Mandi Knowles, RDN - Senior Director of Research & Development, Wellina
Published: September 1, 2026
A milkshake made with ice cream is a dessert. A milkshake made with Greek yogurt is closer to a snack and the difference comes down to what's doing the work.
Swap the ice cream for low-fat plain Greek yogurt and you get the same thick, cold, spoon-resistant texture, but the creaminess comes from protein rather than cream. Ripe peaches bring enough sweetness that you need very little added sugar, and a splash of nonfat milk thins it to drinking consistency. Five ingredients, 160 calories a serving, and it tastes like the thing you actually wanted.
Here's what makes it work, and how to change it to suit you.
Why freeze the yogurt first
It's tempting to skip step two and blend everything at once. Don't. That's the step that separates a milkshake from a smoothie.
Blending unfrozen yogurt with fresh peaches gives you something thin and drinkable. Freezing the sweetened yogurt first and then blending it breaks the ice crystals down into something closer to soft-serve, so the finished shake holds its body in the glass instead of separating while you drink it.
An ice cube tray works fine. An ice cream maker works better if you have one.
Peaches: fresh or frozen
Fresh peaches at their peak are worth using, and this recipe was built around them. But frozen peach slices are picked ripe, they're available year-round, and they mean you can skip the freezing step entirely. Just blend them straight from the freezer with the yogurt mixture and you'll get the same texture in about a third of the time.
If you're using canned peaches, choose ones packed in juice rather than syrup, and drain them well.
Peach Milkshake Recipe
Servings: 4
Nutrition Facts Per Serving:
Calories: 160
Total Carbohydrates: 21g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 13g
Ingredients:
2 cups low fat plain Greek yogurt
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups peaches (1 cup sliced, ½ cup chopped finely)
½ cup nonfat milk
Directions:
- Mix together the yogurt, sugar and vanilla extract.
- Make frozen yogurt: Freeze the yogurt mixture in an ice cube tray, then blend in a blender until creamy. If you have an ice cream maker, you can use that instead according to manufacturer's directions and freeze for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Place the yogurt mixture, milk and 1 cup of sliced peaches in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Stir the finely diced peaches into the blended milkshake.
- Pour into glasses and serve.
Three ways to change it
Make it higher in protein. Blend in a scoop of vanilla shake mix along with the milk. Vanilla and peach are a natural pairing, and it turns a snack into something that holds you over for longer — useful if you're using this as an afternoon bridge rather than a dessert. Our protein shakes and bars work well here.
Cut the added sugar. With genuinely ripe peaches you can drop the sugar to a tablespoon, or leave it out altogether. Taste the yogurt mixture before you freeze it, that's your one chance to adjust.
Make it dairy-free. A plain unsweetened coconut or almond yogurt works, though the texture will be softer and you'll likely want the full 3 tablespoons of sugar to balance it.
Getting the texture right
The most common problem is a shake that's too thick to drink. Add milk a tablespoon at a time rather than by the quarter-cup. It thins faster than you'd expect, and you can't take it back out.
Too thin usually means the yogurt wasn't frozen solid. Return it to the freezer for 20 minutes and blend again.
Where it fits
This is a good option for a warm afternoon when you want something cold and sweet that isn't a bowl of ice cream. It's also an easy one to make ahead. Freeze the sweetened yogurt in a tray, and you're four minutes from a finished shake whenever you want one.
If you'd rather skip the blender entirely, our high-protein shakes and snacks cover the same moment with nothing to make.
