How to make Caramel Frappuccino

A delicious iced coffee drink, it’s easy to recreate the taste of a Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino. It is one of the coffeehouse’s most popular beverages, though there are a few tricks to replicating the sweet caramel and coffee smoothie. With this recipe, you can whip up a caramel Frappuccino at home for a fraction of the cost of one at the coffeehouse.

Not all frappuccino require a shot of espresso. If you ask baristas who make this delicious drink at the coffeehouse, they’ll tell you that there’s a “secret” ingredient. The Frappuccino concentrate base includes the coffee flavoring and stabilizers that ensure the blended drink comes out perfectly smooth.

To replicate that at home, make a coffee concentrate from instant coffee and use a paste of xanthan gum. You can skip the latter ingredient, though the drink will be slightly chunky or separate in the glass (easily fixed by mixing the drink well after pouring). It’s actually quite simple once you have the ingredients.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon instant coffee
2 tablespoons water (divided)
1 cup whole milk
4 tablespoons caramel sauce or syrup
6 ice cubes
Garnish: whipped cream
Garnish: caramel sauce

Steps to Make It

1.Gather the ingredients

2.In a small dish, add the instant coffee and 1 tablespoon of water. Mix until the coffee is dissolved.

3.In a separate dish, combine the xanthan gum and 1 tablespoon of water, mixing it into a lumpy paste.

4.In a blender, add the instant coffee concentrate, xanthan gum paste, milk, caramel sauce or syrup, and ice cubes.

5.Pulse a few times then blend until smooth.

6.Pour into one or two glasses.

7.Garnish with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Serve and enjoy.

Tips

If you like a stronger coffee flavor, dissolve 2 tablespoons of instant coffee into 1 tablespoon of water.
The recipe yields about 2 cups of the coffee drink, which is equivalent two “tall” or one “grande” . It keeps well in the fridge for a day and can be frozen then left to thaw until drinkable.
Whole milk is preferred because the extra fat creates a thicker, more luscious drink. Half and half is a good alternative.
When switching to lighter milk or non-dairy alternatives (e.g., almond, coconut, rice, or soy milk), start with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the milk and 4 ice cubes, then adjust the consistency. To make it thicker, add ice and blend again; add milk to thin the drink.

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