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Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino

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Make your own homemade Peppermint Mocha Frappe with this delicious, easy recipe.  It will save you money and is a great way to use up that leftover coffee!  

a glass of peppermint mocha frappuccino with whipped cream on top and a red and white striped straw

There are affiliate links in this post – please read my full disclosure policy.  

Several weeks ago after enjoying a peppermint mocha frappuccino at Starbucks, I decided it was time to figure out how to make my own at home.

I’m fine with spending the occasional $4 for the pleasure of sipping one of my favorite drinks.

But the thing is, I’m not able to get out to coffee shops very often and I loved the idea of being able to enjoy a peppermint mocha frappe any time that I wanted to!

And being able to do that for a mere fraction of what I typically spend at Starbucks, was just added incentive!

So, using my easy Caramel Frappe recipe as a starting point, I got to work.

It was a tough job since I had to drink multiple frappuccinos for taste testing.  Yup, totally a hardship.  🙂

two glasses of peppermint mocha frappe with peppermint candy on the side in jars and bowls

How to Make a Peppermint Mocha Frappe

Use coffee ice cubes

Using regular ice cubes as most frappe recipes do, results in a rather watered-down beverage.

I’ve discovered the secret to a really good homemade frappuccino is to brew coffee, freeze it in ice cube trays and then use that instead of regular ice.

Use cocoa powder

Cocoa powder gives this frappuccino the perfect, rich depth of chocolaty flavor that totally hits the spot!

Initially, I tried using chocolate syrup but not only was the chocolate flavor less intense, but it also made the frappe too sweet in my opinion.

Use peppermint extract

A lot of homemade peppermint mocha frappuccino recipes use peppermint syrup.  But I prefer to stick with ingredients that have multiple uses.

And since a lot of bakers have peppermint extract in their pantries, I decided to use that.

I was quite happy with the end result and felt satisfied that I had created a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino that even Starbucks would be proud of!

In fact, my husband and I both agreed that this homemade version is actually tastier than Starbucks.  And obviously much cheaper too!

But don’t just take our word for it, be the judge and try it for yourself!

a glass of Starbucks copycat peppermint mocha frappuccino with whipped cream on top and a white and red straw with peppermint candy in background

Other drink recipes that you’ll enjoy:

  • Easy Homemade Caramel Frappe
  • Warm Vanilla Custard Drink
  • 3 Minute Frozen Fruit Smoothie

Homemade Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino

Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Peppermint Mocha Frappe

Enjoy the convenience and savings of being able to make your own coffee frappe at home! This Peppermint Mocha is delicious and will hit the spot.
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time5 mins
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 2 cups strong coffee, frozen into ice cubes (see Note below)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar or to taste (see Note below)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 5 to 7 drops peppermint extract
  • 1 tsp instant coffee granules or to taste (optional, but will give a stronger coffee flavor)
  • whipped cream and chocolate shavings (optional)

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients except whipped cream in blender. Blend until ice cubes are crushed.
    If you have trouble getting the frappe thoroughly blended, let it sit for a couple of minutes and try again. (I’ve discovered that if you let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before blending it works much better!)
  • Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Notes

  • For me, 2 cups of coffee is about 14 ice cubes or one ice cube tray full
  • I recently started to use stevia to sweeten this and love that it gives it fewer calories. 
  • You can also defrost the coffee ice cubes in the microwave if you are having trouble blending them. Just use caution as it's easy to melt them too much and then you end up with a runny frappe. I do 45 seconds on the defrost setting, but obviously, every microwave is different.
 

a close up shot of a glass of peppermint mocha frappuccino topped with whipped cream with a white and red striped straw

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Filed Under: Beverages, Recipes Tagged With: beverage recipes, easy recipe, frugal recipe

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Comments

  1. Tammy @ Posh Patterns Blog says

    February 16, 2015 at 10:48 AM

    Oh my goodness!! Starbucks Peppermint Mochas are my favorite. 🙂 I will definitely be trying this one!

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 16, 2015 at 11:33 AM

      Tammy, I hope you love it as much as we do! It’s always fun to be able to make your favorites at home to enjoy any old time you want….and save money in the process!

      Reply
  2. Rosie says

    February 16, 2015 at 2:24 PM

    Sounds delicious! Would this work as a cold drink, made with fresh coffee? It is cold here and while I will save this recipe for summer, I sometimes like to make warm versions of my drinks.

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 16, 2015 at 4:09 PM

      Rosie, I’m pretty sure it would! In fact, I’m hoping to work on a hot version sometime….it’s in my line-up of blog post ideas. 🙂 The only issue you might have is getting the cocoa powder to blend in well. If you have an electric frother, that would probably help. Enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says

    February 19, 2015 at 11:56 AM

    Ahhhh! Reading this totally made me crave it! LOL

    I’m pinning this to my Deliberate DRINKS board.

    Thanks for sharing and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop.

    Wishing you a lovely day.
    xoxo

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 19, 2015 at 12:35 PM

      Wish I could make you one to satisfy your cravings, Jennifer! And thank YOU for hosting the link up and for pinning. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Emily says

    February 19, 2015 at 6:49 PM

    The peppermint mocha is my yearly splurge at Starbucks each holiday season! This seems like an easy enough recipe that I could try making it. Thanks for enduring all of the taste testing in order to share this recipe. 😉

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 20, 2015 at 11:07 AM

      Oh, yeah, make it and have fun splurging any time you want! And all those taste testings were a real hardship. Ah, the things that we bloggers have to do! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Marissa says

    February 19, 2015 at 9:04 PM

    yum! thanks for the recipe:)

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 20, 2015 at 10:44 AM

      Sure thing, Marissa! Hope you enjoy it. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Katie | The Surly Housewife says

    February 21, 2015 at 10:40 PM

    I love peppermint mochas!! I always get so sad when the seasonal drinks are gone from Starbucks. This is a perfect alternative 🙂

    Stopping by from the ShineHop!

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 23, 2015 at 2:31 PM

      I always hate when my favorite seasonal drinks are gone too! It’s just one of the reasons I love making my own version at home when I can.

      Enjoy!

      Reply
  7. Kayla says

    February 23, 2015 at 6:02 PM

    This looks amazing! I especially like the peppermint on the rim 🙂

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 23, 2015 at 6:28 PM

      Thanks, Kayla! It is actually colored sugar that is peppermint flavored. 🙂 Kind of perfect for this recipe!

      Reply
  8. AdoringFamily says

    February 24, 2015 at 7:39 PM

    This sounds delicious! I too would like to try it hot. I have an immersion blender so hopefully that will burns the cocoa. Thank you for posting 🙂 I’m pinning as well!

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 24, 2015 at 8:33 PM

      I hope you enjoy it! Yes, I really need to work on the hot version. I tend to be a cold beverage girl, even during the winter months. But I do like hot drinks occasionally too.

      Reply
  9. Bridget/The Recipe Wench says

    February 28, 2015 at 1:24 AM

    Hahaha! Yes, we do make a lot of “sacrifices” when we research and fine-tune recipes. Cocktail recipe research is especially grueling! I’ve pinned this frappe recipe — it sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing at the Inspire Me Mondays Link-Up. Consider me inspired! See you next week!

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      February 28, 2015 at 10:10 AM

      Yes, it’s a hard life taste testing and fine-tuning recipes! 🙂 So happy you were inspired and hope you enjoy the peppermint mocha frappe!

      Reply
  10. Emily says

    November 22, 2015 at 8:30 PM

    Peppermint is such a great treat this time of year! I always have leftover coffee that I use in iced coffee for an afternoon pick me up, but this sounds like a great use for the leftovers too.

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      November 23, 2015 at 8:57 AM

      I like iced coffee, but for some reason, I like the frappe form even better! But obviously, you could always just add the cocoa and peppermint to your iced coffee too. 😉 I just made my first Peppermint Mocha Frappe of the season and am enjoying as I type. Yum!

      Reply
  11. Ali says

    October 14, 2017 at 9:03 AM

    the very best thing? none of the long list of chemicals that Starbucks uses in all their beverages!

    Reply
    • ThriftyFrugalMom says

      October 14, 2017 at 11:01 AM

      Yes!! One of the big reasons I love it too. 🙂

      Reply

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Welcome! I’m Lydia. I love to share easy homemade recipes, simple homemaking tips and great money saving ideas. I want to help you find ways to live well and enjoy life on a budget! Read more…

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