Starbucks Peppermint White Hot Chocolate is a tasty, caffeine-free seasonal drink that you can recreate at home in just a few minutes.
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Homemade Starbucks Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate is one of the most popular winter drinks at Starbucks. There are several variations available, from the signature classic to this caffeine-free peppermint white hot chocolate.
Full of both mint and chocolate flavor, it’s a rich and tasty drink that’s especially warming on chilly days.
The seasonal favorite is easy to recreate at home so you can enjoy mugs of it all winter long.
Simply combine white chocolate sauce and peppermint syrup together, then mix them with frothed milk. Top with a quick and easy homemade whipped cream and shaved chocolate to make it extra decadent.
If you prefer regular chocolate to white, you can make a copycat of the regular Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate, too.
RELATED: Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Copycat
Recipe Highlights
- This comforting, warm winter drink is made with white chocolate sauce, peppermint syrup, and 2% milk, just like at Starbucks.
- There is no coffee or chocolate sauce in this drink so it’s caffeine-free.
- Homemade syrups taste best, but you can also use store-bought versions. Make sure to have these ready ahead of time.
- Whipped cream makes the drink extra rich. Use a handheld milk frother to make it from scratch quickly and easily!
RELATED: Starbucks Mocha Copycat
Ingredient Notes
- White chocolate sauce: This store-bought sauce sweetens and flavors the drink. If you don’t have white chocolate sauce, you can use sweetened condensed milk instead.
- Peppermint syrup: A homemade mint syrup only takes 3 ingredients to make and tastes the best. You can also use store-bought in a pinch.
- Milk: Starbucks uses 2% milk, but you can use any kind of milk you like.
- Heavy cream: This is to make the whipped cream.
- Vanilla syrup: The whipped cream at Starbucks is sweetened with vanilla syrup. White granulated sugar can be instead.
- Shaved chocolate: A garnish to top off the hot chocolate. Use a grater on a milk chocolate bar to make the shaved chocolate.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together vanilla syrup and heavy cream. Set aside.
Use a handheld frother to whisk until soft peaks form.
Step 2: Froth or heat milk. An electric milk frother or the steam wand from an espresso machine can be used to froth the milk.
Step 3: Pour the white chocolate sauce into a mug.
Step 4: Add peppermint syrup.
Step 5: Pour in the frothed or heated milk.
Step 6: Stir to combine.
Step 7: Top with whipped cream.
Step 8: Garnish with shaved chocolate.
Recipe Notes
Prepare syrups ahead of time.
Peppermint syrup can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
Make a batch and have it readily available anytime a craving for this hot chocolate strikes.
Buy vanilla syrup from a Starbucks store.
It’s best to use the authentic 1-liter Starbucks vanilla syrup for this drink and all other Starbucks copycat drinks.
Vanilla syrup at Starbucks is sold for about $12, which comes out to around $14 with tax. Starbucks does not sell the 1-liter syrups online.
To purchase a syrup at a Starbucks location, ask a barista at the register if they have any vanilla syrups in bottles available for sale.
The catch is, they’ll only be able to sell it to you if they have extra in stock.
No vanilla syrup? Use peppermint syrup.
The vanilla syrup is only used in the heavy cream to make whipped cream so if you don’t have any, you can use 2 teaspoons of white granulated sugar instead.
Or, just use peppermint syrup in place of the vanilla syrup in the whipped cream to make this drink extra minty.
Expert Tips
- Whipped cream can also be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in an airtight jar for up to 2 days. It’ll deflate so be sure to give it a stir before using.
- If you don’t have a frother, you can also just heat up the milk. The whipped cream topping will still give it a frothy, rich texture.
- Add a shot of espresso to make it a white chocolate peppermint mocha.
- Use leftover white chocolate sauce to make other drinks like Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino Copycat and Starbucks Iced White Chocolate Mocha Copycat.
Questions You May Have
Starbucks makes the peppermint white hot chocolate with its white chocolate mocha sauce, peppermint syrup, 2% milk, whipped cream, and dark chocolate curls.
Yes! Starbucks serves the mocha version of this drink cold. You can also pour it over ice and enjoy chilled.
This is a caffeine-free drink since white chocolate is typically made with only cocoa butter and not cocoa solids.
Related
- Mexican Hot Chocolate
- Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
- White Hot Chocolate
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate
- Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha Copycat
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Starbucks Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
INGREDIENTS
Whipped Cream Topping
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
- 1 teaspoon shaved chocolate (optional garnish)
Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
- 1 ½ cups 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons white chocolate sauce
- 2 tablespoons peppermint syrup
INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk together vanilla syrup and heavy cream. Set aside.Use a handheld frother to make the whipped cream. Whisk until soft peaks form.
- Froth or heat milk.Frothed milk can be made using an electric milk frother or with the steam wand from an espresso machine. Milk can be heated on the stovetop.
- Pour the white chocolate sauce and peppermint syrup into a mug.
- Add frothed or heated milk. Stir.
- Top with whipped cream.Garnish with shaved chocolate.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- A homemade peppermint syrup only takes 3 ingredients to make and tastes the best. It can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge. Make a big batch and have it readily available anytime a craving for this hot chocolate strikes.
- Starbucks uses 2% milk, but you can use any kind of milk you like.
- The vanilla syrup is only used in the heavy cream to make whipped cream so if you don’t have any, you can use 2 teaspoons of white granulated sugar instead.
- To make this drink extra minty, you can swap use peppermint syrup in place of the vanilla in the whipped cream.
- Whipped cream can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in an airtight jar for up to 2 days. It’ll deflate so be sure to give it a stir before using.
- If you don’t have a frother, you can also just heat up the milk. The whipped cream topping will still give it a frothy, rich texture.
- Add a shot of espresso to make it a white chocolate peppermint mocha.