Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino (Copycat) tastes just like your favorite chilled drink from your local coffee shop but without the price tag.
This blended coffee Drink is a favorite morning treat and afternoon pick-me-up from Starbucks. Use this recipe to skip the drive-thru lines and enjoy it now. For more delicious coffee drinks, try my Iced Sea Salt Coffee and Cold Brew Coffee.
Why You’ll Love This Drink?
- A delicious, indulgent treat without waiting in a line and spending several dollars.
- Easy to make in batches with on hand ingredients so you can run out the door with one quickly.
Sabrina’s Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino (Copycat) Recipe
This is a quick recipe that you can make in just a few minutes in the morning. However, you could also blend the coffee Caramel Frappuccino Recipe ahead of time, pour it into mason jars and keep it in the freezer. This will keep the coffee cold and ready to grab on your way out the door the next day.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dark brew coffee
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1/3 cup caramel syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups ice
- whipped cream , for topping
- caramel sauce , for topping
Instructions
- Add coffee, milk, condensed milk, caramel syrup, vanilla extract, and ice to a strong blender.
- Blend for 1 minute (on smoothie setting), then pour into caramel-drizzled cup, and top with whipped cream.
- Drizzle additional caramel syrup on top of whipped cream.
Nutrition
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Note from Sabrina
For an extra frosty drink that will stay cold even longer, I like to freeze my glass for a couple of hours before pouring the Frappuccinos. That extra chill from the frozen glass makes every sip even more refreshing! Additionally, while blending your Frappuccino, watch it closely. If you don’t blend it enough, the ice will still be in chunks and the texture will be crunchy. If you over-blend then the ice will begin to melt and you’ll have a thin coffee drink.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Following this recipe, you can turn your basic iced coffee into the perfect frozen treat ideal for a hot Summer day. You’re sure to love the blend of coffee, sweet caramel, creamy milk, and ice cubes. Combined, they create a frozen, frothy texture and sweet flavor that Starbucks fans can’t get enough of. For a similar drink but just a touch less sweet, try my Carmel Macchiato!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups Dark Brew Coffee: For the coffee in this recipe, you can use dark roast drip coffee, instant espresso, instant coffee, or however else you make your typical morning coffee. The black coffee makes the drink energizing and adds a slightly bitter flavor to counteract the sweetness of the Frappuccino. If you like a stronger coffee flavor, you can always add more coffee to the mixture. You can also save leftover coffee from the day before to make this drink instead of brewing fresh.
- 1 Cup Milk: Whole milk is the main liquid ingredient for this recipe, along with the coffee. Use 1 cup of whole milk to make a rich, creamy coffee drink. If you prefer a milk alternative, you can substitute the milk of your choice.
- ⅓ Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk: Condensed milk adds extra sweetness to the Caramel Frappuccino and thickens the mixture into a luxurious treat. If you’re dairy-free, you can substitute with sweetened condensed coconut milk.
- ⅓ Cup Caramel Syrup: To add caramel flavor to the coffee drink, mix in delicious caramel syrup. You can get the syrup from the dessert toppings aisle at your local grocery store. Along with the caramel in the blended drink, you’ll also add a drizzle of caramel inside the glass and over the top as a finishing touch. You can do that with the same store-bought caramel syrup or use homemade Caramel Sauce for an even more amazing taste.
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract: Use your favorite pure vanilla extract to sweeten and add warm vanilla flavor to the Frappuccino.
- 3 Cups Ice: To make the right frothy texture for this blended drink, use 3 cups ice cubes. As you blend, the ice will break into ice crystals that thicken the coffee blend and keep the recipe chilled.
- Whipped Cream: This is an optional topping that makes your drink feel like the ultimate morning treat. You can use store-bought canned whipped cream or make your own Whipped Cream recipe.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes! This is an excellent morning treat that you can make ahead of time and freeze. To do this, you may want to double up the recipe to make extra for storage. After blending, don’t add the whipped cream yet. Divide the Caramel Frappuccino mixture into glass jars or another freezer-safe storage container. Make sure when you add the caramel frappe to the jars that you leave about an inch at the top for the liquid ingredients to expand when frozen. After you’ve sealed the jars, place them right side up in the freezer. The delicious drink can stay good frozen for up to 3 months. Then let the frap thaw in the fridge for a few hours before serving. You can let it thaw completely or enjoy the drink partially frozen for a thicker consistency. Add the whipped cream fresh when you serve it.
Pairing Suggestions
Enjoy Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino as a morning or afternoon treat paired with tasty biscotti for dipping like Cherry Almond Biscotti, Chocolate Chip Biscotti, or Cranberry Orange Biscotti. You can also enjoy some healthy Bran Muffins, or Carrot Muffins with your Frappuccino. Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong with this tasty beverage. You can even serve it as a stand-alone dessert following a wonderful dinner.
How to Store
- Serve: Enjoy your Copycat Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino right after blending before the ice crystals have a chance to melt.
- Store: If you don’t finish the whole drink, you can put it in the fridge overnight or for up to 24 hours to keep the leftover coffee drink.
- Freeze: You can also freeze the drink recipe for up to 3 months. Let the Frappuccino thaw in the fridge, and remix any separated ingredients before serving.
Frequent Questions
A Frappuccino is a type of blended iced coffee created by Starbucks. The coffee chain sells many different flavors and seasonal variations on the popular drink recipe, from this caramel one, to regular coffee flavor, to Chocolate Java Mint. They’re all typically made with a blend of ice, coffee, milk, and flavored syrup, just like in this copycat version.
This is entirely dependent on the type of Frappuccino you get. Several Starbucks fraps contain no coffee at all. For example, Starbucks’ Vanilla Bean Frappuccino is more like a milkshake as it contains no coffee. The caramel Frappuccino does have coffee, and according to Starbucks contains 90 mg caffeine per 16 fl oz. With this homemade recipe, you can increase the level of coffee based on how much you add to the blend.
At Starbucks, they make caffeinated Frappuccinos with coffee or espresso. You can use either in this copycat version. Just keep in mind since espresso is so much stronger, you’ll likely want to decrease the amount you add to the drink accordingly. Add extra ice and milk to make up for the decreased liquid.
While you can get this drink at your local Starbucks, making it yourself is quick, easy, and much better for your bank account. Instead of waiting in line and paying coffee shop prices, you can blend together the simple ingredients and enjoy a drink at home. The copycat recipe is also a great option if you want to make healthier swaps, add extra coffee, or avoid some of the preservatives in the store-bought version.
Variations
- Dairy-free Caramel Frappuccino: To make this creamy coffee drink without dairy, you can swap out the regular milk for almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, soy milk, or your other go-to dairy alternative. Instead of sweetened condensed milk, get the rich, sweet flavor and thick consistency from full-fat coconut milk.
- Mocha Caramel Frappuccino: If you want some delicious chocolate flavor to go along with the caramel in this recipe, you can use half caramel syrup and half chocolate syrup in the flavoring mix. After blending everything together, top off the Frappuccino with caramel sauce and dark chocolate shavings. If you prefer white chocolate, you could add white chocolate powder to the caramel blend.
- Light Caramel Frappuccino: If you want to enjoy your favorite Starbucks drink, and stick to your dietary goals, making a homemade version is a great option. You can make ingredient swaps for less sugar and fat in the recipe. For a lower calorie and fat version, replace the whole milk with skim milk and purchase sugar-free caramel syrup. You can also swap out the sweetened condensed milk for sweetened nut milk like coconut or cashew milk. This lightened version won’t have the same creamy texture, but you can always add more ice to thicken it.
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