Mental Floss

Malt vs. Milkshake: What’s the Difference?

Whether you love dipping fries in shakes or malts, you should know the subtle yet tasty difference between the two.
ByCaLea Johnson|
Malted milk powder makes all the difference.
Malted milk powder makes all the difference. | Getty Images Anna Blazhuk/Naomi Rahim

Malts and milkshakes are both quintessential American treats and the perfect end to any diner meal. Although the two ice cream-based drinks look incredibly similar, one crucial ingredient sets them apart. Here’s how to tell the difference between the frosty beverages.

  1. How to Define Malts and Shakes
  2. So What Is Malt, Exactly?
  3. Popular Foods and Drinks Containing Malt

How to Define Malts and Shakes

There’s only a slight difference in ingredients when it comes to malts and milkshakes. Both creamy drinks have a base made of ice cream and milk. While vanilla and chocolate milkshakes are classics, people also get creative with the drinkable dessert, sometimes adding candies, cookies, and even whole slices of cake to it.

A malt, meanwhile, is a milkshake with malted milk powder. The ingredient gives the drink a nuttier depth of flavor compared to your average milkshake. In short, all malts are milkshakes, but not all milkshakes are malts.

Malt

Milkshake

Primary Ingredients

Milk, ice cream

Milk, ice cream

Is it a milkshake?

Yes

Yes

Does it contain malted milk powder?

Yes

No

Taste

Sweet, creamy, toasty, nutty

Sweet, creamy

So What Is Malt, Exactly?

Vanilla milkshake, strawberry milkshake and chocolate milkshake
Malted milk powder would go well with these. | Jeffrey Coolidge/GettyImages

Now that you know what a malted milkshake is, you may be wondering what malt is on its own. The ingredient is made by processing cereal grains—mainly barley, but others are sometimes utilized. The complicated procedure involves soaking the grains until they sprout, heating them to halt growth, and then grinding them into a fine powder. 

The product has many uses. After the mashing stage, brewers can add yeast to the mixture to ferment the malt and make beer. According to Britannica, the majority of malt produced is used for beer production. Malt is an important ingredient in malted whiskey as well. Bakers may also add malt to flour to make baked goods, such as bagels and Belgian waffles. 

But people usually don’t use plain malt for milkshakes; that’s where malted milk powder comes in. It’s made by combining malt with evaporated milk solids. The result is a toasty, earthy flavor that adds a layer of complexity to an otherwise straightforward milkshake.

Popular Foods and Drinks Containing Malt

  • Beer
  • Malted milkshakes
  • Malted milk balls
  • Ovaltine
  • Bagels
  • Malt whiskey
  • Malt vinegar

If you’re someone who likes to dip fries in their milkshake, you’re not alone. Science has proven that the sweet and salty combination is appealing to many people.

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