Blue Milk, also known as Bantha Milk, was first spotted during a scene in Star Wars: A New Hope while Luke Skywalker sat sharing a meal with his aunt and uncle. While this version varies, I'm sure, from the milk produced by the female Banthas of Tatooine, this Star Wars Blue Milk Recipe is a delicious fruity drink that I'm sure you'll love!
Does This Taste Like Milk?
To fully answer that question, let's dive into the background of the blue milk from Star Wars, starting from when it was first seen in the movies. In the 4th movie in the series, Star Wars: A New Hope - the first movie to be released in 1977 - Luke Skywalker is seen drinking blue milk with his aunt and uncle on Tatooine.
According to Star Wars lore, blue milk comes from female banthas - giant beasts from the outer rim territories - which is the origin of the beverage's other frequently-used name: Bantha Milk.
Now let's talk about what the actors actually drank when filming scenes involving blue milk. According to many sources, the milk used on set was shelf-stable "long life" milk with a bit of blue food coloring. Yummy, right? Not so much. Mark Hamill himself has been quoted saying that the artificially-colored concoction was oily and made him gag.
When the franchise was acquired by Disney and the new attraction, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, was built in Disney's Hollywood Studios, it was no surprise that blue milk (and its close cousin: green milk) would be on the menu.
Disney made the smart decision to take some big liberties on the flavor of their version of blue milk, and it's widely published that the flavor of the park version consists of a base of rice and coconut milk with the flavors of lime, dragon fruit, watermelon, and pineapple. Despite its name, there is no dairy in the park's version of the beverage.
Ingredients Needed
- Kiwi - the park's version of blue milk is flavored with dragon fruit, which is often expensive and difficult to find. Kiwi is a close substitute for the dragon fruit. I blended up a kiwi and strained out the solids to scoop the liquid left over into the blue milk. If you don't want to go to this amount of effort, simply use a few tablespoons of fresh pear juice - also similar in flavor to dragon fruit - instead.
- Pineapple Juice - I used 100% juice for best flavor.
- Lime Juice - Just a tablespoon to add a little bit of tartness to the drink.
- Watermelon Juice - I used Simply Watermelon Juice as an easy way to infuse the needed watermelon flavor.
- Rice Milk - Use fully sweetened rice milk to offset the tang in the other ingredients.
- Coconut Milk - I chose to use the full-fat canned version, but you can use the lite variety instead.
- Blue Food Coloring - You won't need much, just a few drops to give the drink its signature light blue color.
- Simple Syrup - I found that the beverages needed a small bit of sweetness to take the sour level down a notch, and a teaspoon of simple syrup did the trick. You can use honey or agave instead, or leave it out entirely.
- Xanthan Gum - Instead of creating a frozen version of blue milk to make it thick, I used xanthan gum to add some frothy, creamy texture. You only need a tiny bit - ¼ teaspoon or so!
Things To Keep In Mind
When creating this Star Wars Blue Milk Recipe, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding appearance. Depending on the size of the holes in your fine mesh strainer, it's likely you will have some kiwi seeds make it into the final product, causing a speckled appearance.
This didn't bother me as the flavor was intact, but if you want a more "pure" looking blue milk, make sure you are using a very fine strainer or skipping the kiwi altogether and using pear juice instead.
Can I Make This In Advance?
Unfortunately, you'll need to make this Star Wars Blue Milk recipe immediately before serving. Once the drink sits for a while, the ingredients will separate, so blend it up and drink it up!
How Do I Make A Frozen Version?
You can add a small handful of ice cubes to the blender for a tasty frozen treat! I still recommend using the xanthan gum, as that will add a lovely frothy creaminess similar to a Wendy's Frosty.
PrintStar Wars Blue Milk Recipe
While not the food-colored shelf stable milk product from the Star Wars movie sets or actual blue milk from female Banthas, this interpretation of Star Wars Blue Milk is closer to the version served at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Total Time: 8 minutes
- Yield: 2 medium glasses 1x
Ingredients
I recommend that all ingredients be chilled prior to starting.
- 1 medium, ripe kiwi
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- ½ cup watermelon juice
- ½ cup rice milk
- ½ cup canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon simple syrup*
- blue food coloring
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
Instructions
- Peel kiwi, cut into thirds, and blend until mostly smooth. Press contents of blender through a fine mesh strainer and place into a small bowl. Give blender a quick rinse.
- Add pineapple juice, watermelon juice, rice milk, coconut milk, lime juice, simple syrup, and a few drops of blue food coloring to blender. Measure out 2 tablespoons of kiwi pulp and add to blender. Blend until fully combined.
- Add xanthan gum to blender and blend for an additional 20-30 seconds - the blue milk should thicken up a little - add more xanthan gum ⅛ teaspoon a time until desired consistency is achieved. Adjust food coloring until desired blue coloring is achieved.
Notes
If you don't have simple syrup, you can use honey (it will add a bit of flavor) or agave nectar instead.
Kiwi is used as it is a close substitute for dragon fruit, which can be expensive and difficult to find. Both will add visible seeds to the blue milk. If you'd rather have a smoother appearance, you can use up to ¼ cup of pear juice instead.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 3 mins
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Blender
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