Korean Fresh Strawberry Milk

This Korean fresh strawberry milk is made of real strawberries, using only 3 ingredients with no cooking involved. It's a popular drink offered at Korean cafes, especially during the summer, and now you can easily make it at home!

Korean fresh strawberry milk is probably on the TOP of our favorite strawberry beverage list, along with this strawberry matcha latte and sparkling strawberry lemonade. They're all perfect for the summer, or just whenever strawberries are in season!

Unlike strawberry milk we are used to drinking, Korean fresh strawberry milk is made of real strawberries! Fresh strawberries are macerated with sugar to make an easy strawberry syrup full of fresh strawberry flavor. No artificial colors or strawberry flavorings at all!

Plus, the total active prepping time 5 minutes! Can't get better than that!

What is Korean fresh strawberry milk?

Korean fresh strawberry milk, unlike Nesquick strawberry milk we grew up drinking, is made with fresh macerated strawberries and has no cooking involved.

It's a popular Korean cafe drink made by macerating chopped strawberries with sugar to make "strawberry syrup". This fresh strawberry syrup is mixed with milk, sometimes whipped cream as well, for a refreshing glass of strawberry milk full of fresh strawberry flavors.

Because the macerated strawberries are not cooked, the flavor of the Korea strawberry milk is fresh and fruity, rather than sweet and jammy.

Ingredients

Korean fresh strawberry milk only requires 3 essential ingredients!

• Fresh strawberries - The strawberries must be fresh so that the strawberry milk tastes refreshing, rather than jammy. Try to pick strawberries that are aromatic, and avoid unripe green strawberries.

• Sugar - We used regular granulated sugar as the sweetener, but raw cane sugar works great too. Also, if your strawberries are the sweetest, you can use a bit more sugar.

• Milk - Any cow's milk is fine, however, we did find whole milk and full cream milk to taste better. We've also tried it with oat milk and coconut milk, but they just don't taste the same.

Instructions

This fresh strawberry milk is so easy to make, it only takes 5 minutes of active prep time! Plus, no cooking needed!

1. In a food processor, combine the washed and hulled strawberries with the sugar.

2. Blend until everything is well combined and the strawberries are chopped into small pieces.

3. Transfer the chopped strawberry to a bowl or an airtight container, like mason jars. Let the strawberries macerate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.

4. Give the macerated strawberry syrup a good mix and pour about ⅓ cup of it into a glass. Top it with 1 ½ cup of cold milk.

5. Garnish with a strawberry, stir, and enjoy!

How to throughly wash strawberries

Strawberries are one of those fruits that unfortunately carries the most dirt, bugs, and pesticide. So, we prefer throughly cleaning our strawberries for an extra peace of mind. All you need is some salt or baking soda!

Salt bath method: Place the strawberries in a salt water solution for about 5 minutes. make sure the salt water covers all the strawberries! Drain then rinse. (Use 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water.)

Baking soda method: Place the strawberries in the large bowl and add enough water to cover. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda per cup of water. Give the strawberries a couple of mix and let them soak for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse.

Make the macerated strawberry syrup by hand

If you don't have a food processor or blender, you can also make the macerated strawberry syrup by hand. Just finely or roughly chop up the strawberries and mix it with sugar in a mixing bowl.

Recipe Tips

• Use fresh strawberries! No flavor can replicate those of fresh strawberries. It'll give the Korean strawberry milk it's iconic refreshing flavor and pink hue.

• Add chunks of strawberries for additional texture. When ready to serve, you can also add small dices of fresh strawberries to your Korean strawberry milk for some additional texture!

• Adjust the amount of sugar to your preference. We used almost a 1 to 1 ratio, strawberry to sugar. This create a sweet strawberry "syrup" perfect for 1 ½ cup of milk, without overshadowing the fresh strawberry flavor. Feel free to use more or less.

• Let the strawberry macerate for at least 30 minutes. The longer the strawberry macerate, the better the strawberry "syrup" will taste. We recommend half a day or overnight in the fridge if you have time.

• Stir the macerated strawberry "syrup" before using. The strawberry and the syrup separates as it macerates. So make sure to mix the layers to get an even pour.

• Use cow's milk. We found that classic dairy milk tastes the best when making this fresh strawberry milk. Fresh strawberry milk made with nut milk (and other dairy substitutes) taste good, but they're just not the same.

Additional toppings (optional)

Korean fresh strawberry milk is incredibly delish on its own. However, additional toppings can never hurt! These are some of the most popular toppings you can add:

• Fresh strawberries - Whole strawberries are great for garnish or small chunks for additional texture.

• Whipped cream - Top this fresh strawberry drink with some lightly sweetened whipped cream for extra creaminess and even better presentation!

• Chocolate syrup - Chocolate and strawberries pair like no other!

• Caramel sauce - Because caramel is great with anything!

Storage

Once this Korean fresh strawberry milk is made, it best enjoyed immediately. You could however, keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. So, I highly recommend making it as you're ready to enjoy.

For the macerated strawberry syrup, if kept in a clean airtight container, it can last 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge.

FAQ

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