A milkshake is only as good as the ice cream that goes into it. That's the whole pitch. At Ryan's, every shake is hand-spun to order from the same small-batch ice cream in the case, which means the flavor list isn't vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. It's two dozen homemade flavors, plus whatever the seasonal board is doing this week, at two Monmouth County shops open until 10 PM every night.
Why "hand-spun" matters
Plenty of shakes start from a mix or a syrup. Ours start with a scoop. The crew pulls the flavor you point at from the case, spins it thick by hand, and tops it with whipped cream. That's the difference between a shake that tastes like a flavor and a shake that tastes like the ice cream, and it's why the milkshake page has a simple rule: if you can scoop it, we can shake it.
Ordering is easy: name a flavor, or ask the counter what's fresh. Keep it classic, go seasonal, or try something different every visit. The shake comes out thick enough to need the spoon and cold enough to survive the ride home, and it's built the same way whether it's 1 PM on a Saturday or 9:45 on a Tuesday night.
24 flavors, and every one of them shakes
The homemade lineup is the milkshake menu. Some starting points:
- The classics: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Coffee. The reason diners exist.
- The upgrades: Vanilla Fudge, Cookies and Cream, Cookie Dough, Salted Caramel, Butter Pecan.
- The candy aisle: Reese's Blast, Reese's Peanut Butter, Fruity Pebbles, Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch.
- The deep cuts: Coffee Chip, Mint Chip, Raspberry Bomb, Cherry Vanilla, Chocolate Cherry, Banana.
- The seasonal shake: this fall, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Maple Walnut, Cinnamon, or Caramel Apple while they're in the case. A Pumpkin shake in October is the regulars' move.
Want the full tour before you pick? Our flavor tour walks the whole case, and the Flavor Wheel will pick for you if the line is moving faster than your decision.
Where to get one, and until when
Both open shops make shakes all day, every day:
- Tinton Falls: 462 Shrewsbury Ave, Tinton Falls, NJ 07701. Open daily 11 AM to 10 PM. (732) 842-5874. Under ten minutes from Red Bank, about five from Shrewsbury, about ten from Eatontown and the Monmouth Mall area.
- Oakhurst: 1805 NJ-35, Oakhurst, NJ 07755. Open daily 12 PM to 10 PM. (732) 517-0000. In Ocean Township, about ten minutes from Asbury Park and about fifteen from Long Branch.
Our Hazlet shop on Route 36 is temporarily closed; the areas we serve pages list the closest open shop for every town from Middletown to Neptune.
The milkshake as a group strategy
The Asbury Park page says it best: a round of thick hand-spun milkshakes is the fastest way ever devised to end a group argument about where to get dessert. Someone gets a cone, someone gets a sundae, someone gets Italian ice, and the person who couldn't decide gets a shake they can drink in the car. Root beer floats made with homemade vanilla are on the board too, for the traditionalists.
It's also the ideal post-practice order. A shake travels, it doesn't drip on the seat, and it can be handed backward without anyone unbuckling. Jennifer Cruz Vasquez, reviewing the Oakhurst shop on Google, noted the part that matters when the team bus is idling: "The workers were all kind and friendly and very quick with my order." Our post-game scoops post has the rest of that tradition.
Dairy-free in the group? Milkshakes are dairy, full stop, but nobody waits in the car: 100% dairy-free Dole soft serve in pineapple, strawberry, and cherry and dairy-free Italian ice in nine flavors are in the same case. Our vegan guide covers the options.
Shakes for the freezer at home
The shake itself is a counter order, but the ingredient goes home. Hand-packed quarts in any flavor mean the Coffee Chip you loved in the cup can be the base of Saturday's blender project, and pre-packed quarts are ready in the freezer for grab-and-go. If you're stocking up for a party instead, custom ice cream cakes take 48 hours' notice: call the shop and the crew handles the rest.
Quick answers
Where can I get a milkshake near me in Monmouth County? Ryan's Homemade Ice Cream in Tinton Falls (462 Shrewsbury Ave) and Oakhurst (1805 Route 35). Both are open until 10 PM daily.
What flavors can a milkshake be? Any homemade flavor in the case, two dozen and more, plus the seasonal flavors while they last.
Are the milkshakes made with real ice cream? Yes. Every shake is hand-spun from Ryan's small-batch ice cream made on premises, then topped with whipped cream. Here's what "homemade" means at Ryan's.
