Ultimate vanilla malted milkshake recipe
Made for lovers of extra maltiness! The ultimate vanilla malted milkshake is made with malted milk candies, malted milk powder, vanilla ice cream, and homemade whipped cream.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
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Vanilla malted milkshake
Most people are familiar with a milkshake, because they are widely available. Not everyone has had a malt, because many places stopped making them. Not to worry, we can make them at home ourselves in about 5 minutes flat.
If you’ve never tasted a malt before, give it a try – you’ll be amazed at how much flavor it has compared to a regular shake.
Malt vs Shake
What’s the difference between a malt and a milkshake? Malt powder. A milkshake can be simply ice cream blended with milk, whereas a malt has the addition of malted milk powder. From there, you can add in chocolate syrup, fruit, candy, or anything else your heart desires.
Just like a shake, a malted milkshake can be made into almost any flavor you can imagine, but most often, they are either vanilla or chocolate.
Ingredients
This vanilla malt recipe uses only a handful of ingredients blended up into a thick and delicious creamy treat.
- Malt powder for milkshakes – I use a brand that is widely available at most grocery stores.
- Vanilla ice cream – Use any vanilla ice cream that you like. If you really love malt flavor, get a malted vanilla ice cream, like Tillamook malted moo.
- Milk – Whole milk is best for malts.
- Substitutions: If you only have 2% milk, use it. I’d avoid skim milk.
- Vanilla extract – A teaspoon of vanilla adds to the vanilla flavor of the malted milkshake.
- Malted milk candies, optional – I picked out the white and yellow candies to blend in the malt, to keep it a light color.
How to make a malt
Here’s a quick summary of how to make a vanilla malt. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
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- Add milk, ice cream, vanilla and candies to a blender.
- Blend until smooth. Adjust thickness with more milk or ice cream, if desired.
- Pour into prepared glasses.
- Top with fresh whipped cream and a few candies.
Vanilla malted milkshake FAQ’s
A malt is simply a milkshake with malted milk powder blended in. They have more flavor than shakes, and can be thicker than a milkshake due to the malt powder.
Malted milk powder is made from malted barley, wheat flour, and milk. It adds a toasty, slightly savory flavor to the malted milkshake.
Variations and substitutions
- Chocolate – Add 3 or 4 tablespoons of chocolate syrup to the blender to make your malt chocolate.
- Candies – Whoppers or Maltesers make an excellent addition instead of the Easter candy.
- Mini ice cream cone garnish – To really make these malts the ultimate, add a mini ice cream cone as a garnish (see the video in the recipe card).
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The ultimate vanilla malted milkshake
Ingredients
FOR THE MALT
- 3 tablespoons melted chocolate I used about a third of a 70% chocolate bar
- 2 tablespoons sprinkles for the rim of glass and garnish
- 3 cups vanilla ice cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 – 3 tablespoons malted milk powder
- 3 ounces mini Robin Eggs candy optional / can also use Whoppers or Maltesers
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Melt chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl and dip the rim of the glass. Coat the rim of the glass with sprinkles and refrigerate to allow it to set.
Make whipped cream
- Combine all ingredients in a cold bowl, and whip on high speed until peaks form. Transfer whipped cream into a piping bag, or a zip top bag with a corner snipped off. Refrigerate until needed.
Make Malt
- Add vanilla ice cream, milk, malted milk powder, vanilla extract, and malted milk candies (if using) to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour malt into prepared glasses, top with whipped cream and sprinkles or candy. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- For Whipped Cream: place bowl, heavy cream and whisk attachment or beaters in the freezer for 10-15 minutes prior to making whipped cream. You may wish to add more or less sugar depending on how sweet you like your whipped cream.
- You may want more or less milk to achieve desired consistency. If you like it thinner, add more milk. If you like your malts thick, use less.
- To add the mini ice cream cone garnish: Use the straw to make a hole in the bottom of the cone. Thread the straw through and top with a mini scoop of ice cream.
- Exact nutritional information will depend on the brand of ice cream used, as all have different ingredients.
Nutrition
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Originally published April 2017, most recent update 4/15/25.
My mouth is watering!