Dairy-Free Vanilla Milkshake

By Amy Roskelley or Super Healthy Kids

Milkshakes are a childhood favorite food. But what happens if your kids can't tolerate dairy? For some children, milk products can be the source of some serious stomach upset, sinus problems, allergy responses, or other reactions.

At Super Healthy Kids, we're always looking for alternatives and modifications to kids favorite foods—and this vanilla milkshake hits the mark! All the kids that tested it—even the ones that can drink vanilla milkshakes—loved it!

We wanted our shake to be creamy of course, so we started by adding cashews. Using the Blendtec Twister jar to blend our cashews with enough liquid to soften the nuts, we created the thick and creamy texture we want in a milkshake. The more cashews you use, the creamier and thicker it will be.

Remember though, you still want this to pass through a straw! We thought 1 cup of cashews was the perfect thickness. Not only are the cashews perfect for our texture, but they’re also beneficial to kids. Cashews are a great source of fiber, protein, and minerals like copper.

To flavor our milkshake vanilla, we went to the truest, richest source: real vanilla beans. You can also use vanilla extract, but there is such a deep, rich, flavor that you can get from those beans! For sweetness, we used 2 tablespoons of honey. Honey is a great way to sweeten your food, while getting some nutrients to boot. Regular sugars and refined corn syrups only give you calories and a sweet flavor. Honey gives you the sweetness, but it also includes antioxidants and flavonoids that are beneficial to kids.

To make our milkshake cold (as a milkshake should be), we blended in some ice. Here's how our final recipe turned out:

Dairy-Free Vanilla Milkshake

Ingredients

1 cup cashew pieces
½ cup coconut milk (or almond milk)
2 tbsp honey
1 vanilla bean
1 cup ice

Directions

1. Combine the cashews pieces and coconut milk in the Blendtec WildSide+ jar or Twister jar.
2. Secure lid and select "Smoothie" and blend until smooth. If your blender doesn't have the Smoothie button, blend on a Low speed for 10 seconds, then a Medium to Medium-Low speed for 10 seconds, then Medium to Medium-High speed for 40 seconds.
3. Add honey, 1 vanilla bean and ice. Blend for another 20 seconds, or until milkshake is cold and creamy.

Another option, if your kids can wait long enough, is to pour your milkshake into a Popsicle mold. We have these fun Popsicle molds that look like ice cream cones, so we thought it was perfect for a vanilla ice cream pop! I'm excited for you to try this milkshake with your kids! Let us know what they think in the comments below or on Facebook.

For more healthy alternatives to kids favorite foods, visit Super Healthy Kids today!