Mocha Frappe

Mocha Frappe is an iced coffee drink that’s so easy to make at home! All you need is 4 ingredients plus ice.

You don’t have to venture out of the house when you’re craving a hit: try this sweet and frosty homemade recipe. Mocha Frappe! It’s as simple as 4 ingredients, ice and a blender. This one is chewy and chocolaty, with a subtle bitter coffee finish. It’s irresistibly drinkable and takes just 2 minutes to mix. Normally we gravitate towards classic coffee drinks… but this one is just too good!

Ingredients in a mocha frappe

A frappé is an iced coffee drink made from a mixture of instant coffee, sugar, and water or milk. It was invented in Greece in the 1950s by Dimitris Vakondios, who worked for the Nescafé coffee company. No wonder the classic shake was made with Nescafé instant coffee! A similar drink at Starbucks is the frappuccino: it’s sweeter and creamier and is made with espresso.

This mocha frappé recipe takes inspiration from the classic and adds a chocolate note, similar to the drink you can find at McDonalds. We think it tastes better! It’s just sweet enough, and it’s chocolatey and frothy. Here’s what you need (or go to the recipe below):

• Instant espresso powder
• milk
• Sugar
• cocoa powder
• Ice

The magic ingredient: instant espresso powder

The key ingredient in a smoothie? This mocha uses frappé Instant espresso powder. It is ideal for a smoothie as it adds flavor to the coffee without diluting the drink. We tried a few variations with coffee, but the instant espresso powder provided just the right amount of bitterness. Espresso powder is key to that mocha flavor (since a mocha is made from espresso, not coffee).

The instant espresso powder we used was Delallo, but there are many other top brands. Bonus side: you can also use it for desserts like tiramisu! Chocolate cake recipes often call for espresso powder because it brings out the flavor of the chocolate (like this Chocolate Zucchini Cake).

Toppings for a mocha frappé

No need to top a mocha frappé with whipped cream: And we’re not big sweet coffee drinkers, so we don’t usually do that. But that makes it so much more festive! Here are some topping options:

• whipped cream: Homemade whipped cream is infinitely better than the store-bought stuff; and also easy to do
• chocolate sauce: It’s fun and festive with a little drizzle
• Chopped or grated chocolate: Chocolate shavings look great too
• Asparagus: Why not?
• Festive Straws: It all depends on the presentation! We love these striped paper straws.

Variant: vegan and dairy-free

Want to make a vegan or dairy-free mocha shake? Very simple: just use oat milk instead of cow’s milk! Oat milk is our top choice for coffee beverages due to its creamy texture and neutral taste. We prefer it to be something like almond milk or soy milk. But feel free to use whichever non-dairy milk you prefer.

What to do for the topping? Make vegan whipped cream! It’s easy and comes out perfectly fluffy (just think a few hours ahead).

More coffee drinks

Do you like making coffee drinks at home? Here are some of our best coffee drinks and espresso drinks:

This mocha ice cream recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.