Soviet milkshake – recipe for the hit drink from USSR

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If you ever ask someone who lived through the Soviet era, what was his favorite drink from a cafeteria back then, you are guaranteed to get the answer “The milkshake” – the creamy, thick, airy, sweet, cold milkshake with unforgettable taste. Here I’ll show you how to make the famous drink from the USSR, which also passes for dessert, yourself at home, and tell you the little secrets of its production. You can find a detailed Soviet milkshake recipe with exact quantities and step-by-step instructions here at the very bottom.

The famous Soviet drink with unforgettable taste

Anyone who grew up or lived in the Soviet Union can definitely remember the popular milkshake from back in the day. This was not just any milkshake, this was the milkshake – with its unmistakable taste, cold, creamy, with foam. Made from a few natural products, served in a faceted drinking glass, without straws and other gimmicks in cafeterias, it was the favorite drink of children and adults – the hit drink whose taste you never forget once you’ve tried it.

The woman in white – the enchantress of the Soviet milkshake

It was not only the taste, but also the way the milkshake was prepared that fascinated all visitors to the Soviet cafeterias. There stood this woman behind the counter completely in white – white smock, white headgear – mixing the delicious milkshake before the eyes of a queue of customers. The impatient eyes were only on her until you finally got the cold milkshake in your hands. The woman didn’t need scales – all the ingredients, namely ice cream, fruit syrup and milk, were thrown into the blender in a flash by eye.

Simple to make, but with little secrets

Even though there was never any secret about the recipe for the Soviet milkshake, later not everyone managed to replicate the drink with the exact taste from the cafeterias at home. This may be due to some little things that you need to pay attention to when preparing it. Here I reveal them to you, so you can take them into account when making the milkshake yourself.

Which milk?

One of the secrets that made the taste of the Soviet milkshake was all-natural ingredients with no additives, antibiotics or anything else used for it. So, for the recipe, it’s best to buy fresh milk of organic quality and high fat content, so that the milkshake will be creamy. If you have the option, get it from an organic farmer. The other important detail – milk must be really cold. To do this, transfer it to a suitable sealable container and put it in the freezer for about half an hour, but make sure it doesn’t freeze.

Which ice cream?

In the Soviet Union, natural milk-cream ice cream without any flavors was used for the milkshake. So when you buy ice cream for the recipe, pay attention to the list of ingredients on the package. The ice cream must be very creamy, made of natural milk and cream and not powdered milk. Also, it should not contain any additives. It is best to reach for ice cream of organic quality. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find ice cream without a flavor in grocery stores. You have to settle for a vanilla ice cream in a pinch. Since I didn’t want to do it, I made myself plombir ice cream without vanilla for my milkshake. If you want to make it yourself too, just omit vanilla from my plombir recipe.

What syrup?

As for the syrup, there are no specifications as to which one you have to use for the milkshake. It can be any fruit syrup you like. But you can also experiment with a coffee or caramel syrup. The only important thing is that the syrup must not contain any additives. I make the Soviet milkshake with the homemade strawberry syrup or orange syrup.

Which blender?

With a blender, it becomes a little difficult. Because you won’t find the blender that was used everywhere in Soviet gastronomy to make the milkshake here. That was the mixer “Voronezh”. In any case, you need a powerful device for it, preferably a powerful milk shaker.

Not too many portions at once

In order for the milkshake to get its proper consistency, you shouldn’t make too many servings at once. Prepare a maximum of two servings in one go, and repeat the procedure for more milkshakes if you’re making them for several kids or your guests, for example. The recipe below is for one serving of milkshake.

Serve immediately

In Soviet cafeterias, the milkshake was mixed in front of the customer and served immediately. You should do the same at home. Because only immediately after preparation the drink has the creamy consistency with the airy foam and its distinctive taste.

How to make the perfect Soviet milkshake?

Here again are all the details you should pay attention to in order to make the milkshake with its special taste from the Soviet era. Use:

• fresh, very cold organic milk with high fat content,
• natural, creamy milk-cream ice cream without a particular flavor, without additives,
• powerful blender.

The soviet milkshake is perfectly done by you if it is

• very creamy,
• thick,
• with foam on top,
• cold.

This milkshake is

• creamy,
• thick,
• airy,
• refreshing,
• incredibly delicious,
• with a unique taste,
• easy to make with three ingredients,
• the famous drink from the Soviet era.

3-ingredient recipe for Soviet milkshake

Following this simple recipe, you will make the famous Soviet milkshake yourself at home with just three ingredients. Here you can get a rough idea of how the preparation works, and what you need for it. The exact quantities and step-by-step instructions for making the Soviet milkshake yourself can be found below in the box recipe.

All you need is

• milk,
• milk-cream ice cream
• and fruit syrup.

How to make Soviet milkshake: here’s how (Check out the detailed recipe below.)

You put all the ingredients in a blender and mix it for a few minutes. Done!

How to make Soviet milkshake: tips and tricks

• Use only fresh, natural products with no additives in the recipe. Pay attention to my notes here above regarding each ingredient.
• If you can’t find milk-cream ice cream without a flavor, you can use natural vanilla ice cream in a pinch.
• Milk must be very cold. Put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, but do not freeze it.
• Instead of fruit syrup, you can use coffee or caramel syrup.
• Use a powerful blender, preferably a powerful milk shaker.
• Drink the milkshake immediately after blending.

Did you make the Soviet milkshake yourself using this recipe? I’m looking forward to your result, your star rating and your comment here below on how you succeeded and tasted the creamy drink.

Fancy more homemade drinks? Try:

• Flavored water recipe ideas – how to make vitamin water or infused water
• Kvass – the best recipe for the refreshing Russian bread drink