The secret to making perfect Frappuccinos at home is to use a base syrup that transforms an ice, slushy drink into a smooth, creamy one! It’s just 4 ingredients and it’s easy to make!
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The Secret to Homemade Frappuccinos
What makes Starbucks Frappuccinos so good is that they’re perfectly smooth and creamy, like a melted milkshake. The secret ingredient in every Starbucks Frappuccino is the Frappuccino base syrup and no Frappuccino is made without it.
The Frappuccino base makes a HUGE difference in the texture of your frozen drink and makes it absolutely delicious.
Make a batch of this Frappuccino base to blend all different kinds of Frappuccinos at home.
RELATED: 13 Delicious Frappuccino Recipes
Recipe Highlights
- This copycat recipe recreates the Starbucks Frappuccino base syrup using just 4 ingredients.
- Starbucks has a creme version and coffee version of the Frappuccino syrup and this one without coffee is closest to the creme base.
- Turn any frozen drink with ice into a Frappuccino! Instead of adding simple syrup or sugar in blended frozen drinks, use the Frappuccino base to make it smooth and creamy.
- Makes 1 cup of base syrup that can be used to make 4 Frappuccinos.
RELATED: Caramel Frappuccino
Ingredient Notes
- Xanthan gum powder: This is the secret ingredient that’s in every Starbucks Frappuccino. It’s a common food additive that’s used to thicken and prevents ingredients from separating, like ice cream, yogurt, and spreads.
- Sugar: A simple syrup is made first, which requires sugar and water. Use regular white, granulated sugar or cane sugar. You can also use brown sugar if you want a richer, caramel-like syrup.
- Water: Use filtered water if possible.
- Vanilla extract: This is what I consider a flavor enhancer. It’s not absolutely necessary but it adds a little something that makes it taste better.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Put sugar and water in a saucepan and simmer.
Simmer on low heat and stir until sugar completely dissolves. Turn off heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
Step 2: Blend together cooled down simple syrup, xanthan gum powder, and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Pour Frappuccino base syrup into an airtight container. Stir well before using.
The Frappuccino base syrup is thick, so it’s best to put it in a jar instead of a bottle so you can scoop it out.
Expert Tips
- Xanthan gum powder smoothes out and thickens any and all frozen drinks. It’s added to sugar and water (simple syrup) so it can sweeten and thicken a drink at the same time.
- Don’t add xanthan gum powder to the saucepan with the sugar and water since it just won’t mix well and will clump.
- Frappuccino base can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a month.
- Recipe makes 1 cup of Frappuccino base and 3 tablespoons of the base syrup can be added to make a grande (16 ounce) Frappuccino at home.
Questions You May Have
Yes! It’s the main and essential ingredient.
Starbucks doesn’t sell their Frappuccino base directly but you may be able to find them online like Amazon. It’s so much more cost-effective to make it at home.
The creme flavored syrup is made with water, sugar, salt, natural flavor, xantham gum, preservative, potassium sorbate, and citric acid. This homemade version is made with just xanthan gum powder, sugar, water, and vanilla extract.
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Starbucks Frappuccino Base Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put sugar and water in a saucepan and simmer. Simmer on low heat and stir until sugar completely dissolves. Turn off heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
- Blend together cooled down simple syrup, xanthan gum powder, and vanilla extract.
- Pour Frappuccino base syrup into an airtight container.Stir well before using.Use 3 tablespoons of base syrup to make a 16 ounce cup of Frappuccino.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- The Frappuccino base syrup is thick, so it’s best to put it in a jar instead of a bottle so you can scoop it out.
- Don’t add xanthan gum powder to the saucepan with the sugar and water since it just won’t mix well and will clump. Mix it in a blender.
- Starbucks has a creme version and coffee version of the Frappuccino syrup and this one without coffee is closest to the creme base.
- Frappuccino base can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a month.
- Recipe makes 1 cup of Frappuccino base and 3 tablespoons of the base syrup can be added to make a grande (16 ounce) Frappuccino at home.
- Xanthan gum powder is the secret ingredient that’s in every Starbucks Frappuccino. It’s a common food additive that’s used to thicken and prevents ingredients from separating, like ice cream, salad dressing, yogurt, and spreads.
- Use regular white, granulated sugar or cane sugar. You can also use brown sugar if you want a richer, caramel-like syrup.
- Vanilla extract is what I consider a flavor enhancer. It’s not absolutely necessary but it adds a little something that makes it taste better.
- Turn any frozen drink with ice into a Frappuccino! Instead of adding simple syrup or sugar in blended frozen drinks, use the Frappuccino base to make it smooth and creamy.
I found this online if anyone is “needing” a frappuccino NOW but doesn’t have Xanthum gum.
When soaked, chia seeds form a gel much like xanthan gum. What’s more, these seeds pack lots of fiber and important nutrients.
While you can use chia seeds whole, they add a bit of crunch and mild, nutty flavor to your recipe — so you should grind them if you prefer a smoother texture.
Chia seeds replace xanthan gum in a 1:1 ratio.
Add 2 parts of hot water for every 1 part of chia seeds, then stir until the mixture becomes viscous.
You may need to add 10–15 minutes to your baking time to accommodate for using chia gel.
WOW! I have a whole bag of organic Chia seeds at home but no xanthan gum. I will have to try this. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so pleased to finally discover the secret of the xanthan gum. I have been on a decades long quest to figure out how to make a good frappuccino mix at home and tried a lot of things. Some of them have been pretty good, but I was trying to achieve the thick creaminess with milk powder, which is pricy. I always have xanthan gum at home anyhow, since I use it for gluten free stuff now and again. Thank you! I’m looking forward to experimenting with different flavours.
I just tried to make this base.
I used Demerara sugar rather than white, but it just wouldn’t thicken….
any Ideas?
Hi Conal, if you’re using the xanthan gum, it should thicken since it’s a natural thickener.
This recipe has changed my life! I’m seriously addicted! I may or may not have gained 5lbs from drinking a 32oz a day but they’re seriously so good I can’t stop! Plus I really needed to gain some weight anyways. I’ve started making a vanilla Carmel frappe and it’s seriously to die for!]
I plan on trying to make it with Allulose to make it sugar free.
Did it work, using the Allulose?
I used sucralose to make it sugar-free and it worked great, and I didn’t even heat it first. Rather, I mixed the Splenda & water in the blender first, by themselves, then did it again with the rest of the ingredients. I ended up needing a bit more water because it was way too thick to the point of not being able to get it out of the blades but thinning it out a tad fixed that. Next, I plan on trying it with SF syrups like Toroni or DaVinci for more flavor options. I have an SF acai-dragonfruit-flavored syrup that I want to try using for a pink-drink-like frap.
I used Allulose via Swerve Ultimate Sugar Replacement which is Allulose and natural flavors. It came out amazing!!!!
OMG! Perfect! I could be rich with all the money I’ve spent on a venti coffee frappuccino with an added shot of decaf espresso ($6.79)!
I use 6 oz milk, 4 T of coffee milk syrup (available in grocery stores in NewEngland) 1 tsp, NOT 3 T of this frappe syrup and ice and blend! Fantastic!!!
Sounds like a good recipe, but can’t you just add like 1/4 tsp to the blended drink instead of making a base since the base pretty much calls for the same ingredients as the drink itself ?
Hi David, you can but you’ll have to add extra sugar and water that’s in the Frappuccino base.
I used this and your mocha Frappuccino recipe and it was perfect!!
Great base!! Thanks for posting…will save me tons of time and money!!
Can I use premade simple syrup or do you recommend making your own? If I can use premade, does the simple syrup recipe yield about a cup?
Hi Maddie, you can use premade simple syrup and blend it with the xanthan gum. Use 3/4 cup simple syrup and it’ll give you a little less than 1 cup.
Do you have a copycat recipe for the coffee base?
Hi Maria, sorry, but I don’t have a coffee base copycat recipe.
This sounds so good. Can you exchange the sugar for Swerve sugar substitute? They claim you can sub it in anything. Thanks!
Hi Kate, I haven’t tried making it with a sugar substitute so I can’t say if it’ll work but I don’t see why it wouldn’t!
As a former Starbucks barista, I was SO excited to try making Frappuccinos with this base! I noticed the xanthan gum made my base the consistency of slime. I added it one teaspoon at a time, and thought after one teaspoon, it resembled the base I used at work the most! Great recipe! And my Frappuccino was delicious. I’d just suggest experimenting with different amounts of xanthan gum to your liking! 🙂
Thanks, Bekah – I agree, reducing the amount made it more like Starbucks consistency, otherwise it was almost a bit too thick to pull up with a straw!
Hello, I was wondering since you have worked at Starbucks if you could tell us if the cream base added any sweetener to the drink? I have noticed the cream base is added then other syrups for blended drinks. I have tried this at home and I have to say using this base AND syrups made the drink wayyyyyyy too sweet.
Hello. How do I keep the powder from clumping? I started with a spatula, then a fork and finally a mixer. It still had clumps, but was still usable. Any tips?
Hi Kim, you need to blend everything in a blender since it’s thick and gooey.
Hi Kim,. I used a small whisk and added the xanthan a little at a time until it was all blended.
Hope this works for you!
Mary Lynn