See the step by step recipe video down in the recipe card. Summer is officially here, and between beach days, camping trips, bonfires, and all the late nights, I’ll be squeezing in a lot of this easy Frappe recipe to keep me going! I’ve been making these easy Frappes for many, many years now, and it’s given me time to fine tune our preferences! The good thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to adjust to your tastes, and use more or less coffee, more or less milk, and more or less sugar so that it is just the way you want it. If you don’t have a blender but still want a delicious iced coffee drink, this Cold Brew Coffee and this Caramel Frappuccino are two more favorites here! And if you don’t want to leave the kids out (or the non-coffee drinkers), this Frozen Hot Chocolate is the perfect sweet treat for summer.
What is a frappe?
A frappe (technically, frappé) is a slightly creamy, slightly sweet iced coffee drink made with just a few ingredients, originally created by a Nescafe representative in Greece. Traditionally, a frappe is made by combining instant coffee, water, sugar and milk in a shaker and shaking until cold and frothy, then serving over ice. You can choose the shaken method, if you want a frothy iced coffee drink that isn’t blended with ice. I find the crushed ice very refreshing on a hot day, so that’s how we do it most often! In the recipe and in the video, I’ll show you both ways, so you can pick what you prefer.
What’s the difference between a Frappe and a Frappuccino?
There isn’t much. A Frappuccino is a Starbuck’s trademarked name for essentially the same beverage, although the Starbuck’s drink is always blended with ice and not shaken. A Starbuck’s Frappuccino can also be coffee-based, or not. Their Creme Frappuccinos come in a wide variety of non-coffee flavors, like Strawberry Creme, Vanilla Bean Creme, and Double Chocolatey Chip.
How to make a coffee Frappe:
That’s really all there is to it, although it’s important to taste and adjust the sweetness, creaminess, and coffee-ness to your preferences. I find the blended frappes turn out lighter in color because the ice dilutes the coffee a little bit more. I also tend to get a little more foam when I use the blender! OR: The shaken method is really convenient for days you don’t want to whip out the blender! It turns out a little darker in color usually because the ice doesn’t get incorporated into the drink, but it is just as delicious.
Ingredients and variations:
This easy Frappe recipe is really just a base to get you going! While it’s the perfect treat to keep you going, there are so many fun ways to mix things up that we rarely have the same thing twice! Here are a few fun add ins to spark your creativity:
Swap the sugar for brown sugar and cinnamon Swap the sugar for honey or maple syrup for a naturally sweetened drink Swap the instant coffee for decaf if you can’t handle a lot of caffeine Add a ½ teaspoon of mint extract and a tablespoon of chocolate syrup Add a generous scoop of Dulce de Leche in place of the sugar for a rich and caramel-y treat Add in some hot chocolate powder for a Mocha frappe (more on that below!)
How to make a Caramel Frappe:
Adding caramel syrup to your frappe is a quick way to get that Caramel Frappe flavor with little extra work!
How to make a Mocha Frappe:
To make this recipe a Mocha Frappe, we just have to add some chocolate. There are a few ways we can do this, but hot chocolate mix or chocolate syrup are our best options! For a sugar-free chocolate addition, you can add some unsweetened cocoa powder.
More cold summer drink recipes!
Homemade Lemonade Recipe Healthy Strawberry Smoothie Pink Lemonade Berry Lime Slush
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