✔ Updated · new copycat recipe with step photos
This copycat Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha uses white chocolate slowly caramelized in the oven, melted into a creamy sauce with espresso and steamed milk, then topped with whipped cream, red sugar and white chocolate curls.
How Do You Make a Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha? (Quick Answer)
Bake 6 ounces chopped white chocolate at 250°F for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden. Whisk in warm cream and milk to make a sauce. Stir 3 tablespoons into 2 shots of espresso, add 1 cup steamed milk and top with whipped cream, red sugar and white chocolate curls.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Use real white chocolate with cocoa butter, not white baking chips. Chips have stabilizers and won't caramelize evenly.
Why You'll Love This Toasted White Mocha
- Caramel notes toasting gives white chocolate a dulce de leche flavor.
- Festive finish red sugar and white chocolate curls.
- Hot or iced one sauce, both drinks.
- Make ahead sauce keeps for 2 weeks.
- Gift idea a jar of the sauce makes a great present.
What Is the Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha?
The Toasted White Chocolate Mocha is a Starbucks holiday drink: espresso and steamed milk with a toasted white chocolate sauce, finished with whipped cream, red sugar sparkles and white chocolate curls.
The toasting is what makes it special. Baking white chocolate low and slow caramelizes its milk and sugar, giving it a nutty, caramel flavor that plain white chocolate doesn't have.
Ingredient Notes
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- White chocolate: a bar with at least 30% cocoa butter.
- Heavy cream and milk: turn the toasted chocolate into a pourable sauce.
- Espresso: 2 shots, or 1/4 cup very strong coffee.
- Red sanding sugar: the festive sparkle on top.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Low and slow. White chocolate burns easily; 250°F and regular stirring keep it smooth.
- Chalky is normal. It goes grainy halfway through. Keep stirring and it turns glossy again.
- Warm the cream. Cold cream makes the chocolate seize.
- Curls from a block. Run a vegetable peeler along a room temperature bar of white chocolate.
- Gift it. Pour the sauce into small jars with a tag and the mocha recipe.
- Our holiday movie drink. On movie night in December I make one of these for me and white hot chocolates for Lucy and Max, all with red sugar on top.
Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha
6
mochas5
minutes40
minutes380
kcal45
minutesA copycat version of the Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha: white chocolate slowly caramelized in the oven until golden, melted into a creamy sauce and stirred into espresso and steamed milk, topped with whipped cream, red sugar and white chocolate curls. The sauce makes enough for about 6 mochas.
Ingredients
- For the Toasted White Chocolate Sauce
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped (at least 30% cocoa butter)
1/2 cup heavy cream, warm
1/4 cup whole milk
1 pinch fine salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For Each Mocha
2 ounces espresso, freshly pulled (2 shots), or 1/4 cup very strong hot coffee
3 tablespoons toasted white chocolate sauce (from above)
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons whipped cream
1/2 teaspoon red sanding sugar
1 teaspoon white chocolate curls (shaved with a vegetable peeler)
Directions
- Make the Toasted White Chocolate Sauce
- Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Spread the chopped white chocolate in a small dry baking dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring and smoothing it with a spatula every 10 minutes, until it turns a deep golden caramel color. It may look chalky at times; keep stirring and it smooths out.
- Scrape the warm toasted chocolate into a bowl. Whisk in the warm cream a little at a time, then the milk, salt and vanilla, until smooth and pourable.
- Build the Mocha
- Stir 3 tablespoons of sauce into 2 shots of hot espresso in a mug until fully melted.
- Steam or froth the milk to 150°F to 160°F (65°C to 71°C) and pour it in.
- Top with whipped cream, a sprinkle of red sanding sugar and a few white chocolate curls.
- Iced Version
- Stir the sauce into hot espresso, pour over a glass of ice and add 3/4 cup cold milk. Top with whipped cream, red sugar and curls.
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Storage
Keep the sauce in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It firms up when cold; warm the jar in hot water for a few minutes.
More Holiday Mochas
For the everyday version, make my Starbucks white chocolate mocha. For more holiday drinks, try my Starbucks peppermint mocha, Starbucks caramel brulee latte and Starbucks iced gingerbread chai, or browse all my Starbucks copycat recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in a Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha?
It's espresso and steamed milk with toasted white chocolate sauce, topped with whipped cream, red sugar sparkles and crispy white chocolate curls. This copycat toasts real white chocolate in the oven to make the sauce.
What is the difference between a white chocolate mocha and a toasted white chocolate mocha?
A regular white chocolate mocha uses plain white chocolate sauce. The toasted version caramelizes the white chocolate first, so it tastes deeper and a little like caramel.
Is the Toasted White Chocolate Mocha still on the menu?
It hasn't been on every recent holiday menu. This copycat lets you make it any time.
Can I use white chocolate chips?
Not for toasting. Use a good white chocolate bar with cocoa butter listed first; chips often seize.
How long does the sauce last?
About 2 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. Warm it briefly before using.
Can I make it iced?
Yes. The iced version is in the recipe card.
