Freeze Chocolate Milk Into Ice Cubes For Sweet, Creamy Smoothies and Coffee Drinks

Inside: How to make a batch of Chocolate Milk Ice Cubes to add rich, chocolate flavor to white milk, coffee, and smoothies.

“Mom, I have an idea for your blog.”

Were any sweeter words ever spoken?

My 11 year old came to me last week with this nifty concept: Freezing chocolate milk in an ice cube tray–then using the cubes to flavor plain white milk.

Fun, right? And it adds flavor to milk but far less sugar than straight-up chocolate milk contains.

A quick Google search revealed he wasn’t the first to invent chocolate milk ice cubes. But I didn’t tell him that.

Instead, I put him to work freezing a tray of chocolate milk.

And after using them in a few different ways, I decided that I needed a batch in my freezer all the time.

Can You Freeze Chocolate Milk?

Yes you can! You can freeze chocolate milk into ice cube size. But you can also freeze large containers of chocolate milk–if you nab an extra in a BOGO sale, for instance, and can’t use it right away.

Remember that liquids expand when frozen, so you’ll want to be sure there are a few inches of headspace at the top of the container.

The color may change slightly during freezing, but shaking it well when it defrosts should bring it back to life.

Here’s more information about freezing and thawing chocolate milk.

Why You Need Chocolate Milk Ice Cubes In Your Life

Here’s what you can do with a batch of chocolate milk ice cubes:

• Add a few to a glass of white milk
• Drop one into piping hot coffee to cool it and add flavor
• Toss them into morning smoothies (like this Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie)
• Blend them into milkshakes
• Add them to cold coffee drinks to make coffee slushies
• Cover the tray with plastic wrap, push popsicle sticks through the wrap and into each cube, then freeze into mini chocolate ice pops

How to Freeze Chocolate Milk into Ice Cubes

It’s obviously pretty simple, and you only need one ingredient (chocolate milk).

• Fill the tray with chocolate milk, leaving a bit of room at the top.
• Cover with the lid or a piece of plastic wrap, and sit flat in the freezer until solid (setting it on a small baking tray is an easy way to prevent spills).
• Pop out the cubes into a freezer bag to use as needed.

But it’s important to have the right kind of ice cube tray.

When freezing things beyond water, you’ll want to use a food-grade ice cube tray. This food-grade ice cube tray is similar to the one I have, and I love that it has a lid to prevent spills!

Here are six other things you can freeze in your ice cube tray to make meal prep easier.

Questions About Chocolate Milk Ice Cubes

What kind of chocolate milk should I use?

Personally, I love the richness of whole chocolate milk (here’s why whole milk can be healthy too). But you can use low-fat as well.

How long do chocolate milk ice cubes last in the freezer?

For the best quality, I’d use your chocolate milk cubes within three months.

Is milk healthy?

Yes, unless you are allergic to it or can’t tolerate it. As a registered dietitian, I drink milk and serve it to my family. Here are some common milk myths and the facts.