A cold weather favorite, peppermint, chocolate, and espresso are combined to create this delicious caffeinated Starbucks drink at home.
Recipe Highlights
- Starbucks Peppermint Mocha is an espresso drink with milk that’s flavored with chocolate and peppermint. It’s topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
- Mocha is espresso, chocolate, and milk together in one drink. Peppermint Mocha adds peppermint to the mix.
- Use an espresso machine or a Nespresso to make espresso at home.
- Peppermint syrup and chocolate syrup can be homemade or store-bought. (Homemade is better but lasts only a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.)
- This copycat recipe recreates a grande size (16 ounces) Starbucks Peppermint Mocha, and includes how to make whipped cream in seconds.
RELATED: Starbucks Mocha Copycat
Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks
The absolute most popular drink during the holidays at Starbucks, Peppermint Mocha is made with espresso, milk, peppermint syrup, mocha sauce, and topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls.
This drink can be ordered all year, not just during the holidays, because peppermint syrup and mocha sauce are always available.
Starbucks calls their chocolate sauce a mocha sauce even though there isn’t any espresso in the sauce.
Peppermint Mocha comes in 4 sizes: short, tall, grande, and venti.
Like all other mochas, it’s made with 2% milk but can be customized with any milk Starbucks offers, including oatmilk and almondmilk.
Ingredient Notes
- Espresso
All mochas are made with espresso. Get Starbucks espresso to make it taste more like theirs or use your favorite espresso. - Chocolate syrup
Use store-bought or homemade chocolate syrup. - Peppermint syrup
Use homemade or store-bought syrup. I recommend making your own since it’s only 3 simple ingredients and takes 5 minutes. - Milk
Like all mochas at Starbucks, Peppermint Mocha is made with 2% milk but you can use any milk you like. - Heavy cream
This is to make the vanilla whipped cream. - Vanilla syrup
At Starbucks, the whipped cream is sweetened and flavored with vanilla syrup. Use store-bought or homemade. - Chocolate curls
Use a bar of dark chocolate and create curls or shavings using a vegetable peeler.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Step-by-Step Instructions
For full ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe.
- Whisk heavy cream and vanilla syrup to make whipped cream. Set aside.
Use a handheld milk frother to make whipped cream in seconds. Whip until soft peaks form. - Put espresso, peppermint syrup, and chocolate syrup into a cup.
Use 2 Nespresso espresso pods or pull 2 shots from an espresso machine. - Add frothed milk.
Frothed milk can be made using an electric milk frother or with the steam wand from an espresso machine. Another method is to simmer milk on the stovetop, pour it into a French press, then pump the plunger a few times to create froth. - Top drink with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate curls.
Nespresso Notes
The easiest way to make espresso at home is with a Nespresso machine.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
1 shot of espresso = 1 Nespresso espresso capsule
This recipe makes a 16 ounce (grande) drink so you’ll need 2 Nespresso espresso or ristretto capsules. You can also use 1 Vertuo double espresso capsule.
Make sure the Nespresso capsule you use is not a coffee/mug pod, which makes 7.77 ounces.
Use any espresso capsule from Nespresso to make this drink, but to get the drink to taste the closest to Starbucks, get their Nespresso capsules.
Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast
Nespresso Vertuo capsules
Nespresso Original capsules
Note: More popular than the Starbucks Espresso Roast capsules.
Starbucks Espresso Roast
Nespresso Vertuo capsules
Nespresso Original capsules
When you order the Peppermint Mocha at Starbucks, they use dark roast espresso, like this one.
Photo Credit: amazon.com
Expert Tips
- Instead of chocolate curls, make it festive by garnishing the drink with chocolate syrup drizzle and crushed candy cane.
- The chocolate syrup will sink down to the bottom of the cup, so make sure to stir well before drinking.
- Instant coffee can be used if you don’t have espresso. Combine 1 tablespoon of instant coffee and 1/4 cup hot water to replace the 2 shots of espresso in the recipe.
- Starbucks vanilla syrup can be purchased at Starbucks locations if they have extra in stock. Just ask a barista if they have any they can sell. It’s about $14 for the bottle.
Questions You May Have
A grande sized drink is made with 2 shots of espresso, 4 pumps of peppermint syrup, 4 pumps of mocha sauce, 2% milk, and it’s topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls topping.
The difference is in the chocolate sauce. A Peppermint Mocha has mocha sauce, a bittersweet chocolate sauce, and the Peppermint White Chocolate is made with Starbucks’ white chocolate mocha sauce, which contains no caffeine.
Mocha sauce at Starbucks is a chocolate sauce. Even though there isn’t any espresso or coffee in their chocolate sauce, that’s what they call it.
Related
- Starbucks Iced Mocha Copycat
- 23 Starbucks Chocolate Drinks (Including Secret Menu)
- Starbucks Iced White Chocolate Mocha Copycat
- Starbucks Strawberry Iced Mocha (Secret Menu)
- 17 Delicious Latte Recipes
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Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Copycat
INGREDIENTS
Peppermint Mocha
- 2 shots of espresso (2 Nespresso espresso capsules)
- 2 tablespoons peppermint syrup
- 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup or sauce
- 1 ½ cups frothed 2% milk
Vanilla Whipped Cream
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
- 1 teaspoon shaved or curled dark chocolate for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk heavy cream and vanilla syrup to make whipped cream. Set aside.Use a handheld milk frother to make whipped cream in seconds. Whip until soft peaks form.
- Put espresso, peppermint syrup, and chocolate syrup into a cup.Use 2 Nespresso espresso pods or pull 2 shots from an espresso machine.
- Add frothed milk.Frothed milk can be made using an electric milk frother or with the steam wand from an espresso machine. Another method is to simmer milk on the stovetop, pour it into a French press, then pump the plunger a few times to create froth.
- Top drink with whipped cream and garnish with chocolate curls.Use a spoon to add the whipped cream on top of the drink.
NOTES
- Use store-bought or homemade chocolate sauce or syrup.
- Use homemade or store-bought peppermint syrup. I recommend making your own since it’s only 3 simple ingredients and takes 5 minutes.
- Starbucks Peppermint Mocha is made with 2% milk but you can use any milk you like.
- At Starbucks, the whipped cream is sweetened and flavored with vanilla syrup. Use store-bought or homemade.
- Starbucks vanilla syrup can be purchased at Starbucks locations if they have extra in stock. Just ask a barista if they have any they can sell. It’s about $14 for the bottle.
- Use a bar of dark chocolate and create curls using a vegetable peeler.
- Instead of chocolate curls, make it festive by garnishing the drink with chocolate syrup drizzle and crushed candy cane.
- The chocolate syrup will sink down to the bottom of the cup, so make sure to stir well before drinking.
- Instant coffee can be used if you don’t have espresso. Combine 1 tablespoon of instant coffee and 1/4 cup hot water to replace the 2 shots of espresso in the recipe.
Using a Nespresso Machine
- 1 shot of espresso = 1 Nespresso espresso capsule
- To make a 16 ounce (grande) Starbucks drink, you’ll need 2 Nespresso espresso or ristretto capsules. You can also use 1 Vertuo double espresso.
- With the Vertuo machine capsules, only use espresso capsules and not the coffee capsules that make 7.77 ounces.
- Recommended Nespresso capsules to make Starbucks drinks at home:
Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast
Nespresso Vertuo capsules
Nespresso Original capsules