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    Home » Recipes » Beverages

    Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino (instant coffee)

    by Mindy Boyd · Published: May 19, 2024 · Updated: Oct 16, 2024

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    ⏲️ 5 minutes mins
    Jump to Recipe

    Making a Starbucks Frappuccino at home has never been easier with our easy and delicious recipe. Instant coffee granules, milk, chocolate sauce and ice are blended together and then topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. It’s the perfect frozen coffee drink, especially on hot days!

    Two glasses full of Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino, one in full view and part of the other is in view.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredient Notes
    • How to make Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino Recipe
    • How to make a skinny version of Mocha Frappuccino
    • Tips
    • Does a Frappuccino have coffee?
    • Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino with instant coffee
    • Starbucks inspired syrup recipes
    Overhead view of one glass of Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino Recipe (with instant coffee) so the whipped cream and chocolate shavings are visible.

    I love making our favorite coffee drinks at home so we can skip the long lines at our local coffee shop. Plus, I can make many servings at home for a lot less money. The best part is we only need simple ingredients we almost always have on hand. 

    The other thing I love about making this type of drink at home is all the oohs and ahhs I get when I serve it. My family always seems to be impressed when I present them with one of these yummy drinks. They are left to wonder how I came up with my own recipe for these coffee shop favorites. 

    We love making drinks like this to get or caffeine fix but we sometimes like to have one later in the day so we use decaffeinated instant coffee. 

    Overhead view of 2 glasses of mocha frappuccino with silver straws in them.

    Looking for some copycat hot drinks? Check out my Copycat Starbucks Tuxedo Mocha or my Starbucks Sugar Cookie Latte recipe. They are easy and delicious!

    Ingredients

    See recipe card for exact amounts and full recipe. 

    The instant coffee, milk, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, ice and a Hershey bar to make this recipe.

    Ingredient Notes

    instant coffee – I use the brand I always have on hand that I use in baking and to make cold blended coffee drinks like these. Instant espresso powder can be used for stronger coffee flavor. 

    milk – we prefer whole milk because that is what we have on hand. Any type of milk can be used, skim milk, 1% milk, or 2% milk are great options. Dairy free options such as almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, or coconut milk will work. 

    chocolate sauce – we use Torani dark chocolate but store brand or Hershey’s chocolate syrup will work too. 

    ice – you will need to plan ahead and fill an ice cube tray and freeze it or buy ice at the store if you don’t have an ice maker. 

    whipped cream – I usually use the store brand whipped cream in a can because it is so convenient, homemade whipped cream is also good. 

    chocolate shavings – we grate part of a chocolate bar on our small grater, you can use mini chocolate chips or chop up regular sized chocolate chips. 

    Side view of two glasses full of Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino that was made with instant coffee.

    How to make Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino Recipe

    1. Put some whipped cream in the bottom of a tall glass, then add a drizzle of chocolate syrup or chocolate sauce. About 1/4 cup whipped cream and a tablespoon of chocolate sauce.
    2. Place the instant coffee, milk, chocolate sauce and ice in the pitcher of a blender. Blend on medium speed until you no longer hear chunks of ice hitting the sides of the blender, then blend on high for 20 seconds or so, then back to medium for about 10 seconds, then low for another 10 seconds or so.
    3. Pour the mixture into the glass on top of the whipped cream and top with more whipped cream and chocolate shavings. 
    The ingredients for one mocha frappuccino in a blender pitcher, not mixed on the left and mixed on the right.

    How to make a skinny version of Mocha Frappuccino

    Luckily basic ingredients like these can be found in low sugar, low-fat or nonfat versions. Milk and whipped cream both have non-fat and low fat versions, and I have seen zero sugar whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

    Tips

    • Once you learn the method that works in your specific blender you will be able to do it this way every time. 
    • You can adjust the amount of instant coffee and chocolate sauce to suit the amount of chocolate flavor and strength of coffee flavor you like best. I don’t recommend re-blending the drink so you would need to adjust these amounts the next time you make it. I typically make a new beverage 2 or 3 times before I end up with the final drink recipe. 

    Garnish ideas if you don’t have chocolate shavings

    • Drizzle additional chocolate syrup or chocolate sauce on top of the whipped cream.
    • Put some cocoa powder in a mesh strainer and sprinkle it on top of the whipped cream.
    Overhead view of one glass of mocha frappuccino, the whole glass is visible.

    What kind of blender does Starbucks use?

    I researched this and Starbucks uses a Vitamix blender. Amazon has it listed for $1,135! When I decided I wanted to make homemade versions of my favorite Starbucks Frappuccinos I figured I would need an upgrade from my cheaper Hamilton Beach smoothie maker so I bought a Ninja Professional 1000w blender (not an affiliate link, just wanted to show you what I use). I had a cap of how much I wanted to spend and this was the most powerful blender I could get for that amount. 

    Does a Frappuccino have coffee?

    Starbucks uses their own Frappuccino Roast and it does contain coffee. It is rich and smooth and was created particularly for blending with mix-ins. 

    They also designed a Frap roast pump that was designed to dispense just the right amount of Frappuccino Roast into each drink. 

    A glass of mocha frappucino, the recipe title is in text at the top so the image can be pinned on Pinterest.

    Did you love this recipe?

    We would love it if you’d leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!

    Two glasses of mocha frappuccino sitting on an aluminum looking platter.

    Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino with instant coffee

    Mindy Boyd
    Making a Starbucks Frappuccino at home has never been easier with our easy and delicious recipe. Instant coffee granules, milk, chocolate sauce and ice are blended together and then topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. It's the perfect frozen coffee drink, especially on hot days!
    No ratings yet
    Print – Email Required Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 0 minutes mins
    Total Time 5 minutes mins
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 Frappuccino

    Ingredients
      

    Frappucino

    • 1/2 tbsp instant coffee
    • 3/4 cup milk
    • 3 tbsp chocolate sauce divided
    • 1 1/2 cups ice
    • 1/4 cup whipped cream

    Garnish

    • whipped cream
    • chocolate shavings
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    I earn a small commission from Instacart for qualifying purchases.

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    Instructions
     

    • Put about 1/4 cup whipped cream and about a tablespoon chocolate sauce in the bottom of a glass.
    • Place instant coffee, milk, chocolate sauce and ice in pitcher of a blender. Blend on medium speed until you no longer hear chunks of ice hitting the sides of the blender, then blend on high for 20 seconds or so, then back to medium for about 10 seconds, then low for another 10 seconds or so.
    • Pour mixture into glass on top of whipped cream and chocolate sauce, garnish with additional whipped cream and chocolate shavings. 

    Notes

    Did you make this recipe? We would love it if you would leave us a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!
     
    Nutritional information is approximate. 
     
    See tips, notes, and suggestions in the post above.
     
    Bookmark this page to find it quickly when you are ready to make this recipe!

    Nutrition Facts

    Serving: 1drink | Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 493mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was with a comment below.

    Starbucks inspired syrup recipes

    A clear mason jar filled with the homemade vanilla coffee syrup.

    Vanilla Syrup

    Skip the store-bought syrups and make your own.

    A mason jar with white chocolate syrup in it and a spoon with it on it sitting in front of it.

    White Chocolate Mocha Syrup

    This yummy syrup is great in drinks but also and has many delicious uses. 

    A decorative jar filled with Easy Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup with the recipe title in text above it.

    Pumpkin Spice Syrup

    Also great as a dessert sauce or combined with maple syrup for pancakes or waffles.

    Close up of a mason jar full of Homemade Toffee Nut Syrup, there is not a lid on the jar.

    Toffee Nut Syrup

    All you need is toffee bits, sugar and water to make this perfect versatile syrup.

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    Every recipe on this blog is tested in my own kitchen and written by me, Mindy. I occasionally use AI tools to help with things like editing or brainstorming, but the cooking, photography, and storytelling are all mine.

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