"Milkshake" received critical acclaim upon its release, both for its production as well as Kelis' vocal performance.
About.com's Joey Rivaldo rated the song four out of five stars, and stated: "Clearly this is the case of my milkshake is better than yours, so grab yours quick, or we'll have to charge." While reviewing the soundtrack to the film
Mean Girls (2004), in which "Milkshake" is featured, Heather Phares of
AllMusic wrote that the song describes "the movie's playfully menacing undercurrent", and called the song "fantastic", and that it is "basically a three-minute tutorial in sex appeal."
Rollie Pemberton of
Pitchfork called the song "brilliant", and said: "Equal parts cantina gyration and future-funk, Kelis plays the coquette, enticing the entire American male populace with rhythmic coos while simultaneously providing an apt tutorial for aspiring temptresses." Tony Naylor of
NME called the song "probably the oddest track" on the
Tasty album. Adam Webb of
Yahoo! Music UK said that the song "nestles in seamlessly, the rhythm as relentless as a parade of majorettes with Kelis upfront as the cheerleader." Neil Drumming of
Entertainment Weekly called the song a "lusty party anthem". Ernest Hardy of
Rolling Stone called it "the superfreakiest song on the charts", Sal Cinquemani of
Slant Magazine called it "thick and creamy", Steve Jones of
USA Today called it "saucy", and of
The Guardian said that in the song "Kelis exploits her husky croon like never before, pouring it over lascivious double entendre."
The Observer named the song the best single of 2004. In 2005,
Pitchfork made a list of the top 100 singles of 2000–2004, listing "Milkshake" at number 21.
Stylus Magazine named the song the 13th-best single of 2000–2005. In October 2011,
NME placed it at number 136 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". In 2004, "Milkshake" was nominated for a
Grammy Award for
Best Urban/Alternative Performance. ==Commercial performance==