Chocolate and salted caramel flavors combined with espresso and milk make this delicious Starbucks drink at home. Quick and easy homemade whipped cream adds a decadent touch.
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Recipe Highlights
- Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha is a hot drink made with espresso, milk, mocha sauce, and toffee nut syrup. It’s topped with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, and sea salt topping.
- This sweet and salty drink has been discontinued at Starbucks but you can easily make it at home with a Nespresso or an espresso machine.
- Toffee nut syrup is what gives the drink the salted caramel flavor and it tastes like hazelnut and caramel combined.
- Use store-bought or homemade chocolate syrup sauce. The caramel sauce and the toffee nut syrup are store-bought since it’s easier to buy them instead of making them from scratch.
- This copycat recipe recreates a grande size (16 ounces) Starbucks Caramel Mocha.
RELATED: Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Copycat
Salted Caramel Mocha at Starbucks
Salted Caramel Mocha is no longer on the Starbucks menu since it was discontinued but you can still order it at any time of the year as long as they have the toffee nut syrup.
To order a Salted Caramel Mocha, ask for a mocha with toffee nut syrup and caramel drizzle on top of the whipped cream.
Tall: Add 3 pumps toffee syrup
Grande: Add 4 pumps toffee syrup
Venti: Add 5 pumps toffee syrup
Unfortunately, the sea salt topping isn’t available anymore but you can recreate it by adding a little salt and turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw).
RELATED: Starbucks Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew Copycat
Ingredient Notes
- Espresso: A mocha isn’t a mocha without espresso. Use Starbucks dark roast or blonde espresso made in an espresso machine or a Nespresso.
Whole beans: Starbucks Espresso Roast
Nespresso Original: Starbucks Espresso Roast
Nespresso Vertuo: Espresso Roast - Chocolate syrup or sauce: Homemade chocolate syrup costs so much less to make per serving than store-bought, but store-bought lasts longer in the refrigerator.
- Toffee nut syrup: This is the syrup that gives the drink the salted caramel flavor.
- Milk: Any kind of milk can be used but Starbucks makes this drink with 2% milk.
- Heavy cream: This is used just to make the whipped cream topping.
- Vanilla syrup: The whipped cream at Starbucks is made with vanilla syrup and it’s made the same way in this homemade version.
- Caramel sauce: Caramel sauce is only used as drizzle on top of the whipped cream.
- Sea salt topping: Sea salt and turbinado sugar are what’s in the sea salt topping. If you want to make it exactly like Starbucks, use smoked sea salt.
For full ingredients and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: 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.
Step 2: Put chocolate sauce, toffee nut syrup, and espresso into a cup. Use 2 Nespresso espresso pods or pull 2 shots from an espresso machine.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: Top drink with whipped cream, drizzle with caramel sauce, and add sea salt topping.
Using a Nespresso
The key ingredient in a mocha drink is espresso. The easiest way to make espresso is with a Nespresso machine.
1 shot of espresso = 1 Nespresso espresso capsule
To make a grande size Salted Caramel Mocha, you’ll need 2 shots of espresso, which is 2 Nespresso espresso or ristretto capsules or 1 double espresso capsule.
Nespresso and Starbucks partnered to create Starbucks capsules and there are 3 espresso capsules: Espresso Roast, Decaf Espresso Roast, and Blonde Espresso Roast.
Starbucks uses their signature espresso roast to make their mochas.
Starbucks Espresso Roast
Nespresso Vertuo capsules
Nespresso Original capsules
But, the Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast is one I recommend since it tastes better.
Expert Tips
- Instant coffee can be used if you don’t have espresso. Combine 1 tablespoon of instant coffee and ¼ cup hot water to replace the 2 shots of espresso in the recipe.
- Milk will increase in volume when steamed or frothed, so to get 1 ½ cups of frothed milk for this recipe, use 1 cup of cold milk.
- Make homemade chocolate syrup at home using my easy recipe. The recipe makes a cup of syrup and you can use it to make hot chocolate and other mocha drinks like Peppermint Mocha.
- It’s not as easy to make caramel sauce as it is to make chocolate sauce so I stick to store-bought caramel sauce. This one is my favorite and I use it to make Iced Caramel Macchiatos.
Questions You May Have
Mocha is drink that combines chocolate, milk, and espresso.
Nope, Starbucks calls their chocolate sauce “mocha sauce” but it doesn’t contain any espresso or coffee.
Yes, there’s caffeine in the espresso and there’s a little bit of caffeine in chocolate.
Related
- Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate
- Salted Caramel Cold Brew with Cold Foam
- Salted Caramel Latte
- Starbucks Mocha Copycat
- 19 Starbucks Caramel Drinks (Including Secret Menu)
- Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato Copycat
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Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha Copycat
INGREDIENTS
Salted Caramel Mocha
- 2 capsules Nespresso espresso (or 2 espresso shots)
- 1 tablespoon toffee nut syrup
- 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup or sauce
- 1 ½ cups frothed 2% milk
Vanilla Whipped Cream + Topping
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
Topping
- 1 tablespoon caramel sauce
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 pinches turbinado sugar
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 chocolate sauce, toffee nut syrup, and espresso into a cup.Use 2 Nespresso espresso pods or pull 2 shots from an espresso machine.the Barista Express
- Add frothed milk.the Barista ExpressFrothed 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, drizzle with caramel sauce, and add sea salt topping.Use a spoon to add the whipped cream on top of the drink.
EQUIPMENT
NOTES
- 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.
- Instant coffee can be used if you don’t have espresso. Combine 1 tablespoon of instant coffee and ¼ cup hot water to replace the 2 shots of espresso in the recipe.
- Milk will increase in volume when steamed or frothed, so to get 1 ½ cups of frothed milk for this recipe, use 1 cup of cold milk.
- Make homemade chocolate syrup at home using my easy recipe. The recipe makes a cup of syrup and you can use it to make hot chocolate and other mocha drinks like Peppermint Mocha.