Five Guys Milkshake

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: None Servings: 2 milkshakes

Five Guys milkshakes are the real deal — hand-spun with real ice cream (not soft-serve mix), customizable with over a dozen mix-in options, and thick enough that you have to actually work to get them through a straw. They’re the kind of milkshake that makes you question why anyone drinks thin, pre-made shakes.

The base recipe here is dead simple: great vanilla ice cream, whole milk, and vanilla extract. The magic is in the mix-ins and in not over-blending. You want it thick, chunky, and borderline impossible to drink without a spoon.

Why Make It at Home?

A Five Guys milkshake runs $6.99 or more, and that’s for one. This recipe makes two generously sized shakes for about $5.00, using premium ice cream. You also get unlimited mix-ins instead of paying extra for each one.

Tips & Variations

• Don’t over-blend. This is the most common mistake. You want 15-20 seconds on low, not a full minute on high. The shake should barely pour.
• Use premium ice cream. The ice cream is the shake. Cheap ice cream with lots of air whipped in will give you a thin, disappointing result. Haagen-Dazs or a local creamery brand works best.
• Best mix-in combos. Peanut butter and bacon is legendary. Oreo and salted caramel is a crowd-pleaser. Banana and peanut butter is an underrated classic.
• Malt powder adds depth. A couple tablespoons of malt powder turns this into an old-school malted milkshake with a toasty, slightly sweet background flavor.