Chocolate Cherry Milkshake

This delicious Chocolate Cherry Milkshake is a naturally sweet and healthy version of the standard milkshake, made with frozen cherries and maple syrup.

This position was created in partnership with the Cherry Marketing Institute. All opinions are ours.

Growing up, my family tended to reward themselves with ice cream for passing a piano or dance recital (my sister or I for playing, my parents for not falling asleep). One of our favorite spots was in downtown Minneapolis: a place called The Malt Shop, which served chocolate malt in giant frosted glasses. After the adrenaline rush, nothing beats sipping a thick frozen candy through a candy-coated straw, with a few onion rings on the side if I was lucky.

I put my milkshake habit to bed after an unhealthy milkshake craze in college, and these days my stomach has a harder time digesting a whole one. However, there’s something sweetly nostalgic about a milkshake that I don’t want to give up. Read on for this healthy take on a cherry milkshake recipe!

How to make a cherry milkshake

This Chocolate Cherry Milkshake is a healthy, whole food version we created based on the old standard. Instead of ice cream, we used frozen Montmorency cherries and milk. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup, there are hints of cocoa powder and vanilla. In a frosted milkshake glass with a fancy red and white straw, this cherry milkshake tastes just as good as the real thing.

And to add flair to this cherry milkshake, we created chocolate swirls as a topping! To make them, simply melt a little dark chocolate, pour onto parchment paper, and then freeze. As a side benefit, it also doubles as a cathartic adult art project! Use a few strudels for a topping, and you can stir the remaining strudels into the milkshake if you want a little more chocolate.

We’ve been working on eating sweets in moderation, so this cherry milkshake recipe is firmly in that bucket. And yet it focuses on whole foods and emphasizes the tangy goodness of tart cherries — making it a fantastic nostalgic treat in our house. It’s also adaptable for dairy-free and vegan diets, as well as with coconut milk. We hope you enjoy – let us know if you try it!

Montmorency sour cherries

This cherry milkshake is the latest in a series of tart cherry recipes we’ve created for the Cherry Marketing Institute. Montmorency tart cherries are grown primarily in small family plantations in the United States and Canada. They are available year-round in dried, frozen, and juice form at grocery stores and online. They are nutrient dense and can help with everything from inflammation and recovery to exercise and sleep. Cherries are a great snack – either straight from the can (our favorite!) or mixed with nuts or seeds for a fantastic combination of fiber and protein. Visit choosecherries.com for more details on Montmorency tart cherries.

Looking for more cherry recipes?

Aside from this cherry milkshake, here are some of our favorite cherry recipes:

Looking for more fruit desserts?

Aside from this Chocolate Cherry Milkshake, here are our favorite fruit desserts at A Couple Cooks:

This cherry milkshake recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten free. For vegans, plant-based and dairy-free, use coconut milk.