Hello, my lovely people! 👋 I am back with another Hwachae recipe today, but this time it is made with lots of antioxidant-filled berries. It is called the Berry Hwachae with Strawberry Milk. Hwachae is a Korean fruit punch that is sweet and refreshing, making it perfect for the warmer season. This berry Hwachae with strawberry milk is dedicated to my little auntie, who used to make Hwachae with fresh raspberries and milk in Korea when I was a kid.

It is starting to feel like spring in Oslo, Norway, where I live. I feel some warm air and can smell a spring smell. You know, the warm and moist smell from the wet soil from melted snow. That’s the spring smell I’m talking about. It makes me crave more fresh fruits. I am still drinking hot chocolate at home, but much less often than before. Well, I guess it’s time for more iced lattes, ice creams, and fruits! Woohoo!

Introduction to Berry Hwachae with Strawberry Milk

In Korea, where I am originally from, we usually add milk and Sprite for Hwachae. Or either one of these two. But I saw that Hwachae with store-bought strawberry milk was getting popular in America. I found it interesting, so I tried and developed this recipe. It is sweet, refreshing, and juicy.

I hope you all like this berry Hwachae recipe like I did. 🍓🫐

🍉 What is Hwachae?

Hwachae (화채) is a traditional Korean fruit punch. Please allow me to be a little nerdy here. 🤓 According to the Encyclopedia of Korean National Culture, it is a drink made by adding fruits and flower petals to sugar or honey-sweetened water. It also states that there are many cold drinks and desserts in Korea, and Hwachae is one of the well-known ones.

It is often enjoyed and served as a dessert or snack in the summer in Korea.

🍉 Modern Hwachae

There are traditional Hwachae recipes such as Jindale-Hwachae, which is made with Korean rosebay flowers and five-flavor berries. This was served in the Royal Palace. Making fruit punch with flowers? That sounds so romantic! I would love to make that one day. But I don’t know where to get those edible rosebay flowers.

These days, there are modern Hwachae developed in Korea. Now we add milk, soda, and lots of other fruits that were once not available in Korea. But there are still some structures to the “Hwachae” we call. And on the same note, this Berry Hwachae is a modern Hwachae with Korean key points to making Hwachae.

Watermelon Hwachae: The most popular Hwachae in Korea is certainly the Watermelon Hwachae, I have my recipe on my blog as well!

Why You’ll Love This Berry Hwachae Recipe

If you haven’t decided if you want to make this berry Hwachae with strawberry milk, let me tell you why you’ll love this dish.

🇰🇷 Trendy Korean Recipe

Do you like trying something new? This is a berry Hwachae, a Korean fruit punch with a modern tweak. But this is certainly how we make Hwachae in Korea these days. And it is popular for a reason!

🍒 Refreshing & Hydrating

It has many fresh fruits and natural liquid from the fruits, making it so refreshing and hydrating.

☑️ Easy to Make

It is super easy to make. Just wash some berries, blend some fruits with a stick blender, mix, and you are done—easy peasy.

🍯 Naturally Sweet & Healthy

We are going to add some sweetener to the Hwachae, but we certainly don’t need a lot. The berries and watermelon in the Hwachae will make this dish naturally sweet and therefore healthy.

We will make the strawberry milk with natural ingredients.

🌱 Naturally Plant-Based

This recipe is naturally plant-based, making it suitable for anyone. Who wouldn’t want to eat a bowl of berries with sweetened milk, chilled in the summer? You can make this for anyone. And on that note, this is also a great dessert for kids. I used to eat this type of Hwachae a lot growing up in Korea.

Ingredients for Berry Hwachae with Strawberry Milk

I don’t know why, but there has to be some sort of watermelon when making Hwachae in Korea. It’s almost like without watermelon, people don’t consider it a proper “Hwachae.” And often, it is served in a bowl with watermelon rind. It makes it super festive, and it tastes great with watermelon, so there is nothing to complain about it. I just don’t know why or where it all started. Do any of you know? If you do, please let me know! 🤗

Here are some ingredients for the berry Hwachae with strawberry milk.

1. Strawberries

To make the strawberry milk, we are going to use the real strawberries for the recipe. I’ve tried the recipe with store-bought strawberry milk, and well… I liked to keep the ingredients natural. There is a very popular strawberry milk from Binggrae in Korea, and you could certainly use this instead of using oat milk in the recipe.

I will use strawberries not only to make the real strawberry milk but also to add them in the berry Hwachae. I love strawberries!

2. Raspberries

Raspberries also grow naturally in Korea. We call raspberries “mountain strawberries” (산딸기) in Korean. My little auntie used to make a very simple hwachae with fresh raspberries and sweetened milk. It was one of the best desserts ever. So as a tribute to her, I will add lots of raspberries in the berry recipe.

3. Blueberries

Blueberries are not native to Korea, but now they sell lots of blueberries worldwide. I love the big, juicy blueberries from the States. We will use them for natural sweetness and freshness.

4. Watermelon

As I said, watermelon is an indispensable ingredient in the Hwachae in Korea. I used the rind to serve the hwachae, and it looks so beautiful. I only used some parts of the watermelon flesh for the recipe. You could eat the rest of the watermelon flesh later.

I used a small baby watermelon for the portion of 2-3 in the recipe.

5. Plant Milk

I love using oat milk for the recipe for its natural sweetness and creaminess, but you could replace it with any plant milk of your choice.

6. Sweetener & Salt

We have lots of natural sweetness from the fruits, but we can make the most out of some sweeteners and salt. Some sweetener and a little bit of salt can make a huge difference to the Hwachae!

I will add some sugar or a sugar substitute like erythritol. I love using erythritol, which is a 1:1 substitute for sugar, like Erythritol Granules from Micro Ingredients. It doesn’t have any calories nor spike up blood sugar.

7. Other Optional Ingredients

Those above were the key ingredients for the berry Hwachae with strawberry milk. But you could be creative and add more if you like! Here are some of the optional ingredient ideas for you.

• Other berries: There are so many amazing berries out there, so adding them is a great idea. Did you know that grapes are also berries? I love using some green grapes for the recipe.
• Mint for decoration: I like adding mint just for decoration. Use lemon blam mint; I think they are the best to use in the Hwachae.

Steps to Making Berry Hwachae with Strawberry Milk

Now that we have gone through the ingredients for the wonderful berry Hwachae, let us go through the steps to making the berry Hwachae. They are quite simple and easy!

1. Prepare & wash the ingredients.

First, prepare all the berries and a baby watermelon. Wash all the berries and the watermelon.

You can cut strawberries into bite-sized pieces.

2. Cut the watermelon and take out the flesh.

Cut the watermelon in half.

Take out most of the flesh from the watermelon. Set aside the flesh in the fridge.

3. Make strawberry milk. (Or add strawberry milk.)

Add the milk and some strawberries to the watermelon. Add some of the watermelon flesh, sugar, and salt here. Using a stick blender, blend until smooth.

I love how vibrant and gorgeous the colors are in Hwachae.

4. Add the berries.

Add all the berries to the homemade strawberry milk in the watermelon rind.

5. Cover & chill.

Cover everything and chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

6. Decorate and serve!

Take out the berry Hwachae from the fridge. You can decorate it with some mint here and add more watermelon flesh from earlier to serve. Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I use frozen fruits?

You could use some frozen fruits in here. I would use only one or two frozen fruits that hold flesh fairly well, like frozen cherries or frozen American blueberries. I like adding some frozen cherries because it adds a really nice pink color to the milk. Other frozen fruits, such as strawberries, wild blueberries, or raspberries, become mushy when they are thawed. We want juicy and fresh fruits here.

Q. How long does Hwachae last?

You can store it in the fridge for up to 1 day, but I don’t recommend storing it longer than that. The fruits will get mushy, and the berries can go bad quite easily.

Berry Hwachae with Strawberry Milk Recipe | Original Korean

Other Recipes You Might Like

No-Knead Best Whole Wheat Focaccia Recipe | 3 Topping Ideas

View Recipe

Learn how to make the best homemade whole wheat focaccia step by step with pictures. It is easy to make, full of flavors, and healthy with fiber and antioxidants!

Best Vegan Protein Waffle Recipe | Dairy-Free, Egg-Free!

View Recipe

This black sesame latte recipe is great for anyone looking for a healthy protein drink. Learn how to make this popular Korean latté with simple ingredients.

 

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you if you choose to purchase the recommended product. The support allows me to research and continue working to provide the best information for you. Please rest assured that I only give my honest opinions and recommendations.