALLY miss the expression on people’s faces when my dad orders 6 20-piece Mcnuggets, 5 burgers, 6 chicken sandwiches, and 8 large cocoas. I tell ya, you should see their smiles the minute we come through, as big as my smile when i saw this milkshake.

  9. Megan says

    Your shake looks so refreshing! I haven’t had anything resembling a strawberry shake in a long time. As for fast food restaurants, I don’t see it changing in the near future. Unfortunately, processed food is cheaper than fresh produce and can usually be made in larger quantities. As long as people are willing to pay for convenience (which seems likely in our fast paced, “need it now” society), fast food restaurants will continue to offer what gives them economies of scale. Given the abundance of corn and corn-fed beef in America, they have certainly achieved that cost efficiency. I also know that a lot of people deny that what they are eating is bad for them (case in point, I was addicted to Diet Coke, despite knowing about aspartame, but have not had one in 2 months!) Anyways…now that I have left a ridiculously long comment, THANK YOU for always posting delicious recipes that are affordable and nutritious!

  10. Albizia says

    Your blog ate my comment 🙁 . And I am too tired to write it again because it is 1 am and the only reason I am awake is because the adrenaline rush doesn’t let me fall asleep. It looks like my frozen strawberries will survive for a little longer 😀 .

  11. Emily @ Glitz Glam Granola says

    This looks delicious!! I usually am not a big milkshake fan because I’d rather eat things slower and with a spoon, but this looks so thick and yummy that I can eat it out of a bowl! I think you bought up an interesting concept- it would be great if fast food restaurants really were eradicated. I hope that is the way our future is headed!!

    PS I would love it if you would like my page! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glitz-Glam-Granola/245050322200466

  12. vegirl says

    I think fast food will only become healthier if we change the definition of “fast”. Does it mean quick food-like-substance out of a package, or quick service of healthy foods?

  13. Lindsay @ biking before bed says

    I think that it won’t be anytime soon that fast food restaurants give up their unhealthy options but they are taking steps in the right direction. Burger king now offers oatmeal for breakfast. I think we definitely need to take a cue from foreign fast food places. I remember this one fast food burger place I went to in Japan had veggie burgers served on buns made of rice and green tea lattes.

  14. Jennifer@A Blog of My Very Own! says

    Burger King does have their veggie burger. I liked it better when they used to flame-broil it, but people complained that the meat/juices from the beef mixed with the veggie burger thus making it no longer veggie…so they started microwaving the patties instead. Not nearly as good now 🙁

  15. Amber K says

    I think for them to actually become “healthy” would take more years than any of us have left on Earth. Maybe I’m just cynical, but this is a case where I wouldn’t mind being wrong!

  16. Kristen @ Chocolate Covered Kristen says

    I hope iconic places like McD’s and IN-N-Out never stop serving burgers (even thought I don’t eat them) and milkshakes, because I think it’s important to understand that a small fry is a treat we should reward ourselves with from time to tome, but I definitely think there will be huge overhauls in the not so distant future. I predict that so long as the public want it, they will use better quality ingredients and begin to offer more and more veggie burgers, whole grains, and fresh produce. McD’s seems to be leading the way. I think as soon as they offer some sort of quality veggie burger and on-to-go produce options (as opposed to BK’s soggy microwaver veg burger – they still get effort points), the rest will follow suit. Maybe we should start a petition to get McD’s to pair up with Amy’s 🙂

  17. Sarah M says

    If fast food places ever become healthy it will be because they start serving real food that isn’t full of junk carbs and sugar. It’s no good that they’re trending towards franken oatmeal and apples with caramel sauce.

  18. stacey says

    Hi Katie! Love your milkshakes! Any chance theres a recipe on her for raw sugar cookie dough balls? Maybe I’ve missed it!? thx!

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      I did try to do a sugar cookie dough ball once… it failed miserably! The closest thing I have is my raw snickerdoodle babies, but they taste more like Larabar’s cinnamon bun bars than sugar cookies. I still have sugar cookie dough balls on my to-do list! Maybe for Christmas! 🙂

  19. Jen says

    I hope fast food places become healthier in the future! The world can only benefit from healthier people. If the already existing places don’t become healthier, I have faith that new fast food places will emerge, featuring fresh and local ingredients (and lots of vegan & GF options). Society is catching on (I’ve really seen a boom in GF awareness lately) and food establishments (even fast food places) are going to need to step up their game if they want more business. Unfortunately, there will always be people who love fast food places no matter how unhealthy they are, which means it might be a while until we see a Spinach Frosty. Haha! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for that one!

  20. Katherine says

    I feel like if I can cook a meal for myself in 10-15 minutes that’s healthier than most restaurant food, fast food places can step up their game. One thing I’ve loved seeing, though, is that so many restaurants are starting to offer vegetarian/vegan options. So refreshing!

    Unfortunately, I haven’t eaten strawberries in quite a while. My best friend (and roommate last year) has a life-threatening allergy last year, so we couldn’t keep any strawberry products around, and I just got accustomed to not buying them. However, this looks like a delicious way to get back into munching on strawberries!

  21. Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free says

    YUM!!! I make a strawberry shake just like this-so good! The cocoa powder is a good addition, too, because it tastes like chocolate-dipped strawberries in shake form!

    And you know what, I think fast food restaurants are getting healthier and healthier each year. I still don’t eat at them, but the awareness level of healthy food is really growing and so many businesses are picking up on it.

  22. bitt of raw says

    i am more of the type that wants to put mcD’s out of business and then have other places with healthy food there instead. i just can’t put that much faith in mcD’s that it will change. and even if they did have some vegan items, i’d never support them because of the abuses they’ve done to animals.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Oh a world where McDonalds is out of business… ah, such a dream! I remember being conflicted when the BK Veggie came out, because I wanted to support the effort so that they’d keep it around, but I also didn’t want to give the company my money. (I ended up never buying one.)

  23. Aine @ Something to Chew Over says

    I think unfortunately that’s a very idealistic view – there will always be a demand for junk food. But hopefully healthy options will continue to grow!

  24. Kaitlyn@TheTieDyeFIles says

    I think fast food places want people to THINK they’re eating healthfully, when in actuality the oatmeal and fruit smoothies are probably still loaded with unnecessary, entirely processed ingredients. But I’ll still live in an idealist world with you and hope that our nation catches on and demands better for themselves!

    This shake looks amazing. I would have loved it yesterday when it was over 80*, but today it hasn’t even hit 60* yet! Thick shakes are the absolute best.

  25. Faith @ For the Health of It says

    I don’t think fast food places will ever entirely stray from their burgers-and-fries roots (and that’s fine by me – sometimes homegirl just wants a late night bag of french fries!) but it’s nice to see that they are coming up with more healthy options (and veg-friendly ones too, hello BK gardenburger!!!)

  26. Pure2raw twins says

    haha my body does not what season it is either…although be loving winter squashes again, and still loving summer fruit like watermelon.

    congrats on FB!!! that is awesome, we are still working to break 1000

    xoxo

  27. Liz @ Southern Charm says

    I would LOVE for fast foods to get a bit more healthier, besides salads that is. It would be so great and convenient. My parents both worked full time jobs and my sister and I were big into dancing, cheerleading and piano … so most of our meals were on the run. It caught up and I was very large 7th-12th grade. I would love to be able to have this not happen to my own child way far in the future 🙂

    Love that milkshake! Sounds so rich and creamy {licking lips}

  28. Emily says

    Hey, can you PLEASE come up with a recipe for a Spinach Frosty?! I would love that! Talk about kicking some green smoothie butt!!

  29. Holly says

    I could definitely see fast food chains becoming healthier in the future! Maybe it’s the idealist in my as well, but I agree that our culture is heading in that direction. Natural/Organic foods are becoming somewhat trendy! (Yay!)

  30. Ellen says

    I definitely think fast food places are going to have to keep getting healthier. I’ve also noticed that there are lots more fast healthy places here in Los Angeles, like The Veggie Grill.
    About that can of pumpkin-next time it’s a hot day, maybe you could concoct a pumpkin shake or vegan pumpkin ice cream? That would be delicious:)

  31. Holly @ The Runny Egg says

    I hope restaurants get healthier, but honestly I wish sit down/casual restaurants were healthier. I think with time they will get better, but people are still buying the Big Macs and french fries, so I wonder if restaurants even think it would make sense to change up their practices.

    Love this thick thick shake!

  32. Moni'sMeals says

    not a big strawberry shake person, I need chocolate! but this does look super great Katie!

    Do you think fast food places will become healthier in the future?
    well, I hope and pray with the type 2 Diabetes in this country…it all comes down to one thing…money, money, money.

    Love that Jamie Oliver. 🙂

  33. Mellie says

    fast food might get healthiER, but healthy? I don’t know. I barely eat fast food anyway and when I do it’s usually chick-fil-a ,which is supposedly healthier than other places. Still not super healthy, but it sure is good! 🙂

  34. Crafty lil vegan says

    I never eat at fast-food places! Low-quality food, which supports such a horrible franchise.. i won’t rant, but i try to stay away from companies like that! Also, their oatmeal (porridge over here in Britain!) is rediculously high in fat, as are ALOT of their salads! The only thing i’ve bought from a McD’s in the past 6 years, is an orange juice! Friends were eating there..
    I’m a lifelong veggie, but used to eat at McD’s as a kid, and we always asked if the fries were veggie (we were told they were, but later found they were cooked in a mix of vegetable and beef fat). We also asked for them to be not-salted, as my bro has a heart condition.. every time, they came salted.
    Plus i don’t even want to think about the fat content of their smoothies… *shudders* Far more fun to make your own! Made a Devine smoothie the other day… courgette, spinach, a little cauliflower (no idea why, but it seemed like a good idea! And you couldn’t taste it!) dates, raw cocoa nibs, soy milk, ice, a splash of espresso and a handful of musli.. blend to smooth.. and melt into a caramel-coffee bliss… i still have some in the freezer waiting to become ice-cream… mm..
    I seem to have ranted.. oops! Can’t wait to make a fruity milkshake tomorrow! <3

  35. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says

    Congrats on 4000 fans. Wow! That’s impressive and just shows how many people love you 🙂

    I love the pics of the milkshake. The first one on the wood, the contrast, so pretty.

    And fast food that’s healthy food…well, we can dream, right? 🙂

  36. Marianne says

    In a perfect world, people would have enough knowledge and desire to choose healthy options, and eat at fast food establishments only on occasion instead of on a daily basis. I don’t know that we need to force all foods to be “healthy” – it is not the only reason we eat – but instead empower people to want to choose what makes them feel and function their best.

  37. Chelsea says

    Yay congrats on passing 4000 😀 That’s awesome!

    I’m working to get to 10 😛 I’ll be happy when I get there. Ok I’m totally lying; I was ecstatic as soon as I got my first like from someone not on my friends list, and I still am 🙂

    haha I wrote a big fast food rant here, but erased it because it was too long and… ranty? Fast food = bad. There’s the condensed version. =P

    I don’t really think fast food will ever become healthy… They may be forced to add more healthy options by laws and such but the processed junk they serve now is pretty addictive in my opinion and unfortunately that’s what people tend to go for.

  38. Tami@nutmegnotebook says

    I would love it if healthy fast food was available but I think that most people who eat healthy don’t frequent the drive through so it may never happen.

    I love to make strawberry smoothies in my Blendtec with fat free Greek yogurt it comes out thick without the fat!

  39. Molly says

    Aww I love strawberry milkshakes but have never tried one with coconut milk before! I think restaurants will continue to add healthy foods to their menus because more and more people are trying to eat healthier and fight the obesity crisis in our country.

  40. Jessica @ Jess Go Bananas says

    I don’t think fast food places will be as popular in the future if all keeps going well with health changes by the FDA. I do think though that more healthy fast-food options like chipotle will be popping up…let’s hope so anyways lol 🙂

  41. Lissa says

    It seems like in the past year fast food places have tried to become more “healthy.” Unfortunately most consumers blindly take their word for it and think they’re getting a healthier option when in fact what they’re eating is super UN-healthy. I think unhealthy food being marketed as healthy is even more dangerous for our society than honest unhealthy food!

  42. beccah says

    I think fast food places will becom healthier by offering nutrition info at their restauraunts and online,and by offering different options so people who eat healthier can still eat their }{some places already do this and offer healthy smoothies and vegetarian options} things like that,that arent too extreme or ‘health conscious’ for a fast food place 😛

  43. A says

    I would love to try the hot apple crumble bars – apple crumble/cherry crumble are by far two of my favorite desserts! Can’t wait to see you recipe…also, thought of doing pumpkin crumble? it’s yum!

  44. Natasha says

    WOW – just subscribed to your blog…your amazing!! – Love the pic’s the comments – I have to tell my GF’s to subscribe!

    Go girl!

  45. Rande @ The Vegetable Centric Kitchen says

    This was like getting a strawberry milkshake from the drive through! Although its been so long since that has actually happened that I might be mistaken 😉 Either way, yum!

  46. Chloe says

    Hey, I was wondering…did you use canned coconut or in a carton like the silk kind for the thick shake? It looks so yummy, I love strawberry smoothies! (Second to chocolate peanut butter smoothies, that is!)

  47. Chloe says

    Hey, I was wondering…did you use canned coconut milk or the kind in a carton like silk for the thick shake? I love strawberry smoothies! (Second to chocolate peanut butter smoothies, of course!)

  48. Alanna says

    First of all, I would just like to apologize to my blender for being too impatient to let my strawberries thaw. 😉 I used almond milk rather than coconut milk and ended up adding a bit more since the blender was struggling so, but this still came out pretty thick… kind of like a melty sorbet. I probably could’ve added a little sweetener, but left it out since I normally don’t need it for the banana-based shakes. Very refreshing and summery!

    I realized that, quite by accident, I’ve managed to eat all my meals from this blog today: Irish soda boatmeal for breakfast, chocolate-strawberry hugs oatmeal for lunch, peanut butter breakfast pudding for dinner, and this shake for dessert. (That’s a lot of oatmeal in one day, lol.) If that isn’t a testament to how awesome CCK and all her recipes are, I don’t know what is!

    As far as the question of fast food chains serving healthier food, I’d actually be happy if they (and other restaurants) would start serving normal-sized portions! The stuff on the kids’ menu is more often an appropriate amount of food. I don’t think it’s bad to have fast food infrequently, but if you get a combo meal of any type it’s just an absurd amount of food for one person. Oatmeal and salads are good in theory, but they’re so big and still packed with calories (nuts, dressing, etc) that sometimes you’re better off with a sandwich!

  49. kiah says

    Hey Katie, Just wanted to say I made this treat today and it was fantastic! Can’t wait to try out some of your other recipes!

  50. Mai says

    How about strawberry cinnamon rolls? The dough would be a strawberry dough (maybe strawberry almond) with the cinnamon goodness rolled inside.

    • Mai says

      It’d probably need a strawberry sauce (no sugar used, just boiled, simmered, then pureed) in the dough rather than an apple sauce…. Or a mango sauce in the dough with a cinnamon coconut frosting 😀

  51. Carol says

    Didn’t have strawberries, so I used mangoes (don’t think mango and vanilla would go well together), doubled the coconut milk (it looked thicker than usual for some reason), and added in 2/3 cup almond milk. It was a last minute decision, so mangoes didn’t get to thaw.

  52. Zoe Lee says

    To me this tasted nothing like a milkshake, at all. It was much more smoothie like, however it was nice 🙂

  53. Lisa says

    OMG! I think this is the best strawberry shake I’ve ever made. As I transition to veganism, I am finding that flavors have so much more punch than items prepared with dairy. I love the idea of using coconut milk for rich creaminess. This is a keeper! In fact, I think I’ll fix another glass now!

  54. Rebecca says

    Just made this and it is so delicious! I am in love with coconut milk :). I can’t wait to make with blueberries and raspberries too.

  55. D says

    Hi Katie, I recently made this milkshake and was wondering if you could tell me if your photo is of one recipe of this shake, because I made it yesterday, and it seems the ingredients were too small to make such a large drink like in your photo. Plus, the full-fat coconut milk, being extremely thick, seemed to just toss around in the blender along with the strawberries. So whatever I was able to eat from the blender needed to be scraped out from underneath the blades. Don’t get me wrong Katie, the amount I was able to create tasted delicious, I just wish it was a bigger portion, that’s all.
    P.S. I also had this issue with the vanilla cake batter shake, the amount I made just seemed smaller than the one in your photos.

  56. Page says

    Thanks for the recipe! It’s interesting you discuss McDonalds…I was looking at this recipe to go with a vegan big mac I’m going to try making. :’) Looking forward to the shake!

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