Kids Eat in Color is committed to providing informative articles based on scientific evidence.
This article is fact-checked by our team of experts.
Our team strives to be objective, unbiased, honest about the information provided.
This article contains scientific references. Please view them below.
3 Top Homemade Flavored Milk Recipes for Kids & Toddlers
June 2022
Last reviewed: August 2022
About Kids Eat in Color
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Share
+
Inside: Get 3 easy flavored milk recipes you can make at home with your child.
Love flavored milks, like chocolate or strawberry milk? In this blog, we’ve rounded up our favorite easy, homemade flavored milk recipes. Now you can make the classic milks at home with your child.
Store-bought flavored milks sometimes contain a large amount of added sugars and flavorings. When you make homemade milk, you can control exactly what goes into them.
When possible, we recommend getting the kids involved in the preparation of food and these milk recipes are no different. Getting your kids involved in food prep helps them understand the different ingredients and how they come together to make one item or meal.
Bonus? If you have a picky eater, having your child help you prepare these milks can be a good exposure to them.
For more support in dealing with picky eating, be sure to check out our BetterBites® picky eating course. Designed by a team of childhood, nutrition and feeding experts, this top-selling course can help you get your child on the road to eating new foods.
Milk provides kids with protein, fat, carbohydrates and many essential micronutrients, like vitamin D and calcium.
If your child does not want to drink milk, that’s OK. They can get these nutrients from a well balanced diet of solid foods. (Note: There are tons of non-dairy calcium-rich foods for toddlers and kids!)
Raw milk can increase your child’s risk of drinking harmful bacteria that causes food poisoning. Read more about raw milk for toddlers and kids.
How much milk can kids have?
Children over the age of one can drink 16 oz. of milk per day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This equals about 2-3 cups of milk. (1)
We recommend serving milk with a meal in your meal and snack routine, rather than serving it as a standalone meal so that kids don’t drink too much.
What happens if kids have too much milk? If kids fill up on milk, they may not be hungry for other foods and that could cause them to miss out on other important nutrients, like iron. Iron is important for children of all ages.
What about sugar and kids?
For children ages 2 to 18, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day. (2) If your child eats 5 meals a day (3 meals and 2 snacks), you can divide the amount of sugar by 5. This means your child can have about 5 grams of added sugar per meal.
It’s OK if one meal or snack has a little more than that, but you can keep that in mind as you plan or prepare the rest of the meals for that day.
There are many ways to sweeten flavored milk. We chose maple syrup for these recipes because we think it’s delicious.
Maple syrup has been a popular sweetener dating back hundreds of years and there is no question why! It’s more than a simple sweetener, maple syrup also has vitamins and minerals in it.
This syrupy goodness, straight from the tree, provides multiple vitamins and minerals such as riboflavin. Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, does many things in the body. One thing is that it helps your child’s body take food and turn it into energy. (3)
Should I offer flavored milk if my child doesn’t like regular milk?
If you find that your toddler is not interested in plain milk, try to give it time. Kids sometimes need multiple exposures before they like a food or drink.
You don’t have to offer your child sweetened or flavored milk to get them to drink milk. Flavored milk is a tasty treat or snack we all can enjoy, but we don’t recommend using it to make milk more enticing.
If your family enjoys drinking flavored milks, be mindful of how much dairy and sugar your children have had that day if you choose to serve it.
The best flavored milk recipes
You can customize these recipes to your family’s preferences.
Vanilla milk for toddlers
The perfect pair to a chocolate cookie, vanilla milk brings a nutty, caramel touch to milk. Make vanilla milk with just a dash of vanilla extract, teaspoon of maple syrup and milk. Stir together and enjoy! Yes, that is it!
How to make strawberry milk
To make strawberry milk, you’ll need 6-7 strawberries and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Combine in a pot over low heat to make it into a puree. Mix with milk. View all the steps at the recipe.
Homemade chocolate milk
Homemade chocolate milk uses a mix of maple syrup and cocoa powder. Cook the combination down to a syrup and combine it with your choice of milk. See the recipe for more tips!
Building balanced meals & snacks
Milk offers your child protein and fat, which can help keep them full between meals. If you need more help planning balanced meals without the stress, be sure to check out our Real Easy Weekdays meal plan.
It does all the meal planning for you, so you don’t have to stress about it!
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Inside: Get 3 easy flavored milk recipes you can make at home with your child.
Love flavored milks, like chocolate or strawberry milk? In this blog, we’ve rounded up our favorite easy, homemade flavored milk recipes. Now you can make the classic milks at home with your child.
For these recipes, you can use your family’s favorite milk. If you’re unsure what milk is best for your child, see our guide. You can also use milk alternatives and diary-free milk.
Why make milk at home?
Store-bought flavored milks sometimes contain a large amount of added sugars and flavorings. When you make homemade milk, you can control exactly what goes into them.
When possible, we recommend getting the kids involved in the preparation of food and these milk recipes are no different. Getting your kids involved in food prep helps them understand the different ingredients and how they come together to make one item or meal.
Bonus? If you have a picky eater, having your child help you prepare these milks can be a good exposure to them.
For more support in dealing with picky eating, be sure to check out our BetterBites® picky eating course. Designed by a team of childhood, nutrition and feeding experts, this top-selling course can help you get your child on the road to eating new foods.
Sign up for the waitlist to get started.
Is milk good for kids?
Milk provides kids with protein, fat, carbohydrates and many essential micronutrients, like vitamin D and calcium.
If your child does not want to drink milk, that’s OK. They can get these nutrients from a well balanced diet of solid foods. (Note: There are tons of non-dairy calcium-rich foods for toddlers and kids!)
Related: Not sure why vitamin D is important? Our dietitian explores the benefits of vitamin D for kids.
Is raw milk good for children?
Raw milk can increase your child’s risk of drinking harmful bacteria that causes food poisoning. Read more about raw milk for toddlers and kids.
How much milk can kids have?
Children over the age of one can drink 16 oz. of milk per day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. This equals about 2-3 cups of milk. (1)
We recommend serving milk with a meal in your meal and snack routine, rather than serving it as a standalone meal so that kids don’t drink too much.
What happens if kids have too much milk? If kids fill up on milk, they may not be hungry for other foods and that could cause them to miss out on other important nutrients, like iron. Iron is important for children of all ages.
What about sugar and kids?
For children ages 2 to 18, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day. (2) If your child eats 5 meals a day (3 meals and 2 snacks), you can divide the amount of sugar by 5. This means your child can have about 5 grams of added sugar per meal.
It’s OK if one meal or snack has a little more than that, but you can keep that in mind as you plan or prepare the rest of the meals for that day.
Need advice for dealing with sugar and kids? Here are tips for managing your child’s sugar intake.
Benefits of maple syrup
There are many ways to sweeten flavored milk. We chose maple syrup for these recipes because we think it’s delicious.
Maple syrup has been a popular sweetener dating back hundreds of years and there is no question why! It’s more than a simple sweetener, maple syrup also has vitamins and minerals in it.
This syrupy goodness, straight from the tree, provides multiple vitamins and minerals such as riboflavin. Riboflavin, also known as vitamin B2, does many things in the body. One thing is that it helps your child’s body take food and turn it into energy. (3)
Should I offer flavored milk if my child doesn’t like regular milk?
If you find that your toddler is not interested in plain milk, try to give it time. Kids sometimes need multiple exposures before they like a food or drink.
Get our free picky eater guide for more advice about getting kids to try new foods.
You don’t have to offer your child sweetened or flavored milk to get them to drink milk. Flavored milk is a tasty treat or snack we all can enjoy, but we don’t recommend using it to make milk more enticing.
If your family enjoys drinking flavored milks, be mindful of how much dairy and sugar your children have had that day if you choose to serve it.
The best flavored milk recipes
You can customize these recipes to your family’s preferences.
Vanilla milk for toddlers
The perfect pair to a chocolate cookie, vanilla milk brings a nutty, caramel touch to milk. Make vanilla milk with just a dash of vanilla extract, teaspoon of maple syrup and milk. Stir together and enjoy! Yes, that is it!
How to make strawberry milk
To make strawberry milk, you’ll need 6-7 strawberries and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Combine in a pot over low heat to make it into a puree. Mix with milk. View all the steps at the recipe.
Homemade chocolate milk
Homemade chocolate milk uses a mix of maple syrup and cocoa powder. Cook the combination down to a syrup and combine it with your choice of milk. See the recipe for more tips!
Building balanced meals & snacks
Milk offers your child protein and fat, which can help keep them full between meals. If you need more help planning balanced meals without the stress, be sure to check out our Real Easy Weekdays meal plan.
It does all the meal planning for you, so you don’t have to stress about it!
References