Want to learn how to make a healthy papaya milkshake? Papaya milk is a quick and easy Taiwanese drink that's good for your gut health and constipation. It's a fruit juice smoothie that is perfect for kids and adults! (It's popular) because there are grandmother's tales about how papaya stimulates breast growth. (Papaya & fish soup is actually part of the traditional confinement diet for new Chinese mothers post-partum))
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Like bubble tea, papaya milk (木瓜牛奶 mu gua niu nai) is a popular old-school street stall drink in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. (It's actually 1 of the earliest freshly squeezed juices commercially sold in Taiwan, dating to the 70s.)
Unlike the former though, it is not quite as common in other countries but luckily it is very easy to make at home. You only need 2-3 ingredients and a few minutes! (I'll spare you the waffle so scroll under the Recipe Card if you want to learn about the health benefits.)
Ingredients
You only need 2 ingredients:
- Papaya
- You need a papaya that is almost too ripe- like bananas, this gives the papaya more flavour (and makes it sweeter). It also helps with the texture of the papaya milk
- A ripe papaya will have an orangey-red skin - the unripe one is green- and will be slightly soft to the touch. You should also be able to smell the papaya fragrance emitting from the uncut fruit.
- Leave a raw papaya out at room temperature to ripen, if necessary.
- I recommend freezing cut papayas as this is a good meal prep hack- The fruit ripens in a flash, and freezing is a great way to store any excess- simply cut into small cubes and freeze till you want to make this drink.
- If your papaya is not ripe enough, the flavour won't be very concentrated, so you will need to use more papaya (I have tested the recipe using up to 4 cups of cubed papaya to 1 cup of milk.) You may also need to add a sweetener as unripe papaya can be slightly tasteless.
- The taste will vary depending on the species of papaya used, so you may want to try it with different types of the orange fruit.
- You need a papaya that is almost too ripe- like bananas, this gives the papaya more flavour (and makes it sweeter). It also helps with the texture of the papaya milk
- Fresh Milk
- Low-fat milk tastes like icky dishwater so I prefer full-cream milk.
- You can also use UHT milk
- If you don't add any milk, you'll be making papaya juice!
- Substitutes: if you're lactose intolerant, I have seen people make a drink using papayas and bananas or coconut, almond or oat milk though I've never tried it myself. Recipe suggestions include:
- Papaya pineapple & almond milk
- Papaya oatmeal & almond milk
- Papaya, oat milk and cinnamon
- Papaya & coconut milk smoothie
- Papaya & banana coconut milkshake
- (Optional) Sweetener
- Honey or condensed milk (don't completely substitute the fresh milk with condensed milk as that will make the drink too sweet.) Don't use sugar as it's difficult to blend it into a cold drink.
- Some like to add xantham gum (which will also help thicken the drink and create a texture more similar to a papaya milkshake)
Storage
Unfortunately, papaya milk does not keep well (even in the chiller) as the enzyme in the fruit reacts with milk proteins and leaves an unpleasant aftertaste.
So make it right before you want to drink it- it really is a breeze as it only tastes 2-3 minutes to blend if you already have cut papaya in the fridge or freezer.
Expert Tips
Expert Tip 1: Not everyone likes the smell and taste of papayas- especially people who didn't grow up in the tropics- so this may not be suitable for a big party! Honestly, whilst I do eat papaya, I don't really like the smell! My Mom loves the fruit though, hence the papaya recipes on this blog!
Expert Tip 2: Cut your fruit small to fit more in the cup- if not there will be more air than papaya!
Expert Tip 3: Papaya milk traditionally comes with a foamy layer at the top. Blend it longer if you want it frothier, like a papaya milkshake. If you want some variety, you can even add other fruits such as mango and pineapple (or banana to thicken it) for a proper papaya smoothie.
FAQ
It may have been made too long ago- papaya milk needs to be drunk immediately after blending as the enzyme in papaya reacts with the milk to produce a bitter flavour.
This is 1 of the most searched for "papaya and milk" queries. Papaya milk is a traditional Taiwanese street drink, and can also be found in Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong so many people have been consuming papaya and milk together without side effects. However, do note that some people may have allergies, especially those sensitive to latex. If you're uncertain whether you can mix papaya and milk, substitute with a plant-based milk instead.
Other Asian Drinks
Some of the most popular non-caffeinated drink recipes on Greedygirlgourmet include:
Liked this Easy Papaya Milk Recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below! If you REALLY liked this Taiwanese drink, please consider supporting it by buying me a papaya! 🙂 (No obligation though!) Thank you and have a great day!
Papaya Milk (Taiwanese drink)
Equipment
- Blender
- Knife and chopping board To cut the papaya
Ingredients
- 1 medium papaya that is very ripe (or 1-4 Cups of papaya, depending on how concentrated you like the flavour to be) Cut into small cubes. You can freeze extra to make papaya milk in future- the recipe works well with frozen fruit. Scroll down past the recipe card if you want to find out about the traditional benefits of papaya milk.
- 1 Cup milk I like full-cream. Feel free to use UHT milk. See the recipe post for dairy-free substitutes if vegan or allergic to dairy.
- Honey, xantham gum, or condensed milk Optional- you will need it if your papaya isn't very ripe. I don't recommend sugar as it's hard to mix into a cold drink.
Instructions
- Cup the papaya into small cubes
- Add to the blender with the milk.
- Whizz it till it's at the desired frothiness- for a thicker, fuller flavoured drink, add more papaya.
- Taste- if too bland, add a bit of honey, sugar or condensed milk.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
Health Benefits
Papaya is rich in the vitamins A, C and E, antioxidants which may help lessen the risk of heart disease by preventing the oxidation of cholesterol. However, some people may be allergic to the fruit, particularly people with a latex allergy.
Weight Loss
Some people like to drink papaya milk for weight loss, as the fruit contains fibre and the froth helps you feel temporarily full. (You can also add bananas to thicken it and help you feel full faster.)
However, do remember not to drink too much if using full-cream or condensed milk as they are high in animal fat.
Breast Enlargement
Fun fact: If you've ever read a Chinese webnovel- I read a ton, suffering through the bad machine translations online!- you'll know that papaya milk is associated with... shall we say making one more voluptuous?
To make your chest size grow, I've heard you need to use raw, green papaya though. I don't know if it really increases your breast size- I'm too old for it to work on me- and I'm not advocating it for this purpose, just sharing it as trivia.
Note: always consult a medical or healthcare professional before making changes to your diet!
Breast Milk
Papaya and fish soup is a traditional recipe served to new mothers in confinement in many parts of Asia as the fruit is believed to stimulate the production of breast milk. According to the SCMP (a Hong Kong newspaper), the most straightforward answer is papaya does NOT stimulate lactation.
Note: unripe papaya can be harmful for pregnant women. Always check with your doctor when pregnant!
Any questions about how to make Taiwanese Papaya Milkshake at home? Let me know in the comments!
Julie says
I made this papaya milk for me and my daughter and we used oat milk to make it dairy free. So creamy and delicious - Thanks! 😊
Zen says
Awww thanks for letting me know Julie, I am so happy your daughter and you enjoyed the papaya oat milk! 🙂 Happy readers' make my day 🙂
Wendy says
Tasted just like the one I had in TW. wish we could travel again
Tory says
Hahaha read about this In so many Chinese books and always wondered what it was. will def try this weekend
Zen says
Haha I am a secret addict of Chinese webnovels too Tori, hope you had fun making papaya milk