This plant-based coffee drink is energizing, very delicious, and quite easy to make, so you should consider DIY-ing it at home. If you like having Starbucks frappes, you’ll definitely love the Vegan Mocha Frappuccino recipe I’m about to share with you.
In the ingredient section, I will give you some useful recommendations that will take your homemade blended beverage to the next level.
I made sure to also include some tips on possible recipe adjustments that you may want to make in case you don’t have some of the components at hand.
Nevertheless, if you follow precisely my guide on how to make it, the Vegan Coconut Mocha Frappuccino you’ll get to have will be refreshing, creamy, and with a rich dark chocolate flavor.
Before we continue on with the essential part of this post, I know that some of you may be interested in finding out how many calories this frappe contains.
A serving of the homemade Vegan Mocha Frappuccino contains 250 kcal. Of course, you can lower the calorie count and I will share some ideas on how to do that.
Now, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Ingredients
To make a Vegan Mocha Frappuccino, you need the following ingredients:
- Ice Cubes.
Of course, you can’t make an iced blended beverage without them.
I recommend filling up your serving glass with ice cubes to the top. This way you’re making sure that you’re going to achieve the signature Starbucks Frappuccino texture.
I like my blended frappe as thick and as icy as possible, but if that’s not the case for you, feel free to add fewer ice cubes. - Instant Coffee – 2 teaspoons.
If you’re trying to replicate a Starbucks Frappuccino at home, I suggest using instant coffee, as this is basically what they use for most of their iced blended coffee drinks.
The Espresso Frappuccino is the only one on the Starbucks menu that’s made with espresso.
For the dark chocolate mocha one, they use something called Frap Roast (or Frappuccino roast), which is essentially instant coffee powder, dissolved in room temperature water.
That’s the reason why I use instant coffee for my copycat Starbucks Frappuccino drinks.
Nevertheless, feel free to substitute the instant coffee with an espresso shot.
This will make the drink a bit more watery and will slightly alter the overall flavor (which you’ll notice if you’re used to having regular Frappuccinos at Starbucks).
You might as well use 1 to 2 fl. oz (30 to 60 ml) of cold brew concentrate, drip coffee, or whatever type of brew you have at hand. If you do so the coffee flavor won’t be as well pronounced, but you’ll still be able to get the caffeine that will boost your alertness.
What’s worth noting is that the best alternative to espresso, when making homemade lattes and mochas, is Moka pot coffee. - Dark Chocolate Sauce – 1 to 2 tablespoons.
If you haven’t tried Monin’s Dark Chocolate gourmet sauce, I recommend giving it a chance, as it’s truly delicious (click this link to check it out on Amazon).
Many cafès use it for their mochas, so if you’re a fan of such chocolate coffee drinks, this sauce will improve your home barista experience.
It’s also 100% vegan, so it’s perfect for those of you that follow a plant-based diet. I have a large bottle with a pump, and each pump equals 1 tablespoon, which is more than sufficient for a Frappuccino serving. Of course, if you crave the extra chocolate sweetness feel free to add a second tablespoon, but this will raise the calorie count to around 300 kcal.
Bear in mind that you can make your Mochas with cocoa powder or a dark chocolate sauce that you’ve made yourself instead.
If you’re in a hurry and aren’t able to make a full-blown homemade dark chocolate sauce, just add 1 to 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder and 2 to 4 teaspoons of sugar to all the other ingredients. - Canned Coconut Milk (thick coconut milk): 4 fl. oz. (120 milliliters).
The canned coconut milk is thick and creamy and I love it for homemade Vegan Mocha Frappuccinos. Nevertheless, using it will make your drink more calorie-dense.
To lower the calorie count of your frozen coffee drink, you can use 3 fl. oz. of thin (carton) coconut milk and 3 fl. oz. of thick canned coconut milk. This way you will make a plant-based half-and-half, which works great for this beverage too.
When it comes to other plant-based milk alternatives – feel free to use them instead, if you feel like it.
If you go for thinner vegan milk, such as almond milk, your drink may turn out to be significantly less viscous.
You can make your Vegan Mocha Frappuccino thicker by adding a quarter of a teaspoon of xanthan gum. If you use this thickening agent and you add it to the mixture before blending, your homemade frozen drink will get thick, even if you use a less viscous plant-based milk alternative. Starbucks Frappuccinos contain xanthan gum too, so if you’re trying to make a copycat Starbucks coffee drink, you should consider adding this recipe component. - Topping Options: Shredded Coconut and/or Coconut whipped cream
Related Recipe: How to make Vegan Whipped Cream with canned coconut milk
How to make a Vegan Coconut Mocha Frappuccino: Recipe Instructions
Now that you have all the ingredients figured out, let’s move on to the recipe directions.
Here’s how to make a Vegan Mocha Frappuccino:
- Add all of the ingredients (except for toppings) to a blender.
- Blend until you get the desired consistency.
- Pour the Vegan Mocha Frappuccino into a glass.
As I mentioned you can top off your homemade Starbucks frappe with shredded coconut:
I like it, as after I stir, the coconut bits make my vegan Mocha Frappuccino pleasantly crunchy.
If you’re a coconut fan, you may want to add a few coconut flakes to the mixture before blending.
But even without these additions, you’ll find your caffeinated Mocha blended frappe greatly satisfying.
You can also top off your drink with vegan whipped cream and Monin’s dark chocolate sauce (chocolate drizzle). A delicious Vegan Mocha Frappuccino, made with thick coconut milk and rich dark chocolate sauce. This is a Copycat Starbucks recipe, made with 100% plant-based ingredients. If you're not a fan of the coconut flavor, feel free to use another plant-based milk option, such as almond, soy, or oat milk. You can make this frozen coffee frappe thicker if you add a bit of xanthan gum to the mixture before blending, but more on that in the ingredient section. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Vegan (Coconut) Mocha Frappuccino
Ingredients
Toppings (optional)
Instructions
Recommended Products
Final Words
You’re now familiar with my take on this Vegan Mocha Frappuccino recipe.
As you can see it’s definitely simple and you can make it at home even if you don’t like coconut milk.
There are other plant-based milk alternatives that you can use to prepare a great copycat Starbucks coffee drink.
So feel free to use my basic recommendations and tips to craft a beverage that will suit your taste best.
If you have any questions or ideas, hit me up in the comment section below.