I've wanted to make a Frappuccino for quite a while. One of my kids is addicted to this drink—a decaf, caramel Frappuccino, to be exact. And it doesn't hurt that I now have a Vitamix to really froth it up, but you can use a blender as well.
Frappuccino is a registered trademark belonging to Starbucks. Fooled me. I thought it was an established drink, possibly of French or Italian origin. But no. It's a portmanteau (a blend of two words)—frappé and cappuccino. Very clever.
In any case, I have been told that this tastes just like a Frappuccino®, however to avoid any trademark complications, I'm calling it a caramel frappé. It's lighter than a milkshake, and as refreshing as an extra-creamy ice coffee. I use decaf coffee that is freeze-dried and dissolves in cold water, but you can use any kind of coffee. The frappé recipe that inspired me is here.
Jil Lee says
can you just throw in coffee grinds as is without brewing the coffee if so how much do you think i should use
Simplee Sue says
This looks wonderful and would like to feature it in June 10 on SimpleeSue.com
Consider yourself hugged,
Simplee Sue
Dina says
Whipped up one while watching the oven to see how my Cashew Bread turns out! I did not use the carmel sauce...as mine didnt turn out wonderful.... but I will note that 'when' I make this again I will add the honey to the coffee after I brew it. Even though I have a cool blender the honey seemed to 'glob' up for lack of a better word....when it hit the ice. But, besides that...Tastes awsome! I even put mine in my starbucks cup to make it feel authentic!! THANKS!! (I used bold colombian coffee.... but probably will use a bold flavored one in the future. I love coffee and have a Keurig...so variety is pleanty!)
Kaki says
This was delicious! I took out the caramel, used coconut milk (from a can) and also added a bit of almond extract. Tastes just like the drinks at Starbucks!
Jessica says
The caramel sauce link isn't working. It leads to a page that says "nothing found". Where can I find the recipe for the caramel? Thanks 🙂
Erica says
Thanks for letting me know! fixed.
Carole says
Several years ago I found myself buying a basic coffee Frapp a couple of times a week. Even then, when they were more reasonably priced, it was an expensive habit. I decided to try making my own at home too. I didn't have to do too much to get a pretty good facsimile of the basic drink, and found that I liked my own version even better.
Since I no longer visit Starbucks (and I live in the NW - gasp!), it's nice to be able to have a Frapp every now and again.
Erica says
Agreed! Carole - I'm actually not even a coffee drinker. What am I doing here??
liz says
where is scd lagal coffie
Ann says
Is there any way i could make this without using coffee? Right now I am sensative to coffe, but i love caramel frappucinos!
Erica says
Hmmm - maybe cocoa? That's a tough one. I wonder if there is coffee-flavored drinks?
Katie says
Tracee- We've had a Vitamix for over a year and LOVE IT! Use it almost every day for green smoothies, nut butters, soups, raw apple sauce, and grinding gluten free grains. A regular blender works for most of these things but if you use your blender a lot then you'll love a Vitamix.
Appointment Setting says
the greatest drink ever!
Loretta says
Google Xilytol, to learn the many health beneifts. Best of all, it does taste exactly like sugar, but with a fraction of the calories, and is a natural bacteria fighter. Sometimes, I'll add a tiny bit of Stevia, to make the Xilytol last longer.
Erica says
Tracee - so I've had the Vitamix for a few weeks now and we use it mostly for smoothies, so far. My younger son (now 14) uses it all the time - he makes himself slushies and smoothies (just throws in juice and/or fruit, and ice and whirls for about 20 seconds). I think it's more efficient at grinding away at ice and seeds, so there's no particle matter left. Other than that, a blender is just fine. And if you already have a good blender - you're set. We were way overdue for a new blender. My 2cents.
Tracee says
I used to make pitchers of coffe latte and keep them in the fridge. Thanks to high anitbodies to coffee, it is now only an occsional treat. But, I cna say, that refrigerating for about 6 hours vs. pouring over ice, give you a richer cold drink. When I read your recipes I was thinking it might work well here. Although you would lose the vitamix froth. I keep hearing about the Vitamix. Is it really that cool?
Erica says
Hi Jim. The obvious one is sugar (and there are many kinds of granulated sugar). I haven't tried the following, but if you desire, you could use agave, or Stevia.
Jim says
What other kinds of sweeteners could you use?
Erica says
Yes, Ginny, I'd be careful about amount of sweetener you use. You can reduce the amount for sure, and go real easy on the caramel. Or, don't use the caramel at all.
Ginny Rusch says
Not sure what this will do to my diabetes numbers, but I'm definitely going to try it maybe using sugar-free caramel topping to keep fat in check.