Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino

It can sometimes be a little difficult to get out to Starbucks if you are busy (even if it seems like they are on every street corner). The good news is that to enjoy your favorite Starbucks drink, in our case, Starbucks caramel Frappuccino, you won’t need to. Today we’ve got a quick drinks recipe that you can easily make at home. Read on to find out how to make it.

How to Make Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino

Ok, we need to be honest. If you want to make a homemade version of Starbucks caramel Frappuccino, you are going to need a blender. It makes the whole process that much easier and will give you a really smooth drink.

That said, you’ll still be able to get a drink that tastes similar even if you don’t have a blender. The main difference will be the texture.

The main element of our authentic Starbucks caramel Frappuccino recipe is a generous helping of ice. Some cool, caffeine-packed espresso and caramel sauce.

We start by mixing the ice and espresso in the blender. We add a little caramel sauce, and then we pulse it until the entire drink is super smooth. If you didn’t already guess, this is a super easy recipe.

From there, in true Starbucks style, we decant into a large glass and top with a huge mountain of light and fluffy whipped cream before giving the entire Frappuccino another drizzle with caramel sauce.

The green straw is optional, but, color aside we do recommend using a straw. Otherwise, you’ll end up with whipped cream on your nose.

You can make your own homemade caramel sauce if you want to create a super fancy drink. We find that using shop-bought caramel sauce works just as well and saves you a fair amount of time too!

Tips and Tricks

To make this Starbucks caramel Frappuccino recipe authentic, you really want to use real espresso. However, we entirely appreciate that not everyone has a fancy-dancy coffee machine. You can use normal coffee such as Nescafé. Just mix a couple of spoons of instant coffee with a quarter cup of boiling water and let it cool.

Cold brew coffee is another solution. Coffee powder, water, and a paper filter… Job done!

Are you trying to avoid dairy? Or simply don’t like it? Either way, you can also make this recipe with a milk alternative. Oat milk, almond milk, and soy milk will all work pretty well. They might not be quite as creamy however.

The whipped cream is also optional. If you haven’t got a straw or simply don’t have time, feel free to leave it out.

If you can’t live without a cloud of cream floating on top of your drink, make sure you do a proper job and use real whipped cream. The stuff in a can is ok for kids’ parties, but we find that it collapses very quickly, and you’ll end up with a flat, tasteless foam floating on top of your drink… yuck!

Some recipes call for the use of Xanthan gum. We prefer not to use it. Number one, it isn’t the easiest thing to get hold of. Two, it makes no change to the taste of the drink. And three, it seems odd to be including additives in our drink when we really don’t need them. The ice is plenty good enough to thicken the drink adequately.

Listen to your blender. No, we really mean it. You’ll be able to tell when the coffee is at the perfect level by the sound your blender makes. Any rattling or clattering means that there is still ice in cubes. As soon as the rattling stops and the blender raises in pitch, your drink is ready!

Don’t add liquid to your ice in the blender until you are 100% ready to make this recipe. If you leave it too long, the ice will melt, your drink will be less smooth, and may taste watery. Nobody wants a watery Starbucks caramel Frappuccino.

You may find that your drink is too thin or too thick. Don’t worry. This is easy to rectify. If you find that your Frappuccino has emerged a little thinner than you would like, add a few more ice cubes and continue to blend.

If your drink is a little too thick, add an extra splash of milk and continue to blend. Don’t add water, as this will change the flavor of your drink.

Conclusion

Possibly one of our quickest and easiest drinks recipes. An authentic Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino is so easy. We just wish we’d come up with the idea 30 years ago. We’d be rich! The key to this recipe is to make sure that you get it nice and smooth and get the quantities exactly right. After that, all it takes is the flip of a switch! What is your favorite Starbucks drinks recipe? Why not let us know in the comments below? We love hearing from you!