I Tasted 9 Shake Shack Milkshakes And Ranked Them Worst To Best

I love milkshakes and malts, whether I'm sipping one alongside a burger and fries or enjoying it on its own. The only problem? I almost never have the ingredients at home to make a proper milkshake. So, I'm looking for the closest, fastest option when a craving hits. A classic malt-shop shake sounds dreamy, but as a busy toddler mom, I don't exactly have the time, energy, or budget for a $15 milkshake that isn't made to go. Plus, dragging my little one into a sit-down malt shop feels more stressful than satisfying.

Shake Shack, however, offers a glimmer of hope: a malt-shop-quality milkshake for less than $10 — a steal in today's world, where prices are high, including at Shake Shack. So when I had the opportunity to try a bunch of milkshakes on its menu, I was thrilled.

To be fair, none of these shakes is bad. It really comes down to personal preference, not only in terms of flavor but also texture. Do you like cookie chunks that require a tiny bit of chewing? Are you pairing your shake with fries and a Shake Shack sandwich, or sipping it solo? I kept all of these questions in mind as I evaluated the nine shakes offered at my local Shake Shack in San Diego, California. My full methodology is explained below.

For the 2025 winter holiday season, Shake Shack introduced a limited-edition shake inspired by the classic British dessert, sticky toffee pudding. It's made with Shake Shack's in-house vanilla frozen custard blended with chunks of sticky toffee pudding cake, caramelized brown-sugar, and a generous swirl of toffee sauce. The date fruit–flavored cake pieces are fully incorporated into the thick, creamy custard base, though you will need to give a quick, gentle chew now and then. The shake is finished with a topping of whipped cream and an extra drizzle of sticky toffee pudding sauce, making it as visually indulgent as it is flavorful.

The shake flavor itself is well-balanced and surprisingly not overly sweet. The cake bits act like little flavor bombs, amplifying the caramelized toffee notes and giving each bite a satisfying richness. While I appreciated the craftsmanship, it wasn't my favorite. It has more texture than I prefer in my milkshakes, and I'm not a fan of sticky toffee pudding, so it didn't capture my heart.

It's priced a bit higher than the core menu flavors, but it's still a solid value for a seasonal shake flavor. This is worth trying if you're a sticky toffee pudding enthusiast or simply like a rich, textured milkshake. Interestingly, when I picked up my order, one of the managers at the location I went to mentioned that this was his favorite, which goes to show this shake (even though available for a limited time) has its devoted fans.

If you're a coffee connoisseur, you'll be pleased to know that Shake Shack offers a coffee milkshake year-round. It's made by blending dark roast coffee with the chain's house-made vanilla frozen custard, creating a creamy, caffeinated sweet treat that can perk you up midday. The coffee aroma hits immediately when you open the lid. Flavor-wise, the shake is smooth and velvety, with the espresso flavor cutting through the sweetness of the vanilla custard, leaving a subtle, slightly bitter finish.

If you're looking for a milkshake that feels lighter and less sugar-heavy, the coffee shake is a good option on Shake Shack's menu. That said, this one simply isn't for me as I'm not much of a coffee drinker. I only drink it because my sleep is often interrupted by my little ones. And when I drink coffee, I prefer the bitter flavor to be heavily softened with creamer. The dark roast bitterness in the coffee milkshake blends smoothly with the vanilla custard, but it still has a powerful coffee flavor. 

If this were the only milkshake available, I'd drink it. But paired with a burger and fries? Definitely not. That said, if you love coffee or want something a little different than an iced coffee, this milkshake is for you.

Chocolate milkshakes are a classic for a reason, and Shake Shack's version starts with its house-made chocolate custard, finished with an optional swirl of whipped cream. It's creamy and rich, with that unmistakable chocolatey ice cream aroma that hits the moment you pop off the lid. While I genuinely love chocolate and have sipped plenty of chocolate milkshakes in my life, this particular version leaned a little too cocoa-forward for my taste buds. Instead of the soft, velvety chocolate profile I prefer, the custard brought a slightly bittersweet depth that surprised me.

Chocolate milkshakes typically come together in one of two ways: either with chocolate ice cream or custard as the base, or by starting with vanilla and adding cocoa powder or a fudge-style syrup to create a chocolatey flavor. Shake Shack uses the former, a full chocolate custard base, a choice that makes a big difference in taste. If you prefer a bold, deep, chocolate milkshake without any trace of vanilla, then you'll love this. It has that pure cocoa vibe that true chocolate purists often gravitate toward.

It's certainly not a bad milkshake by any means. In fact, seeing chocolate land this low on my ranking made me question myself for a moment. But instead of viewing this as a knock on the shake itself, consider it proof of just how strong Shake Shack's lineup is. The competition is fierce, and with so many standout flavors, something had to land in seventh place.

Given that Shake Shack makes both in-house vanilla and chocolate frozen custards, it's only natural that someone eventually realized combining the two would result in a winning milkshake. The vanilla chocolate milkshake blends the rich chocolate custard with the smooth, creamy vanilla. While it still leans toward a dark chocolate flavor rather than the milk chocolate-style sweetness you might expect from a classic combo vanilla chocolate milkshake, this version is satisfying and well-executed.

The texture is ultra-smooth and creamy, melting in your mouth with every sip. It's a shake that works beautifully alongside a burger and fries, but it also stands on its own as a dessert. The whipped cream on top adds another layer of richness, helping to highlight the vanilla notes mixed in with the chocolate flavor.

That said, in the context of Shake Shack's full milkshake lineup, this flavor isn't quite the showstopper. There are other seasonal and specialty shakes that deliver bolder, more exciting flavor profiles that would be my first choice to enjoy solo or with a meal. Still, for fans of classic combinations, the Vanilla and Chocolate Shake is a reliable, comforting choice. It's a crowd-pleasing middle ground between chocolate and vanilla, and a dependable treat for anyone seeking creamy indulgence without surprises.

I don't typically order vanilla milkshakes because it's not the flavor that jumps out at me on a menu, but Shake Shack's Vanilla Shake may have permanently changed my mind. Made with rich, creamy, house-made vanilla frozen custard and real vanilla, this is far from plain. It's thick, velvety, and just sweet enough. It's the kind of milkshake you take one sip of and suddenly realize you're already halfway through, which may or may not have happened during this taste review. The whipped cream on top adds a light, fluffy indulgence that complements the vanilla flavors underneath.

What surprised me most was how versatile this milkshake is. Because vanilla has a gentler flavor profile than chocolate, it doesn't overpower anything you're eating alongside it. That makes it one of the easiest shakes to pair with a Shake Shack burger and fries. The vanilla doesn't distract from the savory, salty notes of the food. Instead, it acts almost like a palate cleanser, refreshing your taste buds between bites without competing for attention.

As a standalone treat, it's just as tasty. It's the kind of milkshake that works year-round: refreshing on a hot day, comforting on a cool one, and satisfying anytime you're simply craving something sweet and smooth. While vanilla may not be the flashiest option on the menu, Shake Shack's execution proves that simple doesn't mean boring.

Chocolate milkshakes are one of my go-to orders at any malt shop, so when I noticed the variety of chocolate-milkshake options at Shake Shack, my curiosity kicked in immediately. The Black & White Shake stood out, partly because it takes a different approach than the chain's standard chocolate offerings. Instead of starting with chocolate custard, the base is Shake Shack's signature house-made vanilla frozen custard, which is then blended with a rich chocolate fudge sauce. That single swap makes all the difference. And during the tasting, I realized this was the exact kind of chocolate milkshake I prefer.

The vanilla custard gives the shake an ultra-creamy, mellow foundation while the fudge sauce brings in a deep, silky chocolate note. Together, they create a flavor profile that leans more toward nostalgic chocolate milk than dense chocolate ice cream. It's smooth, balanced, and far easier to drink alongside food than heavier chocolate shakes often are. I especially appreciated that it didn't overpower the taste of a burger or fries; instead, it complemented the meal without competing for attention.

It's clear why this shake is available year-round. It's dependable, crowd-pleasing, and strikes that perfect middle ground between chocolatey and refreshing. If you're someone who loves chocolate milkshakes but doesn't always want the richness of full chocolate custard, the Black & White Shake is the sweet spot you've been searching for.

The Christmas Cookie Shake is a seasonal offering that blends Shake Shack's vanilla custard with frozen sugar cookie dough, then tops it all with whipped cream and festive red and green sprinkles. I didn't expect this milkshake to rank as high as it did, but the moment I realized it was one of the first milkshakes I fully finished while sampling every milkshake flavor for this review, I knew it was something special.

This milkshake tastes like a soft, frosted sugar cookie in liquid form. The sugar cookie dough is blended so smoothly and evenly into the creamy vanilla custard that I kept taking extra sips just to figure out what, exactly, I was tasting. Was it a chunk of actual cookie that needed chewing? Was it just a perfectly flavored syrup? The line between the two became deliciously blurred. I would never have ordered this flavor on my own, but the fact that I sipped it all the way down until the straw made that unmistakable slurping noise has me rethinking what I apparently enjoy more than I thought.

While this shake could be paired with food, it really shines as a standalone dessert because it's so rich and indulgent. The holiday sprinkles slowly melt into the whipped cream and custard, adding a soft crunch here and there. They're gentle enough that even my toddler could take a small sip without issue, which added a sweet little moment to the tasting experience.

Oreo cookies are delicious on their own, but there's something almost magical that happens when they're blended into a milkshake. Cookies and cream is my husband's go-to shake flavor, and over the years, I've dragged out a rolling pin to crush Oreos for homemade versions. Somehow, I never manage to get the texture quite right as the cookies end up pulverized into dust or left in giant chunks that clog the straw. Shake Shack, however, absolutely nails the balance with its Cookies and Cream Shake. It's rich and decadent with perfectly sized chocolate cookie crumbles mixed with vanilla custard.

Make no mistake: This is a milkshake that requires chewing. If you're the type who wants a completely smooth shake, this won't be your match. I'm not usually a fan of eating my milkshakes either. Sure, a stray strawberry chunk is fine, but anything more than that can feel distracting. But between the tender chocolate cookie pieces and the way the cream filling spreads across your palate with each bite, I found myself making an exception. In this case, the texture adds to the experience of the milkshake rather than interrupting it.

Much like the Christmas Cookie Shake, this one disappeared faster than I expected. The balance of creamy custard and cookie crunch makes it incredibly satisfying, and while I think it shines best as a standalone dessert rather than paired with food, it's absolutely worth ordering, especially if you're a cookies-and-cream loyalist.

There is something undeniably nostalgic about a strawberry milkshake. It's the flavor I return to again and again for a reason because it's a fresh flavor that can be enjoyed on its own or with a burger and fries. Shake Shack's version is a perfect example of how simple ingredients, handled with care, can create something memorable. Made with real pieces of strawberries blended into the chain's house-made vanilla frozen custard, this milkshake has a delicate pink hue that nods to its flavor before you even take the first sip.

The strawberry notes are bright but soft, blending smoothly with the creamy vanilla custard. The use of real strawberries keeps this milkshake from tasting artificial. What I appreciate most is how thoroughly the strawberries are integrated into the creamy custard base. It's silky and smooth without any large fruit chunks to deal with. That smoothness makes the strawberry milkshake especially easy to sip alongside food. Some milkshake flavors compete with burgers and fries, but this one complements them instead.

Of all the milkshakes on the menu, this is the one that feels the most versatile. It works as a dessert, a pairing, or a treat all on its own — and it never fails to hit the spot.

For this piece, I tasted all nine milkshake flavors currently offered at my local Shake Shack in San Diego, California. I ordered them online through the Shake Shack website and opted to add whipped cream for an additional cost. The two seasonal winter milkshakes came with whipped cream included and were priced slightly higher than the others. Shake Shack milkshakes come in one standard size with limited customization — whether or not to add whipped cream.

When I arrived for pickup, the staff topped the shakes with whipped cream on the spot to prevent them from melting into the shake prematurely. They offered to give me the whipped cream on the side, but I wanted each milkshake assembled exactly as intended, including any drizzles or toppings for this ranking.

I tasted the shakes back-to-back, taking a sip of water between each one to cleanse my palate. I tried to evaluate more than just whether a shake tasted "good." I considered how each flavor and texture might pair with a Shake Shack cheeseburger and fries: Would that change my preference? Since the core milkshakes all cost the same, price wasn't a deciding factor. I also thought about how easy each flavor would be to recreate at home and whether any reminded me of shakes from other fast-food chains or a traditional malt shop.

Although all of the milkshakes were enjoyable, personal preference inevitably played a role. Texture, sweetness level, and how much "chewing" a shake required also influenced how I ranked them.