Making the popular fruity Korean strawberry milk at home is super easy, you can even use frozen berries or premade jam! This refreshing Korean strawberry milk recipe is easy to make, and you can customize it based on dietary and sweetness level preferences.
What’s Korean strawberry milk?
Korean strawberry milk is another popular online trend similar to Korean banana milk. It’s a blend of milk and a sweetened strawberry syrup. There are premade options from Binggrae, or freshly made strawberry milk at popular cafes in South Korea. You may also find similar tasting products like Sangria strawberry milk (also known as Japanese ichigo milk).
Korean strawberry milk is served just by itself with ice, but you can also pair it with matcha for a special strawberry matcha latte drink.
Types of strawberry to use
This Korean strawberry milk recipe works with fresh or frozen strawberries, regardless of season. To make strawberry milk, you will need to make strawberry syrup using fresh or frozen strawberries (stems removed) with sugar and water. This process takes about 10 minutes, and you end up with a pulpy and sweet strawberry syrup.
Note that this recipe is entirely different from making strawberry jam or preserves, which is another recipe that includes fruit, sugar, and, sometimes, pectin. We’ve made lots of jam and preserve batches too, but those have a higher sugar content and are cooked down to remove more moisture so it stores well for extended periods of time.
Tips for making strawberry milk
- Save time by throwing in whole strawberries (fresh or frozen) into the pan with the sugar and water. Since the fruit breaks down during cooking, you don’t need to dice the fruit before cooking. I like to use a masher or the back of a wooden spoon to smash the strawberries halfway through cooking.
- Make small batches ahead of time and keep the strawberry syrup in a closed container in the fridge for up to two weeks, as long as you use clean utensils to scoop out of the jar each time.
- I also have an easy hack for those who don’t want to make their own syrup– you can purchase premade strawberry preserves. When using premade strawberry preserves or jam, try to pick the all-fruit variety (without added sugar) because I found regular strawberry jam is much too sweet to use. Premade is faster, but I find the color to not be as bright as fresh berries.
Assembling a cup
After making the strawberry syrup, assembling the strawberry milk is very easy. Add the strawberry syrup to a glass. If you want to add fresh, diced strawberries, you can do so for more texture and flavor. Fill with ice and pour in your preferred milk. Use a spoon to mix. Taste and adjust for more syrup or milk depending on your needs.
Additionally, I also like using strawberry milk with my matcha lattes. Follow the directions above and top with your preferred matcha consistency. Mix with a spoon and serve.
Korean Strawberry Milk
Ingredients
Homemade strawberry syrup (8 oz) – Option A
- 8 oz strawberries fresh with stems removed OR frozen
- ⅓ c granulated sugar
- ¼ c water
Easy strawberry syrup hack (1 serving) – Option B
- 2 tbsp strawberry jam all fruit, no added sugar variety
- ½ tbsp hot water
Strawberry milk assembly
- strawberry syrup from above
- diced strawberries optional
- ice
- milk of your choice
Equipment Used
- measuring cups and spoons
- knife and cutting board
- sauce pot
- spatula
- cup
Instructions
Strawberry syrup – Option A
- In a pot, combine 8 oz strawberries, ⅓ c granulated sugar, and ¼ c water over medium-high heat. Stir to combine all the ingredients.
- After about 5 minutes, use a spatula to gently mash the strawberries, breaking them down.
- Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the strawberry syrup is thick enough so that when you swipe the spatula down the center of the pan it leaves an empty line and it takes about two seconds for the syrup to pool back together.
- Remove from the heat and let cool on the counter for at least 15 minutes. Transfer to a heat-safe food storage container or make a drink.
Strawberry jam hack – Option B
- In the serving cup, combine 2 tbsp strawberry jam and ½ tbsp hot water.
- Mix thoroughly and taste. Add more jam or hot water to adjust to your preferred sweetness.
- Make strawberry milk below.
Strawberry milk assembly
- Add the strawberry syrup from above at the bottom of the cup.
- You can also add fresh, diced strawberries now.
- Add ice and fill with your preferred milk.
- Stir to mix the syrup with milk and enjoy.
Notes
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