Mocha Frappuccino (Starbucks Copycat Recipe)

Frappuccinos come in all colors, flavors and sizes, literally. The category has grown exponentially since it hit the mainstream in 1995. Amongst all the varieties, seasonal specialties are very much appreciated, but others are true classics and stand the test of time, like the mocha Frappuccino.

The café mocha, which could be roughly described as a chocolate, coffee and milk combination, is a classic and it’s up there with the espresso, the cappuccino and the latte. When blended with ice, the trio of ingredients becomes a tasty, creamy and refreshing drink that’s hard not to love.

Chocolate lovers are often the same people you see making a line at coffee shops, so it comes as no surprise that the flavor combination is a crowd-pleaser. Today we’re making our own mocha Frappuccino Starbucks-style, and I promise you’ll love it. Let’s break this recipe down.

We need coffee, of course, and for me, chocolate goes better with a shot of heavy roast espresso, Arabica or a Robusta blend. We want all those smoky, charred and even chocolaty flavors in the dark beans.

For chocolate, many people use chocolate syrup, but I’m not sure that’s your safest bet — it’s just too artificial and cloyingly sweet. We’ll add a spoonful of authentic dark cocoa powder 100% cacao instead, Unsweetened and raw. This is primal stuff, and in the end, it kinda tastes more like Starbucks bitter-sweet mocha sauce. 

For the milk, you can use regular, low-fat, and even coconut or almond milk. I use half & half because I like my mocha Frappuccino creamy. Keep in mind that the blended ice waters down the drink, so you want to use milk with some density.

Since the cacao powder will add no sweetness to your drink, you have the opportunity of making this one low-carb using your favorite sugar substitute. You can use regular sugar too (I use brown sugar, but let that be our little secret.)

Three ingredients, plus the sugar, are all you need to craft a mean mocha Frappuccino. We can make it even better. Once your frapp is ready, top it with a hot espresso for Starbucks super fun affogato style.