Japanese Strawberry Milk (Ichigo Milk)

The strawberries are stewed for a short time to soften them and release their sweetness, then they’re crushed and served in a glass with milk and sweetener. It’s also common to add double cream and condensed milk to make it thicker and more decadent. It’s like a drinkable dessert!

Is Strawberry Milk Popular in Japan? Ichigo milk is one of the most popular items on the menu at “Bikkuri Donki”, a Japanese family restaurant that specializes in Hamburg Steaks.

You can also find some brands of premade Japanese strawberry milk in supermarkets and convenience stores across Japan all year around, but mostly it’s considered a seasonal drink. There is often a boom of strawberry-flavored products around late winter and early spring when strawberries are in season in Japan.

Cafes and convenience stores with their ever-changing product lineup often hold “ichigo fairs”, where strawberry desserts and drinks are on sale for a limited time. One example would be the popular Japanese coffee shop chain “Doutor”, which held an ichigo fair that featured a limited edition menu including ichigo au lait (served hot or cold), pistachio and strawberry cake, and even sachets of powdered “ichigo latte” you can make at home. Premade bottles and cartons of Japanese strawberry milk from convenience stores and supermarkets always contains real strawberry juice, but the percentage depends on the brand.

Some contain real chunks of strawberry too, while others only contain strawberry juices. It’s safe to say that ichigo milk is a well-loved drink in Japan and there are many different ones to enjoy! What does Japanese Strawberry Milk taste Like?

By using fresh strawberries instead of powders or premade purees, you can enjoy the natural flavor of the strawberries complimented by the creaminess of the milk (or your favorite milk alternative). Japanese strawberry milk is usually sweetened, but the beauty of making it at home is being able to adjust the sweetness to suit your tastes.

It also looks beautiful, so it’s great to serve at parties or gatherings, especially in summer! To make the ultimate Japanese strawberry milk, you will need these 6 simple ingredients:

• Strawberries: The star of the show! Be sure to use fresh and ripe strawberries for the best results.
• Sugar: To highlight the sweetness of the strawberries. Alternatively, you could sweeten them using honey or maple syrup instead.
• Lemon juice: The acidity helps bring out the flavor of the strawberries.
• Milk: In Japan, whole cow’s milk is most commonly used, but feel free to use semi-skimmed, skimmed, or a plant-based alternative if you prefer!
• Double cream: this optional ingredient will make the drink thicker and richer. For a healthier option, you could thicken it with plain yogurt, or cream of coconut could be used as a plant-based alternative.
• Condensed milk: sweetens the milk and compliments the strawberries. You could swap this out for plant-based condensed milk or your choice of sweetener.

Making Japanese strawberry milk is easy and well worth the effort! Here are my step-by-step instructions.

For the full recipe and ingredients, see the printable recipe card Printable Recipe Card at the bottom of the page. Start by washing and drying your strawberries, then cut off the stems.

Finely dice the strawberries, this will help them cook faster. Place the diced strawberries in a pan with lemon juice and sugar, and mix.

Transfer the pan to the stove and heat on medium. As the strawberries start to soften, crush them using a fork. Continue to cook the strawberries over medium heat, stirring occasionally and lightly crushing them with the fork.

The strawberries don’t need to be completely crushed; one of the beauties of this drink is enjoying the large chunks of strawberries! Once it reaches a jam-like consistency, remove the pan from the heat.

Leave to cool for a few minutes. Once cooled slightly, transfer the strawberries to a heat-proof bowl, and place the bowl in an ice bath to speed up the chilling process.

If you’re preparing in advance, simply store the cooled strawberry pureé in the fridge until serving time. Measure out the milk in a jug and add the double cream and condensed milk.

Whisk thoroughly until combined. You can add extra condensed milk if you like it sweeter.

This recipe is best drank immediately, and if not finished in one sitting, should be refrigerated and consumed by the end of the day. If you want to make a batch of strawberry purée, it can be stored in the fridge for about 1 week. I recommend storing it separately and combining it with the milk right before serving.

Storage Summary

What is in Japanese strawberry milk? Japanese strawberry milk is made with real fresh strawberries, cows milk, cream and sweetener.

How do you say strawberry milk in Japanese? In Japanese, strawberry milk is called ichigo miruku (いちごミルク), ichigo latte (いちごラッテ) or ichigo au lait (いちごオレ). What does strawberry milk taste like?

It tastes like delicious fresh strawberries and cream in a drink form! I hope you enjoy making your own Japanese strawberry milk at home! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below.

It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!

The ingredient brands and tools I trust are in my Japanese pantry guide and my cooking tools guide. Can’t find certain Japanese ingredients?

See my substitution guide here.